The highly anticipated second annual Little Layers of Black History Gala is set to commence Saturday at noon, taking place at the Keystone Forum Atrium in Harrisburg. Promising a day filled with enriching activities, the event aims to celebrate Black history and culture in an engaging and educational manner.

Attendees can look forward to a variety of stimulating experiences tailored for all ages. One of the highlights includes engaging book readings by esteemed authors, designed to captivate young minds and instill a love for literature. Additionally, hands-on STEM workshops and experiments will be available for children, igniting curiosity and fostering innovation among the youth.

For those with a penchant for gaming, the gala will feature Video Game Stations equipped with interactive gaming zones, providing entertainment and excitement for attendees of all ages. Furthermore, Arts & Crafts Stations will offer individuals the opportunity to express their creativity while participating in family-friendly activities.

To encourage teamwork and bonding among families, the event will host Family-Friendly Competitions, adding an element of friendly rivalry to the festivities. Through these activities, attendees will have the chance to forge lasting connections while celebrating the rich tapestry of Black history.

In anticipation of the event, Mr. Corey Dupree, the curator of the gala, he shared his enthusiasm and vision for the occasion on The Spark with Marquis Lupton. With his dedication to showcasing the diversity and significance of Black history, Dupree aims to create an immersive experience that honors the contributions of Black individuals while inspiring future generations.

As the countdown to the Little Layers of Black History Gala begins, excitement builds for a day filled with learning, creativity, and celebration. From captivating book readings to interactive gaming zones, the event promises something for everyone, making it a must-attend occasion for individuals and families alike.

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Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity's homeownership program stands as a beacon of hope for first-time homebuyers in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties, offering a pathway to affordable and decent housing. The program fosters strength, stability, and self-sufficiency among future homeowners and their families as they engage in the process. They are supported through the program until they are ready to purchase their Habitat home, facilitated by a zero-percent interest mortgage tailored to their budget.

Since its inception in 1986, Habitat has been dedicated to bringing the community together to build safe, warm, and affordable homes for local families in need. Through the collaborative efforts of volunteers and community partners, Habitat has been able to expand homeownership opportunities in the region, assisting more than 300 households with their housing needs. The organization's latest endeavor, the "Open Doors" campaign, aims to raise $4 million to construct 30 affordable homes over five years, marking a significant 50 percent increase in home construction compared to recent years.

The urgency of addressing affordable housing is paramount as inventory diminishes and home costs soar, particularly impacting lower-income families striving for homeownership. Each day, Habitat receives numerous inquiries from local families in dire need of affordable housing. Contributions to the "Open Doors" campaign will support Habitat in acquiring properties for new construction or renovation, purchasing building supplies, expanding the construction team, and enhancing the volunteer program.

Beyond addressing the immediate housing crisis, the campaign also aims to bolster Habitat's organizational capacity, enabling sustained accelerated construction beyond the campaign's conclusion in 2026. By strengthening its infrastructure, Habitat seeks to continue its mission of providing affordable housing well into the future. The impact of affordable homeownership extends beyond mere shelter; it empowers families with the space to pursue life's opportunities and navigate its challenges, ultimately enabling them to build brighter futures for themselves.

The "Open Doors" campaign represents a pivotal moment in Habitat's history, signaling a commitment to addressing the pressing need for affordable housing in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. Through collective efforts and community support, Habitat endeavors to make homeownership a reality for more families, fostering stability and prosperity for generations to come.

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Sometimes nature has the best solutions.

Beavers build dams to create homes for themselves. Beaver dams back up small streams of moving water to protect themselves from enemies.

However, beaver dams can also make a stream healthier by reducing erosion and raising water levels.

Humans are recreating what the beaver has done through something called beaver dam analogs or artificial beaver dams.

Susquehanna University’s Freshwater Research Institute has created their own beaver dams in an effort to restore streams.

