Press Release For 03/97

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAYOR REED ADVISES CITIZENS TO BE AWARE OF COUNTERFEIT MONEY BEING CIRCULATED IN REGION

Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed and agents from the Harrisburg Office of the U. S. Secret Service warned area residents to be on the look-out for counterfeit $20 and $100 bills being circulated in the Harrisburg area. Reed said the bills began surfacing last month and more have been recovered recently.

Reed said the counterfeit bills contain some defects that the public may identify them by:

• the paper stock of the bills is whiter and stiffer and of an entirely different texture than legitimate U. S. currency

• lettering at top of the bills is less distinct

• some of the bills are cut slightly off-center

• the ink on the bills smudges

• the green ink is darker than legitimate currency

In addition to monitoring the bills, the Mayor said citizens should be aware of persons who ask to exchange money, pay for small items with large bills, or pay for items with large amounts of $20 and $100 bills. Any person receiving the counterfeit bills should take note of the person who gave them the bills and contact the Harrisburg Police Department at 255-3131, or the United States Secret Service at 782-4811. Citizens should not attempt to detain counterfeit money circulators.

HARRISBURG’S BARBERSHOP CHORUS NAMES NEW OFFICERS

Harrisburg, PA - Brad Brooks, of Hershey, is the new president of the Keystone Capital Chorus, Harrisburg’s barbershop chorus. Brooks, who sings lead with the chorus and with the quartet Nu Balance, previously was a vice president. He and his wife, Terri, are house parents at Milton Hershey School; their two sons also sing in the chorus.

Other new chorus officers are: vice presidents Charles Kind of Halifax and Nick Knisely, Millersburg: secretary Ray Devereaux, Camp Hill; treasurer Bill Houdeshel, McAlisterville; and past president John Beadencup, Hummelstown.

Board members for 1997 include Werner Jonas and Tom Yost, Mechanicsburg; Phil Torchia, Lewisberry; Craig Novinger, Dillsburg; and James Stoup, Camp Hill. Hal Kraft, Camp Hill, is chorus director.

Organized more than 50 years ago, the Keystone Capital Chorus is a non-profit organization of nearly 110 men who love to sing in four-part barbershop-style harmony. Several months ago, the chorus enjoyed its best finish in competition with other choruses, finishing fourth in the six-state Mid-Atlantic District. In August, it will compete against choruses from throughout the country in the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.

The chorus welcomes men of all ages who enjoy singing and good fellowship to its weekly meeting on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Presbyterian Church, 421 Deerfield Road, in the Allendale section of Camp Hill. More information is available by calling 774-6539.

HARRISBURG NAMED TREE CITY USA FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Harrisburg, PA — The City of Harrisburg has been named by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City U.S.A. for the tenth consecutive year, making the city the only municipality in the midstate to receive the highest national honor for forestry and conservation for as many times.

Mayor Stephen R. Reed said the city’s nomination for the award was endorsed by the state Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry.

To become a Tree city U.S.A., a community must meet multiple national standards. The city’s parks improvement program, which has seen to the upgrading and beautification of more than 20 parks and recreational sites, coupled with multiple neighborhoods and business development projects, has resulted in the planting of many additional trees. Further, the city has a full-time tree maintenance staff, and an Annual Arbor Day activity.

LIVE FROM THE PLANETARIUM…IT’S NASA-TV!

Harrisburg – The State Museum of Pennsylvania announces its new, permanent addition to the Planetarium - NASA-TV. NASA-TV, received direct via satellite, carries live feeds from NASA showing current space shuttle missions, question and answer sessions between astronauts in space and school children, and other educational programs such as old NASA films and graphics.

Space shuttle missions happen every two months and last for approximately 10 days. Planetarium Director, Jeffrey Smith, explains that "updates on the current mission take place every 30 minutes throughout the day; however, most activity occurs in the afternoon. Around 1 p.m., NASA gives a summary of the day’s operations." Smith also incorporated NASA graphics into the Planetarium programs that run Saturday and Sunday.

NASA-TV is accessible during normal museum hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 12 noon to 5 p.m.

General admission to the museum is free. The museum is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and is located on Third and North Streets, Harrisburg. For 24-hour information on Museum hours and events, call 787-4978. Individuals with disabilities who need special assistance or accommodations should call (717) 787-4979 or the Pennsylvania TDD relay service at (800) 654-5984. Parking on weekends is free.

