TheBurg Podcast

Revitalization is the focus of our June podcast, as we expand three stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine's June issue: 50 years later, what's Harrisburg's legacy from Hurricane Agnes? David Morrison, executive director, Historic Harrisburg Association explains how revitalization efforts continue impacting the city today.

Revitalization is thriving, in many Pennsylvania towns and cities, thanks in great part to the Harrisburg-based organization, The Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Executive director Julie Fitzpatrick shares her insights—including downtown success stories—as PDC celebrates its 35th anniversary.

Philadelphia is considered the model city for one specific and unique type of revitalization, worldwide: murals. Chad Eric Smith, communications director for Mural Arts Philadelphia, explains how Philly's murals "beautify, inspire and empower."

June's "most Harrisburg thing" could truly revitalize your life. Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg, issues a challenge, in his monthly feature. Tune in, to see if you're up for it.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by award-winning Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because "there's always more to the story."

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

Agnes at 50 | Downtown Rebound | Mural Mecca

DYK? TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, in 2021.

Interested in sharing your advertising message with TheBurg Podcast's dedicated audience? Research shows that podcast sponsorships are one of the most effective forms of advertising! Contact Lauren ([email protected]).

Visit Karen Hendricks' website for more of her writing, journalism and PR work. TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

We celebrate a whole lotta culture on TheBurg Podcast's May episode: AAPI culture, soccer culture, and the culture of family-owned restaurants.

Meet three Harrisburg-area personalities, all featured within TheBurg magazine's May issue:

• Ellen Min, with the Harrisburg Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage group known as HAAPI
• Toan Ngo, head coach for Pennsylvania's first and only semi-professional women's soccer team debuting this month, Eagle FC
• Otis "O.D." Harrison, owner of OD's Fish House, Harrisburg

In this month's "The Most Harrisburg Thing (TMHT)" editor of TheBurg Lawrance Binda drives home a point, about major city projects underway.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because "there's always more to the story."

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include: Heritage Heralded | Kicking Off | Food and Family

DYK? TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, in 2021.

Visit Karen Hendricks' website for more of her writing, journalism and PR work.

Interested in sharing your advertising message with TheBurg Podcast's dedicated audience? Research shows that podcast sponsorships are one of the most effective forms of advertising! Contact Lauren ([email protected]).

TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

It's a "wild" time of year—a time to come out of hibernation and rediscover the great outdoors. Our April podcast guests explore Harrisburg's and Pennsylvania's wild side, from the Susquehanna River to its parks and outdoor recreation. The state's first director of outdoor recreation, Nathan Reigner explains how big of an outdoor gem Pennsylvania really is.

The Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat's new president of the board Kim Board explains what it means to be responsible for such an iconic symbol of Harrisburg, as the riverboat gets ready to launch a new season.

Richelle Corty of Harrisburg's Wildwood Park previews this year's Art in the Wild exhibit—composed of all-natural materials—and explains what that artwork naturally does for the community.

This month's "Most Harrisburg Thing" is off the wall. Really. Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg, sorts out a recent controversy that started with grocery store artwork.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because "there's always more to the story."

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

Reigner Reigns | Setting Sail | The Painted Word: Art in the Wild

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award,

Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

Visit Karen Hendricks' website for more of her writing, journalism and PR work. TheBurg Podcast is a great Central PA vehicle for sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

How would you define a "hero?"

Two of our guests focus on heroes in our midst—those who are in active recovery from substance use.

Meet Dan Albert, founder of Hero in the Fight, a Central PA-based organization dedicated to breaking the stigma associated with addiction, and supporting the active recovery community. He's very open about his substance use in our magazine story—and he explains why, on the podcast.

What can we, as a society, do to support those in active recovery? What language should we use? And what causes surges in substance use such as the opioid epidemic? Weston Kensinger, Director of the Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research at Penn State Harrisburg, answers those questions and more for a fascinating deep dive into the subject.

Have you seen TheBurg's March 2022 cover art? Meet Pamela Black, the artist who created this month's beautiful, bright artwork.

Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg, goes uptown for this month's "The Most Harrisburg Thing."

And host Karen Hendricks wraps up this banner episode—TheBurg Podcast's 2nd birthday in our news magazine-style format—with a fun behind-the-scenes montage of bloopers and fun moments.

Every month, we expand stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because "there's always more to the story." Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

A Straight Fight | TheBurg, March 2022, including Pamela Black's cover art

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website here.