Director Matt Wilson joined us on The Spark Thursday,"These dams are slowing down the flow as it comes through, off of agricultural fields, off of development, lots of sediment, lots of nutrients that would be flowing into the stream. They get trapped behind the dams and it slows the flow down. These dams aren't what would you think of as a normal dam. They don't stop everything. They just slow it down a little bit. So think of it more like a sieve. We put eight of these in. So each sieve catches a little bit more of sediment, a little bit more of the energy that's coming through and decreases the erosion while building up the stream channel at the same time. So that's our goal in this one. It's more about stormwater management. But in general we think about beaver dams for groundwater recharge for creating nature's cooler in the summer. Sort of slowing down flow, slowing down energy during big storms."

Wilson was asked how an artificial beaver dam replenishes groundwater,"Slowing down the flow and creating more surface area for absorption of water. So, as that pond fills, think about a normal stream channel, say it's ten feet wide. If you create a beaver pond there, that's now an acre. I'm not using the same units, but you get my picture. There's a lot more area for water to be soaked up and infiltrate the ground. And then when you have a dry spell, say that beaver pond starts to contract. It gets small. It goes back to the original channel. You've held so much water back for so long, it's been able to infiltrate and saturate the ground. Now, when the water is low, that water slowly will it back out of the banks into the stream. And it's been in the ground."

Wilson said he hopes that creating beaver dam analogs will become more popular as a tool to reduce storm water pollutants from flowing downstream. He mentioned that permits are required to construct a beaver dam.

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Connor Rohrer, a jazz pianist in his final year at the Frost School of Music, has experienced a remarkable journey. He recently reached the finals of the prestigious 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, a highly competitive event. Additionally, he's currently touring with Samara Joy, a triple Grammy winner and acclaimed young jazz vocalist. Their sold-out concert at The Moss Center in South Miami-Dade features Rohrer, alongside fellow Frost master’s student David Mason on saxophone, and alum Jason Charos on trumpet.

Raised in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Rohrer attributes much of his success to Frost, where he's pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music Theory and Composition. Associate professor Martin Bejerano, Rohrer’s mentor, praises his exceptional talent and humble nature. Bejerano emphasizes Rohrer's growth as a musician and his dedication to serving the music.

Rohrer acknowledges Bejerano's significant influence on his artistic development and credits Frost for providing numerous performance opportunities and valuable connections. His talent for composition was recognized with a 2022 Downbeat Student Jazz award.

Despite initial reluctance, Rohrer's participation in the Herbie Hancock competition and collaboration with Samara Joy were pivotal. Frost connections facilitated his involvement with Joy's band, highlighting the importance of networks in the music industry.

Reflecting on his experiences, Rohrer expresses admiration for Joy's inclusive approach to music-making. Their collaboration emphasizes teamwork and creativity, fostering a supportive environment among group members.

As Rohrer prepares to graduate, his journey at Frost has been marked by achievement, mentorship, and collaboration, setting a strong foundation for his future endeavors in the world of jazz music.

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With St. Patrick’s Day coming up on Sunday, you’ll be hearing a lot of stories about the Irish and many will be celebrating their Irish heritage.

One of the most infamous periods in American history, and certainly here in Pennsylvania, involved the Molly Maguires. The Molly Maguires were a secret organization of Irish coal miners in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania in the late 1800s.

Assassinations and violence grew throughout the area because of poor working conditions in the mines and ethnic tensions, leading to 16 killings. The Molly Maguires were thought to be responsible, and 20 supposed members were executed.

Kevin Kenny is author of the 1998 book Making Sense of the Molly Maguires and a Professor of History and the Glucksman Professor in Irish Studies at New York University. On The Spark Wednesday, Kenny was asked who the Molly Maguires were,"Nobody agreed at the time. Historians haven't agreed since. I would say we need to avoid, two extremes. One is that they were simply savages who killed people for the sake of killing people. Believe it or not, that's how they were described in the 19th century. The other is that they were simply innocent victims because 20 men were hanged. But there were 16 other dead bodies on the stage at the end, and somebody killed them."