PROFESSIONAL COMEDY AND MAGIC SHOW TO BENEFIT ESCAPE CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE

Harrisburg, PA – Some of the world’s funniest entertainers, including Britain’s Terry Seabrooke, will team up for National Child Abuse Prevention Month to present the Seventh Annual Evening of Comedy and Magic, a "Best Of" show.

The show will be held in a new location in Harrisburg this year – the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 2701 N. Third Street, April 18, 7 p.m. Parking is free.

Presenting sponsor, PNC Bank, and the ESCAPE Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse will partner to bring this extraordinary evening of family entertainment to Harrisburg. The annual benefit is a primary source of funds for the ESCAPE Center, a New Cumberland-based non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of child abuse.

This year’s show will feature some of the best acts from previous shows including Lynn Trefzger, a self-taught ventriloquist, from New York – the all-time favorite of 48 acts over a 10-year span and the one act asked to return by every performance site of the Evening of Comedy and Magic.

Tickets to the Evening of Comedy and Magic can be obtained at The Magic Shop in Lemoyne or by calling the ESCAPE Center at 717-774-3673. Cost is $12 for adults, $8 for children age 12 and under. The show is primarily for those age 8 and above. Fundraising opportunities are available for other non-profit groups.

PROFESSIONAL “OUT-SOURED” CADD SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE IN HARRISBURG.

Harrisburg, PA – Secretarial Services Unlimited, a Harrisburg-based office support service has expanded its services to better meet the needs of the local business community. In addition to providing off-site administrative support in the form of business correspondence, database management, and publishing services, Secretarial Services Unlimited will now be offering experienced CADD consulting and design services. For more information call: 717-671-1125.

THE BIKE MAN RETURNS

While most of us are bearing down for winter, there is one person from a small York County community who is already preparing for the coming of spring. The man is better known by the residents and top brass in Harrisburg than he is by his neighbors in Etters.

In the city, Paul Gobat is Mr. Paul The Bike Man.

Over the past four summers, from April through the end of September, The Bike Man has repaired and given over 3,000 bicycles to the needy kids and adults in Harrisburg. Gobat has received citations from the Mayor and Chief of Police as well as the WHP/Angino & Rovner "Making A Difference" award. He also worked with a former governor to help set up a similar program for his church-oriented activities.

If this wasn’t enough, Gobat decided to try and extend his efforts to include the northern part of York and York County, where he moved just after last summer. "I never gave much thought about attempting to reach the needy kids outside of Harrisburg until I moved down here," he explains, "but then I began to remember what it was like as a kid in York without a bike," recalling his childhood. Ever since those days growing up in East York, Gobat has built, repaired, raced, and ridden bicycles, and spent considerable time helping others do the same. The organization he set up, the Harrisburg Bicycle Recycling Program, relies on donations of unused and abandoned bikes from dusty basements, rickety garage lofts, and even from an occasional police department or bike shop. "I’ve received quite a bit of logistics assistance from some of the area (bike) shops with the pickup of donated bikes, and the ability to purchase common parts at less than retail." Out of all the bikes Gobat receives, about 80% are repairable, with the remaining units "cannibalized" to use for parts that are too costly to buy. About 90% of the repaired bikes are given directly to the needy through a twice-monthly giveaway; the balance are sold to purchase parts and tools.

How did such a program start anyway? The better question would probably be why a program like this took so long to get started. While living in Harrisburg, Gobat often worked on his family’s bicycles in the back yard of his home. He gradually started attracting an audience of neighborhood kids who would watch him work. One day, one of the "regulars" got the courage to ask Gobat to try and fix theirs. He consented. However, it eventually came to Gobat’s attention that many of the bikes that were brought to him for repair were simply not fixable, so he set out to figure out a way to find bikes to replace the ones that couldn’t be fixed. His search brought him to Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed who pledged the unclaimed bikes the police department was warehousing. Demand quickly outstripped supply; however, the media came to the rescue. His story was featured in newspapers and televisions broadcasts, and the bikes and donations started coming in.

If you have a bicycle that is no longer being used and would like to donate it to the program, you can contact Gobat to make arrangements for pickup or drop off. If you live in the Harrisburg metropolitan area, bikes can be dropped off at Busheys Cycling & Fitness on Lowther Street in Lemoyne during regular business hours. Gobat is currently working on developing drop off points in York and Hanover. Although all complete bikes are accepted, as are wagons, sleds and scooters, the most needed models are 16" and 20" sizes.

If you know of an adult or child that needs a bike, information can be obtained by calling Gobat at 938-1263.