Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: What the $1.3 billion South Bridge rebuild means for Harrisburg drivers
Spotted on the Harrisburg calendar: The Neighborhood Table: Community Picnic
What's up Harrisburg! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- What the $1.3 billion South Bridge rebuild means for Harrisburg drivers
- How Harrisburg's Rotary president plans to boost downtown and community connections
- How Harrisburg's Jewish community is rebuilding after its campus collapse
Also on today's calendar: The Neighborhood Table: Community Picnic and 8 more events.
Today's riddle: What is the longest word in the dictionary? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Saturday: Some rain and a thunderstorm, with a high of 78 and low of 65 degrees.
- Sunday: Clouds and sun with a t-storm, temps: high: 81, low: 60.
- Monday: Mostly sunny and less humid, with a high of 79 and low of 58 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. $1.3 billion project to replace Harrisburg's South Bridge to begin soon (pennlive.com) — Drivers in and around Harrisburg should prepare for a decade-long, $1.3 billion replacement of I-83's John Harris Memorial (South) Bridge starting in January, with lane restrictions and detours expected. PennDOT will build two new bridges, rework nearby interchanges, and use a $500 million federal grant to modernize this critical Susquehanna River crossing that carries 125,000 vehicles daily. 
2. Bryan Jones will serve as president of the Harrisburg Rotary Club (hbg100.com) — Harrisburg residents will see new leadership at the Rotary Club as longtime member Bryan Jones steps in as president for the 2026–27 year, prioritizing downtown revitalization. The club plans networking events with local businesses, developers, and civic groups to connect young professionals, entrepreneurs, and neighbors at venues across the city while continuing its long tradition of community service.
3. Questions Mount After Closure of Harrisburg's Campus for Jewish Life (jmoreliving.com) — Major Jewish institutions in Harrisburg are scrambling after the Jewish Federation's Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life collapsed under heavy debt, triggering staff layoffs, school relocations, and program closures. Local rabbis, parents, and educators are now piecing together new arrangements in synagogues and other spaces while outside advisors help design a more sustainable model for Jewish communal life in the city.
4. Crash victim pushes for stronger safety measures ahead of 2026 Kipona festival (local21news.com) — Harrisburg is tightening security for this year's Kipona Festival on Sept. 5 after last year's crash on Front Street injured a photographer, a child, and a city employee. Victim Morgan Smoker plans to return and is calling for clearer barriers and wheelchair access, while city officials say added barricades, lighting, vehicles, and officers are already standard at major events.
5. Why Pennsylvanians care so dang much about regional names, borders (spotlightpa.org) — Harrisburg appears here as one stop in a Pennsylvanian's journey that sparked her awareness of how different the state's regions feel from one another. The piece explores how residents across Pennsylvania define their home regions, why those labels matter so much, and how geography, industry, and culture shape identities from Harrisburg to Erie and beyond.
📸 Around Harrisburg
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Harrisburg
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- The Neighborhood Table: Community Picnic →
4768 Union Deposit Rd, Harrisburg
12:00 pm
Sunday September 13
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- House of Heavy →
Capital City Music Hall - Lower Level 234 N 2nd St Harrisburg, PA 17101
8:00 pm - Borough Budget Meeting
Penbrook Borough 150 S 28th St, Harrisburg, PA 17103
6:30 pm - Autism Open House at Ben Franklin, Downey, and Foose Schools. For
Harrisburg City SD Harrisburg, PA 17101
4:00 pm - Business Meeting
Harrisburg City SD https://hbgsd.zoom.us/j/86392550317?pwd=J77tx6EST5AH6JOMukHwXZrD8a
6:00 pm - First Day of School
Harrisburg City SD Harrisburg, PA 17101 - Beers & Business at The Ball Park →
Harrisburg Senators, 1 Championship Way, Harrisburg
5:00 pm - Planning Commission Meeting
Penbrook Borough 150 S 28th St, Harrisburg, PA 17103
6:30 pm - Keyshia Cole →
Riverfront Park, 200 S Front St, Harrisburg
8:00 pm - Cowboy Mouth →
XL Live, 801 S 10th St, Harrisburg
8:00 pm - SilverSneakers® Classes at Juniper Village at Mount Joy →
Juniper Village at Mount Joy, 607 Hearthstone Ln, Mount Joy
11:00 am
Saturday August 22
Monday August 24
Tuesday August 25
Wednesday August 26
Thursday August 27
Saturday August 29
Thursday September 3
📣 Harrisburg Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- Health seminar by EC-Haresh Patel
Hindu American Religious Institute 301 Steigerwalt Hollow Rd, New Cumberland, PA 17070
1:00 pm - Live Acoustic Music @ The Racehorse Tavern →
RaceHorse Tavern, 738 N Biesecker Rd, Thomasville
7:00 pm - Real Estate Fundamentals →
Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS, 424 N Enola Dr #1, Enola
10:30 am - In-service Day (Act 80) - No School for Students
East Pennsboro Area SD Enola, PA 17025
Saturday August 22
Sunday August 23
Monday August 24
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Harrisburg PatchAM possible:
- Creative Building Concepts — (717) 563-6248
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Hello everyone meet 2 month old Beauty she was adopted from Providence animal shelter.
She picked my dad. It was so cute and sweet how she gave us so much affection when we held her. Now she is licking my dads cheeks, hugging him, and… (Nextdoor Fiddlers Elbow/S 80th) - This tortoiseshell cat has been sleeping rough in midtown Harrisburg for months.
It seeks human contact and tries to run inside homes, so I don't think it's built for the streets. Possibly a dumped pet? Can anyone accommodate… (Nextdoor Olde Uptown)
- Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company posted a job opening for Parts Counter/ Parts Warehouse Worker in Harrisburg. Apply here.
- West Shore Home posted a job opening for Compliance & Licensing Specialist in Harrisburg. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Harrisburg here.
Ok Harrisburg! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Smiles, because it has a mile between "s". (Thank you Sharon M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
👉 Help make Patch AM better
- Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
- Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
- List items for sale or services offered
We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.