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Pop Up Ave brings the flea market scene to State College

STATE COLLEGE — On Saturday, Oct. 12, Pop Up Ave will return to downtown State College on South Fraser Street between College and Beaver Avenues. The New York City inspired flea market has over 25 vendors and food. 
Brad Groznik and his wife Andrea co-founded Pop Up Ave. The Penn State Alumni previously lived in New York and wanted to create a New York style flea market scene for people in State College. 
“State College didn’t really have anything exactly like that. They have Arts Fest, which is...
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Rediscover State College looks to attract new residents to the community

STATE COLLEGE — In a post-pandemic world, some State College residents along with the State College Redevelopment Authority teamed up to attract more people to move to the community.
Rediscover State College is a website created to help people considering moving to the area. The website has different content to help people get to know State College and its community. 
After the pandemic, the Redevelopment Authority noticed reports noting that people from large cities like New York City and Washi...
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Raise a glass to fall at University Wine Company’s Harvest and Wine Festival

STATE COLLEGE — With fall starting in Centre County, celebrating the season is easy with all the fall festivals taking place over the next few months. One of which is University Wine Company’s Harvest and Wine Festival, which will take place on Sunday, Sept. 22. 
The Harvest and Wine Festival will run from noon to 5 p.m. at University Wine Company, 540 Misty Hill Drive. Parking for the event is free. The festival will have wine, different food, craft vendors and live music. 
“The harvest season...
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Grab Your Lederhosen and Head to OktoberFest at Tussey Mountain

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
Tussey Mountain’s OktoberFest will make its return from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. The festival will take place at the mountain’s amphitheater and will include traditional food, music and beer. 
Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany, on Oct. 12, 1810. The event was originally held to honor the wedding of King Louis I and Princess Therese von Sachsen Hildenburg. However, the event has developed into a two-week-long festiva...
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Meet the high school principals of Centre County

CENTRE COUNTY — With class schedules and teacher assignments starting to make their rounds throughout Centre County, these are the principals who will be guiding high school students through the upcoming school year:
Bald Eagle Area High School 
John Tobias serves as the principal for Bald Eagle Area High School.
While he has had many achievements during his time at Bald Eagle Area High School, in 2021, Tobias notably received an honorary membership from the Pennsylvania Future Farmers of Americ...
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Thirteen superstitions for Friday the 13th

CENTRE COUNTY — Friday the 13th can mean different things to different people. To some, it’s watching the film “Friday the 13th” or other horror movies. To others, it’s visiting a haunted place. However, to many, the “holiday” can be a fear itself. 
“Triskaidekaphobia” is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the “fear of the number 13.” This can lead people to be afraid when Friday the 13th rolls around. 
Let’s look at 13 superstitions and their origins around the superstitious holiday....
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Local comic book creator to debut new comic at Comic Cove

STATE COLLEGE — State College resident Jason Lenox will debut the fifth issue of a comic book he co-created with Dennis Fallon and Jason Palmatier on Saturday, Sept. 14. The debut of the newest issue will take place at Comic Cove in downtown State College. 
Lenox has been creating and publishing comic books for 12 years, using crowdfunding to create his stories. 
“Lord of the Cosmos” was described by Lenox as “a 1980s toy and cartoon inspired anthology comic book that takes place on a fantastic...
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What you should tell your teens when going into the college application process

CENTRE COUNTY — As I enter my final full year at Penn State, I wouldn’t change a thing. However, there were a few things I wish I had known when I was going into the college application process. For parents starting to discuss higher education with your teens, consider these talking points:
Encourage them to listen to counselorsThe application process for college changes regularly. High school counselors are there to help students understand what these processes are, though their expertise is no...
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Tunes and Traditions at the Grange Fair

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
CENTRE HALL — Musical performances are a staple of the Centre County Grange Fair. To celebrate 150 years of tunes and traditions, this year’s fair has a lineup of impressive performers.
Eight concerts, starting at 8 p.m. each night, will take place during the fair. All performances are free for fairgoers.
“This year the Centre County Grange Fair will celebrate its 150th anniversary. It’s always exciting to see families and friends reun...
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No-Cost Produce Market Continues to Help the Community