Working conditions and ethnic differences were two factors that led to violence, especially after coal miners unionized,"Underground and mining communities are always difficult and harsh. It's brutal work. People died of miners lung in those days and they still do. I can tell you that the fatality rates and mining accidents were three times as high in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania as they were in Europe. It's really difficult work. There's also a division based on class, on ethnicity, because most of the skilled miners and this was really an elite workforce who built the mines and then freed the coal from the coalface. Most of them were were British, English or Welsh. Most of them were Protestant. Some of the skilled miners were Irish, but most of the laborers were Irish. It's a very important distinction between being a laborer and a miner because it comes down to this. The skilled miner will come in, come into the mine underground in the morning. They will free the coal from from the coal face by using powder to explode it out of the coalface. Then they'll go home. The Irishman will stay down underground all day loading the coal into carts. It's a different kind of work. The union brought the two sides together. The Molly Maguires represents the marginalized and the exploited."

Kenny described what happened,"There were two waves of violence attributed to the Molly Maguires. The first was in the 1860s, during the Civil War. It was a mixture of rudimentary labor organizing and opposition to the military draft to conscription in the same category as the New York City draft riots, which are more famous. Six people were killed in that violence. Nobody was convicted at the time. The second wave of violence was in the middle of the 1870s, and it directly followed the destruction of the labor union. The labor union went down to defeat in the middle of the worst national economic depression the country had ever seen, and the 1870s the labor union, the WBA, was crushed. Into the vacuum stepped the Molly Maguires. Six more killings took place in the summer of 1875. That's the context in which it unfolds. (The victims were affiliated with the coal companies or those perceived to be enemies of the miners). The killings in the 1860s were traced retroactively to the Molly Maguires and a mopping up operation. They got the big wigs Alexander Campbell out in Carbon County, Patrick Hassler in Northumberland County, and John Kehoe in Schuylkill County. That's the context. And the explanation is Franklin Gowans attempted to secure monopoly control over the production and distribution of anthracite in the lower region, and eliminating all obstacles in his path."

The suspected Molly Maguires paid for their alleged crimes with their lives -- justly or not as Kenny explained,"The 20 men who were hanged. My sense is, some were guilty as charged. Some were possibly innocent as charged. Others were probably guilty of other, crimes. But my position is that there were Molly Maguires and they killed people. It's a historian's question to try and explain, to try and make sense of what happened. I will tell you that, John Kehoe was the alleged ringleader of the whole Molly McGuire thing. He was based on Schuylkill County. He was active in politics. He was a marked man, and he was convicted in 1877 of the very first Molly McGuire killing, which took place in 1862."

Kehoe was pardoned posthumously by Pennsylvania Gov. Milton Shapp in 1979.

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Jessica Lopez, who spent the last 10 months incarcerated for her involvement in violent protests in downtown Lancaster following the fatal police shooting of Ricardo Munoz on September 2020, has emerged from prison to reclaim her place in society. The protests erupted as a response to Munoz's death and were part of a broader movement for equality that had been brewing in Lancaster city and county. Munoz, diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was shot by police after allegedly charging at an officer with a knife during a domestic disturbance call.

Lopez's return to the public eye comes after a period of introspection and reconnecting with her family, including her mother and four children. Her journey is marked by a history of trauma, including sexual assault at age 14 and the deportation of her father when she was just 3 years old, alongside her mother's own incarceration. Many argue that this traumatic past has shaped Lopez's responses to situations and fostered her distrust of the judicial system.

Now, as she steps into the limelight once more, Lopez's story serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities of social justice and personal struggle. Her experiences highlight the intersectionality of systemic issues and individual trauma, shedding light on the need for empathy and understanding in the pursuit of a more just society. Despite the challenges she has faced, Lopez's resilience shines through as she seeks to reintegrate into her community and make sense of her past. Her journey is a testament to the human spirit's capacity for growth and healing, even in the face of adversity.

Now, as Jessica Lopez takes her place on "The Spark," and in the Lancaster community as a whole, she brings with her a message of hope and perseverance, inspiring others to confront their own struggles and work towards a better future for all.