TheBurg Podcast is a great Central PA vehicle for sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

What are the hidden gems of Harrisburg? And where are these sparkling treasures?

That's what we asked nearly all of our podcast guests over the past year. But—surprise, surprise—we saved these audio treasures for this bonus Valentine's Day episode.

This special Valentine's Day edition of TheBurg Podcast is sponsored by Explore HBG.

Nearly 25 guests reveal their favorite, go-to places they consider unique to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. And some of the answers may surprise you: They range from sparkling gems of nature to the capital city's cultural gems, outstanding restaurants and businesses, iconic architectural gems, plus even a few quirky local gems. Some are truly hidden, off-the-beaten-path gems.

Discover the hidden gems of the Burg, on TheBurg Podcast: Hosted by Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg; and Karen Hendricks, TheBurg Podcast's host and producer.

Guests, sharing their hidden gems, include:

• Melissa Brown, UPMC Central PA
• Fred Burton, Harrisburg-based writer
• George Conrad, president, Standing Stone Trail Club
• Karen Cullings, executive director of the Daphin County Library System
• Seth Dellinger, Animal Advocates of Central PA
• Jenifer Donnelly of Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg
• Clare Flannery, Harrisburg runner
• Monica Gould, DEI expert, of Strategic Consulting Partners,
• Rich Hauck, TheBurg illustrator
• Brad Jones, Harristown president and CEO
• Kasey Jordan, Harrisburg native and ice skater with Revolution Ice Unity
• Kevin Kulp, president, Harrisburg Senators
• Maestro Stuart Malina of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
• Maureen Marks of Maureen Marks Arts
• Diane McCormick, freelance writer for TheBurg
• Sammi Leigh Melville, TheBurg's resident film writer
• Rod Mortel, High Hopes for Haiti
• Melissa Nicholson of Gamut Theatre
• Steph Perez, Harrisburg artist
• Ian Potter, muralist and Harrisburg native
• Peter Sirotin of the Harrisburg Symphony and Market Square Concerts
• Crystal Skotedis, Harrisburg resident, principal with Boyer & Ritter LLC
• Todd Vander Woude, executive director of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District
• Andrew Williams, music teacher, Reach Cyber Charter School

TheBurg Podcast introduces you to some of the Harrisburg area's most fascinating people, through their own authentic stories, expanded from every month's magazine–because there's always "more to the story." TheBurg Podcast is released monthly on the second Friday of every month. It is hosted and produced by Karen Hendricks, an award-winning journalist and PR professional. Visit her website here.

TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

To sponsor a future episode of TheBurg Podcast, contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pa.; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

Every month, we expand three stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because "there's always more to the story." On the February podcast:

Dr. Kimeka Campbell reflects on her one-year anniversary as host of Harrisburg Black Newsbeat. We also learn more about her background, as well as her work with Young Professionals of Color-Greater Harrisburg.

Sue Kunisky, Vice President of Operations at Visit Hershey & Harrisburg, explores the Black Travel Experience—the organization's latest trail experience which markets Harrisburg's Black-owned businesses, Black cultural and historical landmarks, and more.

We also go beyond the surface of artist Wendy Allen's nearly 40-year career of painting Abraham Lincoln, from her Gettysburg gallery Lincoln into Art. She explains why she strives to keep Lincoln's legacy alive and relevant through each painting.

If there was ever a historical figure who stood up for minorities and equality for all, it was Abraham Lincoln.

All of the podcast's stories give voice to people or causes representing minorities, which statistics reveal, actually comprise majorities. For example, Harrisburg has a Black-majority (52%) population. Women own 31% of the state's businesses, yet comprise 51% of Pennsylvania's population.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website here.

Backstories: This episode is based upon the following February magazine stories:

In the Spotlight | Getting the Word Out | Her Life's Work

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

TheBurg Podcast is welcoming sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pa.; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

New Year, New You? Nope, we're not going there in 2022.

Public sentiment amid a pandemic calls for a new slogan. We propose "New Year, New Issues" and our podcast stories help you navigate through a number of current issues.

Seth Dellinger of Harrisburg is director of community engagement for Animal Advocates of South Central PA, an organization dedicated to supporting the vegan community. He debunks the common misconceptions—and dives into some of the issues--about veganism.

