Soup Lovers Unite!

Don’t miss out on the 6th Annual Hershey Soup Cook-Off presented by The Hershey Partnership this Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 from 11-2 at the Hershey Volunteer Fire Company Station!

I attended this event myself last year and had to post about it because it’s really worth the trip, no matter how far away you think Hershey is.

Last year they had one garage filled out with amateur cooks and the other with professional chefs from local restaurants, probably about 30 or 40 different participants in all, many with multiple soups for you to sample. You might think the pro chefs would be hands down better but I’ve got to say both sides of the contest made really amazing soups. Just really impressive, not to mention creative!

I’m talking about cheesesteak soup, asparagus soup, lobster bisque, and oh so much more. They’ve also got a number of raffles going on, I believe last year they gave out a cruise as the main prize.

So how much to get into this incredible event?

$10 ! !

That’s it! Money well spent you will agree, see you there!

Troegs to Host Harrisburg Young Professionals Networking Event

Troegs Brewing Company, the Harrisburg based and family owned microbrewery will be packed with current and prospective members of the Harrisburg Young Professionals on December 10th, 2008 for a networking event facilitated monthly by HYP referred to as the 2nd Wednesday Social. This inclusive monthly gathering is an opportunity for current HYP members to network and allows those curious about joining the organization a chance to meet members and test the waters before putting up the $30 to join.

For anyone interested in expanding their personal network, there’s not a more active young professionals organization than HYP, now in its 10th year of existence. With multiple monthly social events, year round sports leagues, special events, dinner and book clubs, various committees, a home tour, and much more, HYP is a great way to meet new people and expand your network all while supporting local businesses.  The Harrisburg Young Professionals have been a key component of the redevelopment and growth of the city of Harrisburg, a city once recognized as the 2nd most depressed city in the nation during the early 1980s, but has since received almost 3 billion dollars of investment and was just last year named in the top 100 Best Places to Live list by Recolate-America.

You can learn more about the Harrisburg Young Professionals, including information about the 2nd Wednesday Social to be held at Troegs Brewery on HYP.org.

The Cure for the Common Job Fair

So you need a new job or perhaps you’re in the hunt for that perfect internship, but you hate those mundane job fairs in the school gymnasium that always seem so awkward? I’m with you, I too have been to countless job fairs in the standard format and I’ve got so say I never really looked forward to them.

Out of this dilemma a new format for the standard job fair was born- Experience Harrisburg. Structured like a pub crawl, this annual career fair places 40 employers inside 9 different downtown locations all within walking distance of each other, then with the help of tour guides from the Harrisburg Young Professionals, participants are lead around the city to spend 15 minutes at each venue networking with employers, trying food, and just enjoying a night out. Not to mention we throw in free pizza and $1,000+ in prizes at the final location of the evening, Dragonfly Club.

This is the second year I’ve had the pleasure of planning the event, and I actually did the whole thing myself 3 years ago as a student, so I’m pretty familiar with the format and I’ve got to say I’m really excited about this year’s event. It’s taking place Thursday, October 23rd, from 5:30pm-9:30pm and kicks off at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. We’ll also be placing employers inside the Susquehanna Art Museum, Stock’s on 2nd, the Quarter, Molly Brannigans, McGrath’s Pub, the Harrisburg Visitors Center, the International House, and Temple University Harrisburg. I’ve done about everything I could think of to make this event fun and productive for everyone involved, I hope you check it out.

Like Beer? Curious About Entrepreneurship?

Then check out this great upcoming event taking place at both Troegs Brewery in Harrisburg and the Market Cross Pub in Carlisle. You can register online at MurataBusinessCenter.com:

Downtown Employer Crawl Finalizes Location Lineup

For those seeking something more from the typical career fair taking place in your gloomy school gymnasium, downtown Harrisburg is set to host some 40 employers in 10 different locations for a night that is sure to be a little more mobile and a lot more fun. The final selections have been made on what venues will be hosting employers for this year’s Experience Harrisburg Job and Internship Fair: Molly Brannigans Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant, McGrath’s Pub, the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, the Susquehanna Art Museum, Stock’s on 2nd, the Harrisburg Visitors Center, the International House, Temple University Harrisburg, and The Quarter. Don’t forget free pizza and huge prizes at the final venue of the evening – Dragonfly Club.

Participants are lead around the city in small groups by a member of the Harrisburg Young Professionals and provided no more than 15 minutes at each location to network with the employers stationed there before moving to the next destination. Some locations will be providing food to snack on, so it’s a great way to check out some sweet venues in downtown Harrisburg, get some free eats, and search for a job or internship. Don’t forget about the prize giveaways either, last year we raffled an iPhone, a GPS system, lots of gift cards, and much more.

