The arts community in the city of Lancaster has always been strong. The city has a history in theatre, opera, music and art galleries that has deep roots.

But there are reports that in the past several years, there has been a new resurgence in the arts throughout Lancaster. Some have called it a cultural renaissance.  There has been an influx of artists, writers, musicians, actors and arts promoters moving to Lancaster in the past few years.

Lancaster has become such a drawing place for the “creatives” as they have been termed, that some are saying it has potential to be a regional hub for the arts, similar to cities like Austin, Texas or Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Friday on Radio Smart Talk we’ll explore this Lancaster phenomenon with three special guests.

Barry Kornhauser has a long history with the arts in the city, having spent more than 30 years at the Fulton Theatre, and currently in charge of the Family Arts Collaborative at the Ware and Winter Centers at Millersville University.

Jason Mundok  is a blogger with a weekly  podcast “Around the Wood Stove” , focusing on the current  Lancaster arts scene.

Jennifer Baker is the director of  MOOSE,  the Mayor's Office of Special Events, involved in helping promote the efforts of arts organizations.

Jason Mundok, Barry Kornhauser, Jennifer Baker, Cary Burkett

Listen to the program:

Radio Smart Talk for Wednesday, May 22:

It started as Decoration Day after the Civil War.  The grave sites of Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the conflict were decorated in patriotic themes by survivors.

After the turn of the century, May 30th became known as Memorial Day -- a day to honor members of the armed forces who had given their lives in service to their country.  The holiday was moved to the fourth Monday in May in 1971 and became a national holiday, meaning most Americans had the day off from work.  With that day off, Memorial Day got the title of the unofficial start of the summer season.  Picnics and parades were part of most Americans' Memorial Day.

But for the millions of American men and women who served in the armed forces and especially those who saw combat, Memorial Day has a much different meaning.

On Wednesday's Radio Smart Talk, we'll hear from three combat veterans, who will tell their stories and describe what Memorial Day is to them.

Joining us will be World War II veteran Gene Wentz, retired Maj. Gen. Walter Stewart Jr. who served in Vietnam, and Lt. Col. Eric Zimmerman, a veteran of the war in Iraq.

Wentz son-in-law Dr. Daniel Felix, has written a book about Wentz' experiences.  It's called A Scout for E Company: 1944, The Story of PFC Gene Wentz (pictured right).

Lt. Col. Eric Zimmerman & Maj. General Walter Stewart

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Dan Buettner, author of "The Blue Zones"

He chronicled their secrets to living longer and healthier in his New York Times’ bestseller, “The Blue Zones.”  His follow-up book, “Thrive,” explored how individuals can maximize personal happiness, enhance vibrancy and increase longevity by adopting the Blue Zones' principles.  Buettner is our guest on a special Transforming Health edition of Smart Talk, Thursday night at 8, on witf-TV.  Share your question or comment for Dan Buettner at the bottom of this article.  You also can send an email to smarttalk@witf.org, Tweet us, or add a message on Facebook.

Buettner’s first book is a fascinating exploration of the culture and lifestyles of centenarians who live in Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda, California, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rico and Ikaria, Greece.

The lifespan of residents in these five communities tend to be longer and healthier than the rest of the world’s population.  In fact, folks in these clusters live past age 90 at a rate up to three times that of Americans. “If you optimize your environment, better health and better welfare ensue,” Buettner says.  Although none of these five communities shares a single dietary or exercise routine, they do feature the Power 9 -- nine characteristics that contribute to individual health and happiness.

(I especially enjoyed the advice 102-year-old Kamada Nakazato of Okinawa shared with Buettner when he asked her the key to longevity.  She replied, "Eat your vegetables, have a positive outlook, be kind to people, smile.”) 

Our environment, studies show, plays a huge role in determining our health status.  A recent study found, for example, that when a person becomes obese, 57% of his or her friends will become obese and 20 percent of their friends were likely to be obese, as well.  One of the simple measures Buettner advocates is a walking audit, literally touring your community on foot, to see its potential and its liabilities when it comes to nurturing a vibrant, thriving community.

The Blue Zones Vitality Project selected the small, Midwestern community of Albert Lea, Minnesota in 2009 as a laboratory to test the theory that by changing the environment in several simple ways, residents could improve health.  For example, most Americans eat out more than 100 times a year.  The Blue Zones team got most of the restaurants in Albert Lea to switch to healthier fare on their menus while emphasizing words like “fresh” and “crispy,” not “healthy,” to nudge diners to select the better food. They also targeted schools for fitness, encouraged administrators to make sure kids didn’t have food or drinks in halls or classrooms, convinced them not to use food as a fundraiser or as a reward for performance. “Move more, eat less” became the new mantra in the Albert Lea public school system.  And, finally, the Blue Zones leaders asked local grocers to place huge signs in front of longevity-boosting choices like beans, teas and whole-grain foods.  “If you’re going to live to be 100, you’re going to want all of your best friends at the birthday party,” Buettner noted.

Did it work?  Well, over the course of three years, Albert Lea’s life expectancy increased an average of 3.1 years.  The community collectively lost 12,000 pounds.  Key employers saw an average drop of 21% in absenteeism.  And health costs for city employees fell 40%. 

Visit the Blue Zones website and find the Vitality Compass where you can plug in all kinds of information to calculate your own well-being and life expectancy.  We’ll ask Dan Buettner for advice on specific steps we can take to adopt the nine principles that promote longevity and happiness.  Together, let's make Central PA a Blue Zone.