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PODCAST

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

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All Episodes

42:50

The Spark Weekly 1.05.2024: Dry January and Braver...

The Spark ·

2025/01/05

Our Braver Angels segment for the Month of January was about managing strong emotions and important relationships at the start of a new presidential administration. David Lapp, Co-founder of Braver Angels and Director of Citizens Commission on Immigration, and Rhona Myers, Braver Angels member, spoke about separating feelings about political leaders and people in our lives. They also shared what happens when two opposing sides no longer interact with one another as they want to associate with those

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12:04

The History of the NYE Strawberry Drop in Harrisburg

The Spark ·

2025/01/04

The iconic strawberry drop in the City of Harrisburg was established in 1990 the same year that the Hilton opened. “When the Hilton was finally built, and downtown Harrisburg was really on the rebound and Market Square had been completely redesigned. And the newer buildings there and so forth. So, Market Square was a destination to really want to go to and to be proud of, “said David Morrison, Executive Director of the Historic Harrisburg Association. The late Mayor Reed decided this

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11:18

How the iconic NYE Red rose in Lancaster was created...

The Spark ·

2025/01/04

Residents in Lancaster were in for a treat on New Year’s Eve when the iconic red rose made its return after a small hiatus. The original rose made it’s debut in 1993 and its creator is Victor Capecce, Professor of Emeritus at Millersville University. The idea of the rose rising was born out of the Lancaster County Artists Association. “It was nearly eight feet in diameter. The base, the foundation based that I had created was actually two pieces of right inch plywood side by

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22:29

Braver Angels: Managing strong emotions and...

The Spark ·

2025/01/03

Our Braver Angels segment for the Month of January was about managing strong emotions and important relationships at the start of a new presidential administration. David Lapp, Co-founder of Braver Angels and Director of Citizens Commission on Immigration, and Rhona Myers, Braver Angels member, spoke about separating feelings about political leaders and people in our lives. They also shared what happens when two opposing sides no longer interact with one another as they want to associate with those

en-US

22:03

Dry January and its benefits

The Spark ·

2025/01/02

The holidays are usually a time for socializing, celebrations, and cocktails. However, some people decide to bring in the new year by not indulging in alcohol at all by participating in Dry January. Dry January is a month where one refrains from drinking any alcohol as a personal challenge. According to Dr. Melissa Brown, UPMC Clinical Psychologist, society has played a role in the challenge of becoming more popular. “I think it's just as we it became popular, just as we, you know, as a

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43:27

The Spark Weekly 12.29.2024: The History Behind...

The Spark ·

2024/12/29

The Jewish week-long festival will take place in just a few days. This year, Hanukkah falls on the night of December 25 and ends on January 2. Zach Benjamin, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Harrisburg and Marc Kline, Interim Rabbi of the Temp Ohev Shalom joined to the spark to share more information.The history of Hanukkah begins 2200 years ago.“The Syrian Greeks were in control of what we now call Israel Palestine, and they brought Greek culture, which was replacing the existing

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12:22

How Poinsettias became the official Christmas flower

The Spark ·

2024/12/25

This week kicks off Christmas and there is no denying that poinsettias make for bright and festive decorations during the winter months. But have you ever wondered how they got to be the official Christmas flower? Shirley Halk, Master Gardener with the Penn State Agricultural Extension Service says they have a long history. “The flower or the poinsettia reminds people of the Star of Bethlehem. When the three wise men were coming to Jesus to bear their gifts. So that's one thing about the

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11:13

Christmas stories from The Spark Team

The Spark ·

2024/12/25

Since it’s the week of Christmas, The Spark Team at WITF decided to do a whole segment on Christmas Traditions. Listen to the podcast link to hear from David Payne, Researcher/ Producer, John Kinzer, Program Manager, Emma Halsey, Audio Engineer/ Producer, and Host Asia Tabb to hear some of their favorite Christmas stories growing up.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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11:35

Visioncorps offering blind children to send Christmas...

The Spark ·

2024/12/24

Visioncorps is accepting Braille letters to send to Santa. Kids who submit a letter will hear back even if it is after Christmas. Erika Rothermel is a teacher of the blind and visually impaired at Visioncorps. “So being able to write a letter to Santa is a long standing tradition that children have been doing for years. But being able to open it up to the Braille population has been a new adventure. And it's, yeah, something fun to include everybody. So we started doing that here at Vision

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21:56

The history of Hanukkah

The Spark ·

2024/12/24

The Jewish week-long festival will take place in just a few days. This year, Hanukkah falls on the night of December 25 and ends on January 2. Zach Benjamin, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Harrisburg and Marc Kline, Interim Rabbi of the Temp Ohev Shalom joined to the spark to share more information. The history of Hanukkah begins 2200 years ago. “The Syrian Greeks were in control of what we now call Israel Palestine, and they brought Greek culture, which was replacing the

en-US

11:51

A Christmas Eve story by the Dauphin County Library...

