Tuesday, December 16, 2008

What's Goin' On?

Living and working in Central PA has shown me that there is definitely a lot going on in this region. But the problem is...keeping up with everything and knowing what is happening when. Over the past few months I've discovered a number of blogs, web sites, and email lists that do a great job of keeping me informed of local events. So I thought I would share! This is probably not an exhaustive list, so feel free to comment and add any other blogs or email lists you think should be on here.

Spotobe.com - This events driven website also boasts a blog and a monthly e-news called "The Spot List." A great source for Central PA events, weighted a bit toward the Harrisburg region.

Central Penn Business Journal - While this print and online journal is known for covering the area's business news, they also boast an informative weekly e-newsletter called "Ten Things to Do This Weekend."

Also covering the entire region is Central PA's best music and nightlife publication, Fly Magazine. With print issues free each month in each market (York, Lancaster, Harrisburg), Fly also has a nice online presence with concert and restaurant listings, and much more.

If you're interested specifically in what is going on in Harrisburg, you should subscribe to Harrisburg Hello, a weekly e-newsletter from the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District.

For Harrisburg related news and events, a great place to start is blogHarrisburg. Some of the best blogs you can find there include Midstate Mantra and HarrisburgNightlife. Also of note are a few blogs from friends Sara Bozich and Jersey Mike. Sara does a great job of covering area events and keeping you up to date on new restaurants and shopping opportunities. Mike, on the other hand, likes to cover some of the political goings on in the region, but you can also find out whom he's booking into the Abbey Bar on a regular basis.

And then there is always RSVPa, the event calendar of WITF, which is one of the newest additions to the event calendar pool in the region.

If Lancaster is your beat, then there are a number of organizations you need to check out. Lancaster Arts has a great website covering the art beat, along with a nice weekly e-newsletter and info on Lancaster's vibrant First Friday program. 

Also in Lancaster you can subscribe to the weekly Downtown Lancaster Events Guide put out by the fine folks at Building Character. They not only cover their own events (including the artMarket) but also do a great job of keeping you up to date on everything going on downtown.

And also in Lancaster you can check out the Downtown Lancaster website and subscribe to their monthly e-news. This site is put together by the James Street Improvement District and the Downtown Lancaster Improvement District. The site even has a special section devoted to the rapidly growing Music Friday program in Lancaster.

And across the river in York, your best bet is to subscribe to the Fresh York e-newsletter published by the folks from Codo and CapLive Music. The group not only covers York's cultural and entertainment life, but also gives you a nice taste of what's going on within a day's driving distance.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, so feel free to chime in with your favorite "go to" places for what's going on in Central PA. I visit all these blogs and subscribe to all of the above free e-newsletters, and I think you should too. That way you'll never be wondering what's going on in the area. If you know of others, let me know!






5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Ken! One more for you: NewsLanc.com also runs a weekly "What's happening around Lancaster this week" feature. Here's the current one: http://newslancpa.blogspot.com/2008/12/whats-happening-around-lancaster-this_15.html

Mandy Fleisher said...

This is a great collection of resources - thanks Ken!

B.B. Bellezza said...

Great info! Thanks!!
Kim

Anonymous said...

Thanks Ken! My favorite site to pick restaurants to check out is WITF's local Central PA magazine site. They have the most comprehensive new and interesting restaurant listing I've found online:

http://www.centralpa.org/2guide.html

Anonymous said...

Linked version:

http://www.centralpa.org/2guide.html