If club lets you in, it can be a fun night
Last Friday, I grabbed a group of friends and headed to the Maennerchor, a hidden gem on North Street in Harrisburg. The Maennerchor is a private club, founded as a men's club, but we were signed in as guests to take in its new Friday night entertainment and cheap drinks.
The Maennerchor's home is an old church, and a former choir room on the second floor has been converted to a live entertainment hot spot. A bar was added recently in the club, and the facelift continues as soundproofing will be added to the windows in coming weeks.
When we got there, we felt almost like we were crashing a wedding, as folks were lined up at long tables. Things warmed up quickly when the Miller-Cusick Duo started its set. We grabbed super-cheap draft beers (seriously, $1.25 on a Friday night, all night) and a table. Within a half an hour, nearly everyone was dancing to the band's cover songs ranging from '50s rock to today's pop hits.
Maennerchor has booked live music for Fridays almost through the end of the year. Tomorrow, catch Voxology, or swing by on Oct. 28 for the Halloween party with Jam Masters. In November, catch Eli on the 4th and Jeff Snedecker on Nov. 11.
Report from NYC
There have been a few attempts to inject the big city flavor, culture and feel of New York into Harrisburg. The original renditions of NOMA, Mars and even Red Door have been likened to NYC wine bars.
Last Saturday, the Susquehanna Art Museum brought a slice of the Big Apple with its opening of "Report from NYC." The event, which will run through the end of the year, features the work of nine young New York City artists. Local artists Mark Billy and Andrew Hurst are curators for the exhibit, which also features their works.
Billy, whose abstract pieces donned the walls of the original NOMA and Mars, uses unusual shapes and bold colors; he refuses to be limited by a rectangular canvas.
Hurst also does not succumb to conventional boundaries, using a variety of media for most of his pieces, taking otherwise useless junk and weaving it into his art.
One of the most interesting pieces in the exhibit is by John Hawke. He assembled a wooden shelter with openings for windows, two entrance/exits and two benches inside, covered it in orange snow fence and sat the contraption on a New York City street. Hawke videotaped and shot photographs of the enclosure and how people reacted to it for weeks.
Most popularly, it seemed to serve as a rain shelter and a bus stop. You can sit inside and see how it was transformed by graffiti and garbage. You also can watch the clips of the videotape documenting people's reactions to the piece of art.
The museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 4-9 p.m. Thursday; noon-5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free on Thursdays and $2 for adults over ages 18 on the other days. The museum will moderate a panel discussion with Billy and Hurst on Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and will host a lecture by art historian and educator Selby Doughty on "Report from NYC" on Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.sqart.org.
Drink of the week
Fruity Pebbletini, reminiscent of the Flintstones namesake cereal, is brought to you by Capitol Bartending School student Lisa Blaine. Instructor Nadine Riess says she tweaked the recipe only where needed.
Fruity Pebbletini
Shake ingredients together in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a prechilled martini glass.
Yaba-daba-doo.
Ask Sara
Dear Sara,
In the Harrisburg area, where can I get oysters on the half shell and drink good beer? I can't find an establishment like the Oyster House on Sansom Street in Philadelphia anywhere in the area. Surely there has to be a place in the south-central Pennsylvania area.
Thank you,
In search of the pearl
Dear Pearl,
Oysters are hard to find around here, but here are a couple spots to try:
SARA BOZICH: sarabozich@gmail.com. Bozich can be heard every Friday morning on the Scott Donato show on AM 960 WHYL.