So mark your calendar, October 23rd, 2008, 5:30pm – 9:30pm in downtown Harrisburg, you can register for free at ExperienceHarrisburg.com, lots more details about the event on the site as well. See you there.

Harrisburg Young Professionals Open Registrations for Coed Flag Football

You can now sign yourself or a team of 12 up for HYP’s first ever Coed Flag Football League. Games are scheduled for Tuesday evenings at 6:30 or 7:30 and will take place at Twin Ponds off Union Deposit Road. $20 will get you into the league or $240 to register a team of 12. There is one caveat however, each team must have at least 5 ladies on it.  More details to follow, but games will begin Tuesday, September 30th, so don’t delay- grab a couple of friends or 12 if you have that many and get signed up for some serious good times. You can register on the Harrisburg Young Professionals website.

The flag football league is following HYP’s first ever kickball league, a huge success and well participated as there were 14 teams in total. You can check out pictures and final standings at the HYP Kickball League website.

(FYI the HYP flag football league will most likely resemble something similar to these fun loving youngsters minus the guy with the pony tail.)

Restaurants, Art Museum, and Science Center Agree to Partner for Downtown Job Fair

What do an Irish pub, an art museum, and a center for science and the performing arts all have in common? Not too much without getting really creative – unless you’re speaking about an innovative job and internship fair called Experience Harrisburg. In that case you’d know that Molly Brannigans, the Susquehanna Art Museum, and the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts have all agreed to host employers for the 7th annual downtown job and internship fair. In addition to these venues, Stock’s on 2nd and the Downtown Visitors Center have also agreed to participate as job fair destinations. These locations along with 4 others still yet to be decided will house four or five employers each and provide small groups of students the opportunity to experience first hand some of the great entertainment, food, and nightlife that Harrisburg has to offer while networking with employers for potential jobs and internships.

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Upcoming Event – Carlisle Bike Fest, July 25th-27th, 2008

Try to picture for a minute over 50,000 motorcycle enthusiasts along with some enthusiast wannabes and a number of regular curious citizens descending upon the little town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania for a weekend of food, music, stunts, super charged trials, vendors, and the usual festival revelry. Did a strange look of befuddlement just appear on your face? I certainly had a hard time imaging such an enormous event taking place in nearby Carlisle, a peaceful little town with a nice variety of restaurant choices and eclectic shops. Images of the final scenes from the movie Wild Hogs began dancing around my head as soon as I learned about this annual festival. 

But regardless of what imagery comes to mind, this is the seventh year Carlisle has hosted this event so Bike Fest must not be as crazy as I am envisioning. And even though I don’t own a bike anymore I’m still planning on attending, maybe I’ll even win the motorcyle giveaway. More information about the event can be found on the Carlisle Events Website. If you’re just in town for the weekend, make sure to check out the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau, and Spotobe.com for other great events taking place in the area. It’s going to be a wild weekend in Carlisle, see you there!

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Annual Blues Festival Promises Big Eats and Guaranteed Entertainment

Saturday, August 2nd 2008 starting at 1:30pm one of Harrisburg’s best annual blues concerts is set to kickoff in grand fashion with a lineup of performances including the Krypton City Blues Revue, Zora Young, Gary Belloma & The Blue Bombers, Nate Myers & The Aces, The New Experience Variety Band, and Tomm Dunn Delta Blues Soloist. 6th annual “The Lost, The Found & The Dearly Departed” will take place at the Harrisburg Postal Employees Picnic Grounds, 1500 Roberts Valley Road, Harrisburg. Attendees are encouraged to come hungry, as the $20 entry fee ($25 at the door) not only provides your ticket to incredible entertainment all day, but also access to as much pork BBQ, fried catfish, chicken, fresh cut fries, baked beans and salad you can stomach! The event is totally BYOB which is mainly the reason so many attendees bring camping equipment and stay the night, as the party continues long after the music has stopped playing. While this annual festival remains for the most part under the radar, trust me you won’t want to miss out on the revelry.

Know a Foreign Language But Want More Practice?

How many of us took a foreign language in highschool or college but have since completely forgotten how to speak it – even after those laborous hours of memorization and classroom exercises? (I can still hear that annoying request from my Spanish professor, que se dice?) Well here’s your opportunity to brush up on that second language or just hang out with people who speak the language for a good time; Harrisburg’s International House has language clubs that meet monthly for those who speak German, Italian, Spanish, and Arabic. All of the clubs meet at the International House Hardwood Lounge on 320 Chestnut Street in Harrisburg. For exact meeting times check out http://ihousehbg.org/language.htm.

¡Nos vemos allí!  (I think that’s right!)