Author Fred Burton of Harrisburg used a controversial topic—fracking—to reach people on both sides of the issue and help them see the other side's point of view, through the characters in his book. He walks us through the pros and cons of fracking—an issue vital to Pennsylvania.

Harrisburg runner Clare Flannery recently ran the race of a lifetime, the iconic Boston Marathon. She shares her insights, for a dose of "New Year, New You" inspo.

Plus our esteemed editor Lawrance Binda shares his "most Harrisburg thing" for January—and it falls right into the "New Year, New Issues" category.

Thanks to podcast sponsor Stonebridge Financial Group for sharing valuable financial advice for the new year. Special thanks as always to Harrisburg band YamYam for our podcast music.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website here.

Backstories: This episode is based upon the following December magazine stories:

Vegan, Begin | Penning Perspective | Runner's High

Every month, TheBurg Podcast introduces you to some of Harrisburg's most fascinating people. Their stories start on the pages of TheBurg magazine, and are expanded here on TheBurg Podcast… because "there's always more to the story."

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

TheBurg Podcast is welcoming sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, PA; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

DEI is much more than a buzzword. How would you define Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? You can compare your definition with one shared by a local expert—who's actually a national expert on the subject. Monica Gould of Strategic Consulting Partners provides plenty of food-for-thought, including three tips for how we can be more mindful of DEI in our daily lives, especially in the new year.

SAD is another timely acronym. Dr. Melissa Brown of UPMC Central PA explains how to keep Seasonal Affective Disorder at bay through the dark winter months. SAD can turn darker, toward suicidal thoughts—and she tells us how to recognize those warning signs as well.

NLP is a local acronym associated with warm, neighborly connections. Neighbors of Lower Paxton has spun off a new nonprofit, Bike a Better Path, and executive director Forrest Healey shares some of their heartwarming holiday success.

It's full steam ahead, into the holiday season, for Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg, in his "Most Harrisburg Thing."

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website here.

Backstories: This episode is based upon the following December magazine stories:

Embracing Inclusion | It's a SAD Time of Year | Wonderland of Wheels

Every month, TheBurg Podcast introduces you to some of Harrisburg's most fascinating people. Their stories start on the pages of TheBurg magazine, and are expanded here on TheBurg Podcast… because "there's always more to the story."

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

TheBurg Podcast is welcoming sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, PA; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

This month's podcast is like a giant pot of gumbo, chock-full of Harrisburg happenings.

First, we talk soup, and so much more, with Dr. Rod Mortel of the High Hopes for Haiti Foundation. He explains why he's not worried about his foundation's school, and its many additional programs, despite the country's struggles.

Meet TheBurg's resident film critic Sammi Leigh Melville, and enjoy an expanded "The Most Harrisburg Thing" with Lawrance Binda, TheBurg's editor extraordinaire.

Every month, TheBurg Podcast introduces you to some of Harrisburg's most fascinating people. Their stories start on the pages of TheBurg magazine, and are expanded here on TheBurg Podcast… because "there's always more to the story."

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website here.

Backstories: This episode is based upon the following November magazine stories:

High Hopes for Haiti | Now We're Cooking: "Julia" | Surf's Almost Up, at Harrisburg Beach Club

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

TheBurg Podcast is welcoming sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, PA; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

Art is at the heart of this month's podcast:

First, Crystal Skotedis of Harrisburg recounts her quest to find a long-forgotten elk statue. She takes us along for all the twists and turns—with a surprise ending that adds to our magazine story.

What was it like to see 230 feet of the Mulberry Street bridge transformed by murals? Harrisburg native Ian Potter shares his reflections on this incredible experience—and he explains how painting sets for Gamut Theatre propelled him into a career as a muralist in New York City.

Harrisburg area kids can't get enough art, especially amid the pandemic, and that's why business is booming for Maureen Marks Art of Harrisburg.

People and politics: Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg, shares two "Most Harrisburg Things" for October.

Backstories: This episode is based upon the following October magazine stories: A Statue Story | Portrait of the Community | Art on the Mark

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by longtime Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website here.

Every month, TheBurg Podcast introduces you to some of Harrisburg's most fascinating people. Their stories start on the pages of TheBurg magazine, and are expanded here on TheBurg Podcast… because "there's always more to the story."

DYK? TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

TheBurg Podcast is welcoming sponsors and/or advertisers: Contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, PA; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.