August 2011 Greater Harrisburg's Community Newspaper - theBurg

Around Town
Stroll in Peace
Ignore the city roar and give Peace Garden a chance.
Ruth Hoover Seitz
Peace sign: Walkers stroll past the Peace Garden on a lovely
summer day.
The Peace Garden is peaceful but
not quiet.
There are many sounds along the
two-block walk between Maclay and
Emerald streets. Birdsong blends with
rustling leaves. Beyond a steep bank,
the Susquehanna ripples over rocks.
And then the city noises—Front Street
traffic hum, the whir of inline skates on
the macadam path and distant sirens
and horns.
A sign calls this small piece of the
city’s linear Riverfront Park “an oasis
of flowers, trees and ideas.” Having
trees and flowers in well-landscaped
beds is a given, but what about ideas
Ideas about peace are self-evident in
the inscriptions on bronze plaques
adhered to rocks.
Many statements were
placed by local religious
groups. The Unitarian
Church financed the
placement of the following
quote by Eleanor Roosevelt.
“It isn’t enough to talk
about peace, one must
believe in it and it isn’t
enough to believe in it, one
must work at it.”
A plaque at Maclay and
Front streets features a
practical recommendation
from the Quran: “... Repel
evil with something that is
better. Then you will see that he with
whom you had enmity will become
your close friend.”
There are other peace tools. Three
sculptures by the late Dr. Frederick
Franck offer a vision for affirming
life. Looking downstream at “Seven
Generations,” it is easy to be mindful of
the Iroquois belief that our decisions
impact the seven generations that
follow ours. Surrounding these human
outlines are lush pink petunias.
The Harrisburg-Hershey chapter
of Physicians for Social Responsibility
(PSR) established the Peace Garden
in 1990, “to inspire the community to
pursue peace and preserve our earth.”
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RETIRED or CURRENT STATE EMPLOYEES
For
Benefits, Support, Legislative Voice, Education
Social Activities, Travel
• DENTAL INS.
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and MORE
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Central Penn Chapter
PA Association of Retired State Employees
717-731-9522 www.parsecentralpenn.com 1-888-809-7429
Retired pediatrician Dr. Jim
E. Jones of New Cumberland
spearheaded the garden’s creation
after hearing a challenge in Hiroshima
to create parks to affirm the human
spirit’s resilience. It was 66 years ago
on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, that tens of
thousands of residents of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki lost their lives and many
others their health when the United
States dropped atomic bombs on
those Japanese cities, ending World
War II.
It is Jones’ hope that the garden
will inspire its visitors to sprout
positive change in the world.
Volunteer donations of time and
money maintain the garden’s beauty.
Volunteer Gwen Lehman, a longtime
resident of Uptown Harrisburg,
manages the garden, aiming for
beauty. This spring, she coordinated
the planting of 1,200 annuals “because
of their huge splashes of color and
ability to take full sun,” she said.
Lehman is mindful of two viewing
audiences—drivers and walkers/
bicyclists. “I color coordinate and work
with heights to give a pleasing design.”
Hot pink petunias and bright
gold daylillies stand at varying heights
in sun-drenched beds. Dragonwing
begonias brighten a shady portion
near Emerald Street. With the city’s
guidance, PSR purchases trees that
can tolerate drought and wind.
As the breeze picked up, Mary
Crespo of Cameron Street dropped
to a bench and commented on the
setting, “So peaceful, you forget all
your problems. I like the sounds ... It’s
like a paradise.”
PSR’s annual banquet, the main fundraiser for
the Peace Garden, is Oct. 12. Larry Schweiger,
CEO of National Wildlife Federation, will speak
on “Our Chance: Preserving Life on Earth.” Call
717-737-7211 for tickets.
Amtrak Ridership
Sets New Record
Amtrak projects that, for the first time
ever, its annual ridership will exceed
30 million passengers and, in the
process, set an all-time record when
the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
Amtrak is basing its projection on
strong June ridership numbers and
expected ticket sales in July, August
and September. June 2011 was the
best June on record with more than
2.6 million passengers for the month.
It marked 20 consecutive months of
year-over-year ridership growth, a
streak that began in November 2009.
The strong performance is part
of a long-term trend that has seen
Amtrak set annual ridership records
in seven of the last eight fiscal years,
including more than 28.7 million
passengers in fiscal year 2010.
Paint Your Fireplugs
Friends of Midtown has launched a
fireplug painting competition.
FOM is seeking local artists to
paint the 21 fireplugs along N. 3rd
Street between Forster and Maclay
and needs individuals or businesses to
sponsor the project. Competing artists
will be eligible for cash awards based
on popular vote.
Artists should submit their
designs to the Susquehanna Art
Museum by Aug. 12. Guidelines and
rules for submissions are available at
www.friendsofmidtown.org.
A committee will jury the
submissions by Aug. 19 and select
which artists will go on to complete
their designs. Selected artists will have
until Sept. 16 to paint their plugs.
6 TheBurg