Allison Hill, How I have longed to gather thee

Christian Air-raid

2008-08-22T10:06:00.002-04:00

During the spring, summer, and fall, our neighborhood sees a steady stream of Christian evangelists coming from outside the city to minister for an afternoon or two to the people of Allison Hill. I find it interesting that so many churches and religious groups target our neighborhood as one desperately in need of God over others in the general region. They see the condemned houses in our neighborhood, the unemployed people sitting on their porches, hear about drug activity and shootings, and think that we must have a huge religious void here. Do you know how many churches South Allison Hill has? Over twenty. Over twenty churches between Cameron and 18th, Market and Paxton St. You can't stand on a main road in our neighborhood and not see at least two church buildings. It may be that our churches need to step up their ministries, but I think the issue is something different. While we have twenty churches, we have only one bank. What we need in our area is economic development to give people a chance to support themselves and their families. I think it is much more likely that the condition of our neighborhood and the people who live in it stems more from a lack of jobs than it does a lack of God.

Improvement before the improvement

2008-08-04T13:56:00.003-04:00

The city of Harrisburg has gotten funds to fix up roads in the city- many in my neighborhood: Market St, 17th St., Berryhill. There are now stretches of Market Street that you can drive on without dodging potholes, etc. There have, of course, been fallings-out between city council and the group redoing the streets... I'm not really interested in the politics. The thing I think is funny is this... right now 17th St. is a mess: one group is working on updating something (plumbing, electric... don't know) in front of every house on the street. Part of the street is redone, part of it is not, and part of it has been stripped. The thing is, even in its stripped state, 17th St. is STILL in better shape right now than it was previously. The ride is actually smoother. How sad! (And I can't wait 'til it's all done!)

Food!

2008-06-06T10:10:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't posted for a while, but today, I simply have to post about food. Yesterday, I picked up our very first share of the season from Allison Hill's own CSA (community-supported agriculture), the Joshua Farm. Kirsten at the farm works endlessly with the students of the Joshua Group to produce incredible food for members- yesterday we picked up strawberries, mint, bok choi, lettuce, sugar snap peas, green onions, and flowers for a bouquet. There's nothing better than eating fresh food produced organically that we walked to pick up from its growing place. I look forward to a whole summer of delicious veggies and fruit! Speaking of food... I have a confession about one of my favorite sounds of the neighborhood that I've been hearing more and more often. The ice cream truck. Who actually has ice cream trucks anymore? And yet, we do, and I feel nostalgic and hungry for ice cream every time I hear the tinkling music playing down the street. On a hot, sweaty day like the ones coming up, there's no better sound.

Our Future

2008-03-24T13:05:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, my husband and I stood out in the chilly morning at 7:00am to attend our neighborhood's Easter Sunrise Service, located at 13th and Derry. Despite the cold, it's always a neat chance to see others from Allison Hill that you don't normally see, worshiping the risen Jesus. Seven girls from Center For Champions were there, to participate in the service by doing a dance. As I watched these seven girls of several hues, arms goosebumped in their short-sleeved outfits, intent upon creating beauty, it hit me again how fragile the future of our community is. These girls have a beauty and a dignity about them, and a strength that I pray will continue, as they continue their schooling. There is such a fine line between hope and despair, and the children of Harrisburg struggle to achieve success against so many odds, including the politics of their education and the socio-economic disadvantages handed to them from birth. I fervently pray that these girls continue to fight on for the betterment of their lives, and not give in to the hopelessness surrounding many people in our community. The world needs their beauty.

The City Knows We're Here

2008-02-25T10:38:00.002-05:00

We had our resident's association meeting this past week. Believe it or not, we were graced by the presence of a Harrisburg City Council member- Brad Koplinski. To be honest, I don't know much about the man, but my approval of him has just gone WAY up for even being there. AND... not only was he there, but he then sent a HAND-WRITTEN note to our house thanking us for our work and the neighborhood, saying that we'd see him soon. I can't wait to see what he'll do for our city!

Let It Snow!

2008-02-15T10:22:00.002-05:00

If you've experienced snowfalls in the suburbs or the country at night, you know the sort of alone feeling you get from standing out the the middle of a large yard or field staring up at the sky as the snow comes down. It's dark, and all you can see are bits of white fluttering down onto your face. It's quiet, even quieter than normal, and it's just you, the cold, and the snow. Depending on your mood, it can feel desolate or it can feel reflective. Snow in the city gives such a different feel. Instead of wide open spaces, the city cuddles up to itself, and the somewhat orangish street lamps that grace the streets of Allison Hill create a wonderful, warm glow that makes you feel cozy inside. Since there are small corner stores throughout the neighborhood, you don't really have to worry about running out of food- as long as you can walk outside, you can get to one of these stores, and since the owners most likely live close by or above the store, more often than not they're open. Besides, if they're not, the neighbor next door whose house helps to insulate yours in the winter is always there.

Get ready for impact!

2008-02-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

Many people talk about wanting to make an impact with their lives. One of the incredible things about living in an area like Allison Hill is how easy it is to impact things for the good. Some places are so *nice* and *all together* that there don't seem to be many ways you can do something to help. Allison Hill is not one of those areas. In fact, if you simply move into Allison Hill, especially if you own a home, if you simply keep your house and the area around it clean and maintained, if you pay taxes, you ARE making an impact. Simply by redistributing your money, you can make a impact, but the awesome thing is that there are opportunities everywhere to make personal impacts on people. We just need to step out of our houses, and it's there. No commute, no need for hundreds of dollars to transport people and supplies to where needs are. All we need is love.