The Spark ·

2024/12/23

As today is Christmas Eve, the entire Spark Team at WITF FM thought it would be great to read a Christmas story on air. Ryan McCrory, Executive Director of the Dauphin County Library System, read "I Got the Christmas Spirit" by Connie Schofield-Morrison. Listen to the podcast to hear the story.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

22:18

History of Kwanzaa

The Spark ·

2024/12/23

Kwanzaa honors unity, pride, and African traditions from December 26 to January 1. This celebration brings people together by sharing stories, lighting candles, and community. Naaja Rodgers, Professor of Africana studies at Dickinson College says Kwanzaa is a Kiswahili word. “So it's actually a Kiswahili word, which means maternal, your Kwanzaa, which means first fruits. So essentially Kwanzaa means first fruit. And these are typically celebrations that are held throughout Africa.”

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41:44

The Spark Weekly 12.22.2024: Journalist Roundtable...

The Spark ·

2024/12/22

Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly. Asia speaks with Jenna Wise from PennLive about her recent reporting on our journalist roundtable. Also on the program: The Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame is a multi-room museum of autographed albums, guitars, and so much more. Brandon Valentine, Executive Director and Founder of the Central Pa Music Hall of Fame, opened the museum in 2023.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

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20:56

The Hershey Theatre to close for a year

The Spark ·

2024/12/21

The Hershey Theatre, a historic landmark in Derry Township, has announced it will close its doors for 2025 for renovations. Donald Papson, Executive Director of the MS Hershey Foundation, says the theatre will undergo major renovations. “We're hoping to be able to renovate the seats and actually we will be taking out 1904 seats and historically and accurately putting them back in with new seat cushions, some new armrests, some things that will bring those seats up into what we call 2025, 2026

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21:16

Journalist Roundtable: Major breaking news events in...

The Spark ·

2024/12/20

Our Journalist Roundtable segment for December 20 included Pennlive reporter Jenna Wise. Jenna joined The Spark to discuss her article on The Harrisburg School Department to create it’s own police department. She also discussed her coverage on major breaking news in the City of Harrisburg in the past month. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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21:36

Mechanicsburg Teacher selected to join the Scholastic...

The Spark ·

2024/12/20

Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, announced its selection of 12 educators from across the country to join the Company’s third annual Teacher Fellows Cohort. During the school year, these skilled K-8 educators will work alongside Scholastic Education Solutions’ product development, research and marketing teams and assist with the development of various education-focused programs. Scott Brewer, a sixth-grade teacher at Eagle View Middle

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22:03

Joy to the Burg Christmas album raises money for...

The Spark ·

2024/12/19

Joy to the Burg is an annual Christmas album that features holiday selections from local artists to raise money to benefit Central Pennsylvania residents experiencing homelessness. Proceeds from the album will go to street outreach through Christian Churches United. In 2019, Sheldon Jones was concerned about the unhoused people in Harrisburg. As an artist, he had this idea to make a Christmas album and sell it to help the homeless. “And it's just been it has taken off from there. In 2019, when

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21:48

PA middle school students urged to participate in...

The Spark ·

2024/12/19

The National Civics Bee is an annual competition that is led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. that provides an opportunity for middle school students to showcase their civic knowledge and become more engaged in their communities. The civic bee is very important to the Pennsylvania Chamber according to Elizabeth Bolden, Executive Director, of the PA Chamber Foundation. A survey in 2022 showed that less than half of Americans could name all three branches of government. Another

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21:47

Local Caver shares safety tips for spelunking

The Spark ·

2024/12/18

Underground caves are a complex, underground ecosystem that must be treated with care and responsibility. Pat Minnick is a member of the Franklin County Grotto which is a local chapter of the National Speleological Society. Minnick shared some of the dangers of the popular recreational activity. “The most common type of injury. With the carving action, it is a cave or fall. Someone trips falls and generally it might result in a lower leg injury, sprained ankle, broken leg, that kind of

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20:28

Troy Ott named dean of Penn State’s College of...

The Spark ·

2024/12/18

A few months ago, Dr. Troy Ott became the dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. In that role, he oversees Penn State’s founding college, which includes the statewide reach of Penn State Extension and embodies the university’s status as Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution. Agriculture is one of Pennsylvania’s most important economic drivers, generating more than $132 billion for the state’s economy and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs. But to

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