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Agriculture is one of Pennsylvania’s top industries, contributing more than $132 billion to the state’s economy and employing 593,000 people. The state produces $10 billion in agricultural products and recently passed a historic milestone – as of 2022, Pennsylvania poultry has surpassed dairy as the number one ag product in the state. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, poultry now accounts for $2.6 billion dollars in Pennsylvania compared to dairy’s $2.5 billion dollars.

Philip Gruber is the News Editor of the publication Lancaster Farming, who has reported on this explained the rise of poultry on The Spark Tuesday,"With dairy, a lot of it is at the mercy of the market. So, milk prices have been pretty volatile over the last ten years here. With poultry, there are ways to make more or less money, but, it's a pretty steady stream if you're producing eggs or broilers, that's on a set production schedule and you're on a contract and which runs for X number of years."

Gruber pointed out that poultry has thrived even though the state's poultry flocks have been hit with deadly avian influenza outbreaks in recent years,"Avian influenza did cost Pennsylvania about 4 million birds. The threat is still there that we could have future outbreaks. But, really, 4 million birds is a relatively small part of our Pennsylvania production when you're talking about millions and millions of laying hens and broilers, the meat chickens. It's a concern, but it's it's hasn't, you know, totally devastated the industry."

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Larry Bellorín, a Llanera music legend from Monagas, Venezuela, and Joe Troop, a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass artist from North Carolina, along with special guests Vinegar Creek Constituency, are set to perform at CWS Lancaster on Friday, March 15, from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM at West Art. Larry, an asylum seeker in North Carolina, and Joe, stranded in his home state due to the pandemic after a decade in South America, have joined forces. Larry, forced into exile, worked construction while Joe, known for his "latingrass" band Che Apalache, shifted focus to aiding asylum seekers. Now based in North Carolina's Triangle, the duo showcases a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music, featuring instruments like harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, and upright bass. Their performances highlight their diverse musical backgrounds and aim to demonstrate that music transcends borders. Additionally, they incorporate storytelling into their program, exploring the intersection of music and social movements. Larry and Joe's collaboration reflects resilience, cultural exchange, and a shared commitment to using music as a tool for connection and advocacy.

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Friday night football games in the fall are a Pennsylvania tradition but more games are being scheduled on Thursday nights or Saturday afternoons because there aren’t enough officials. For high school football, seven officials on the field are what’s ideal, but many times five are calling the games.

There’s a shortage of referees or officials in other sports too like lacrosse, soccer and field hockey.

On The Spark Monday was Patrick Gebhart, Assistant Executive Director of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association who said,"The, poor treatment of officials nationally that has been ranked as the number one reason that officials retire and don't come back, after a few years, if we get an official to their third year, we feel pretty strongly that they'll continue to have a great career. But poor treatment by coaches and spectators has been the number one reason across the country, including Pennsylvania, that officials, retire."

Gebhard said athletic directors are making a greater effort to control coach and fan behavior toward officials.

Gebhard indicated there are other reasons there aren't as many people willing to become officials or are leaving,"Back in 2015, the state legislature began to require officials to have clearances. They cost approximately $60 for the three clearances. They're good for five years. Well, when it came to the renewal program, we lost the officials from 2015 because they didn't want to go through the process. 2021 they had to renew. Many officials felt the same way. I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to pay the $60 even though it's mandated by the state legislature. I think many officials felt they didn't want to go through that. And as everyone remembers, in 2020, COVID hit and many officials dropped just because they might have had an underlying illness or just didn't want to go through wearing a mask while they officiate. So we did lose officials for those two reasons."

Gebhard said officials or associations representing officials negotiate pay rates with schools.

What's being done to recruit new officials? Gebhard described several marketing and advertising campaigns, including in schools and at championship events. Younger people are becoming officials through a junior officiating program where they officiate middle school grade athletic contests.

If you are interested in becoming an official or have questions, go to the PIAA website here.

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On today's special episode of The Spark Weekly, Marquis Lupton speaks with Kira St. Clair, who lost her brother in a tragic fire, Olliette Murry-Drobot about the murder of her father, and Grief Specialist Deborah Gonzalez about how people can live with tragic loss, and the and the effects it can have on the body.

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