Yo, you ok?

2008-02-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

Yeah, we're fine.
What you doing here?
Standing on the corner, waiting for a friend. What are you doing?
(no answer, of course).
For those of you who live in (or grew up in) the suburbs (like me), let me teach you how to recognize drug dealers. When prime time television is the only place you see drug dealers, you tend to have a more dramatic view of them than is the reality. Believe it or not, drug dealers are not armed to the gills (at least not in a way that is obvious). They just look like normal people. Except when it's raining or freezing or snowing, and they're the only people standing on the street corner attempting to look inconspicuous. If you wait until one of those moments, it's easy to tell who is a drug dealer. They're the idiots freezing their buns off. Oh, and if you ever walk by one and they ask you if you're ok, you are. You're fine. Just keep walking.

Trashed

2008-02-01T12:46:00.001-05:00

I refuse to enter into the whole Harrisburg Incinerator debacle conversation, but I do want to say this: if the city of Harrisburg is going to raise the price of trash collection on our sewer and trash bill (Happy New Year!), they should at least give us adequate service. I'm asking for special perks over and above what we had currently been contracted for. I'm not talking about bulk item pick-up, even though that is a *huge* reason why different areas of Harrisburg have litter and trash problems. What I'm talking about is having a normal schedule that they can hand out saying "your trash will be picked up on this day on this street approximately at this time, unless a holiday occurs" and have them simply deliver on that. Seems like a simple request, right? What has spurred this post? Our trash wasn't collected yesterday at all (which was our trash collection day), and still wasn't collected before I left for work this morning. Maybe I should give them the measure of the doubt- maybe something occurred that delayed pick-up. I don't want to judge before knowing the entire situation, but we have had problems before. The city needs to step it up!

There's a Song in the Air

2008-01-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

I love being outside in South Allison Hill at 6pm. The reason why? The Christ Lutheran Church on 13th St. plays these beautiful hymns on bells every evening at 6pm. It makes me feel like it's Christmas every time I hear them played. If you get the chance, listen. You'll fall in love.

Coppa on the street

2008-01-29T13:08:00.000-05:00

I want to give props to our incredible police force here in Harrisburg, PA. I have heard some stories that portray them in a rather unpleasant light. I can't say anything to that. What I can say is every interaction I have had with the police since living here has been good. The officer specifically assigned to our area is wonderful- he even gives his cell phone number to concerned citizens. Can you imagine that? He always has his work with him, but he is always courteous, concerned, and works for the good of our community. He's on top of things, and asks for all of us to call him or the station for any problem. We are lucky to have such a dedicated force, and I personally am quite grateful to our officer. They make our city a better place.

Location, location, location

2008-01-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about Allison Hill is where it is located. Church, cultural events, friends- they're all within walking distance. Anytime something is going on downtown, all you need to do is walk across the Mulberry Street bridge, look at the beautiful murals, and you're there- the parades, the Front Street festivals, fireworks- never have to worry about finding a parking space or having to pay for it, or dealing with traffic on the way out. In fact, because we are a Hill, you can see fireworks from the top floors of many of the houses as well, and not even have to leave the comfort of your own home! Confession: I love my commute to work. Unfortunately, I don't work downtown, so I do have to drive, but going to work and coming home from work, I always drive against the traffic, and I get immense satisfaction from seeing the crawling traffic on the other side while I'm cruising along. What more could a person ask for?

The Beauty of it all

2008-01-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

A friend and I walked through the neighborhood and downtown yesterday. Coming back up to the Hill via State Street, I noticed a small flock of birds swooping and reeling around the right pillar of the bridge. They didn't have any obvious destination or purpose, they just swayed in the air in circles. I love walking around Allison Hill. No matter how many times you walk or ride or drive around, there are always new things to see. The architecture on many of the houses is so distinct and unique, and there are always new little details hidden away. The frequent construction and renovation make every trip down the roads in our neighborhood delightful, fun, and fresh. Even though there are some houses in disrepair, I find it just serves to fire up my imagination: just think what all of these houses would look like if someone came in and loved them!

Signs of the times?

2008-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

The city recently put in new traffic lights all over Allison Hill, as a continuation of their project to replace and homogenize the street lights of the city. They're pretty nice. Instead of lights hanging haphazardly on wires or located on the side of the street at the sidewalk where you could barely see them, they are now proudly glowing from sturdy poles, above the street, with bold street signs to accompany them. Myself and some other residents were excited because this meant that maybe we would get a left turn signal at the corner of Market St. and 13th St. Now, I can hear you say, it's one little light, what does it matter? You would understand if you drove west on Market Street and then tried to turn left onto 13th St during heavy traffic times. You literally cannot go, the entire light cycle. The only way one car gets through is if they gun it right when the light turns green. Did they decide to put a left turn signal in? Nope. We wouldn't want to inconvenience the folks coming out of the downtown district by making them wait for three or four seconds while some people get to turn left. Or maybe it wasn't even as planned as that- maybe city planning people just don't come into the Hill to see what changes may be required, even when they're in the midst of a unique opportunity to do so.

See us on the News!

2008-01-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

I have come to dread seeing news vans. When I drive to work or walk around the neighborhood and see one, a feeling of anxiety sours my stomach. News vans only mean one thing- something bad enough has happened that the news crews feel brave enough to come up to the scary Hill to report. News of late? Burning houses and a hit-and-run that left one person dead. In Allison Hill, no news is good news.