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
STATE COLLEGE — Fresh produce is an important part of everyone’s diet. The State College Food Bank offers a No-Cost Produce Market for the Centre County community, providing fresh produce to people who cannot afford it.
The market, started four years ago by the State College Food Bank, occurs at the Nittany Mall. Four events have already taken place this summer, and will take place again on: 
The idea for the market came about during t...
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Penn State student showcases sustainable fashion

UNIVERSITY PARK — Third-year Penn State student Irena Potochny merged her love of fashion design with sustainability to create a fashion show that included only sustainable pieces of clothing. Potochny’s “Conscious Couture” fashion show hit the runway on Wednesday, July 24, at Schlow Centre Region Library. 
Potochny, a material science and engineering major with a minor in sustainability leadership, created “Conscious Couture” as her capstone project for her minor. 
“When I first started at Penn...
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New mural coming to Bellefonte Waffle Shop 

BELLEFONTE — On Friday, Aug. 2, the Bellefonte Waffle Shop will get a facelift — a new mural, painted by State College native Mike Pilato. 
Pilato will start painting the mural on Friday, Aug. 2,  during the first day of the annual Bellefonte Arts & Crafts Fair, which runs through Saturday, Aug. 3. The mural is meant to celebrate different aspects of Bellefonte, specifically to call out Bellefonte’s connection to history, art and the community. 
Pilato’s deep connection to the Centre County comm...
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Create your own sunflower bouquet at Dotterer Grown

MILL HALL — Dotterer Grown, a flower farm which specializes in growing sunflowers, is offering a new community event on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Located on the Dotterer Grown farm at 6658 Nittany Valley Drive, Mill Hall, Sunflower Bouquet Day will allow people to learn how to create their own bouquets. The event is $30 and includes a mason jar, painting supplies to create your own design on the jar and, of course, sunflowers. 
“This event is taking a large mason jar, painting it in a rustic way and th...
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A week of festivals in Centre County

CENTRE COUNTY — The Centre County festival season has come to a close. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, People’s Choice Festival, Art in the Orchard and Philipsburg Heritage Days all took place during the week of Monday, July 8.  
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts began in 1967. It has since become a longstanding tradition within the community.
This year’s festival started on Wednesday, July 10, with Children and Youth Day featuring young artists and performers througho...
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Cool down at Arts Fest’s Craft Beverage Expo

STATE COLLEGE — Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts kicked off another year of arts and entertainment on Wednesday, July 9, with Children & Youth Day. The annual festival will continue to run from Thursday, July 10, through Sunday, July 14,  featuring not only art vendors and musicians, but also a Craft Beverage Expo, hosted by Central Pennsylvania Tasting Trail. The expo will take place on Friday, July 12,  and Saturday, July 13. 
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has been a s...
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Celtic Fest returns for another year

BOALSBURG — Celtic Fest returned to Centre County for its second annual celebration at Boal Mansion Museum’s amphitheater on Saturday, July 6. The event was put on by Acoustic Brew Concerts. 
Acoustic Brew Concerts is a company that aims to create reasonably priced acoustic and folk concerts around State College. 
Celtic Fest featured a variety of different performances, food vendors and crafts. 
The Chivalrous Crickets, with a sound they describe to be an intersection of traditional English, Ce...
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Gear up for 4th Fest’s return

STATE COLLEGE — With summer returning, Central PA’s 4th Fest is also making its return. This year, 4th Fest will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Firecracker 4K race. 
After the cancellation of 4th Fest in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the next few years had a more scaled back event schedule. However, the festivities returned to a day-long celebration in 2023 and will continue this year with events for all ages throughout the day. 
“4th Fest focuses on how we all can celebrate the Four...
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State College Pride returns for fourth year

STATE COLLEGE — On Saturday, June 8, people gathered on South Allen Street and throughout the downtown State College area to see the Pride parade, a part of this year’s Pride celebration put on by Centre LGBT+. 
The fourth annual State College Pride celebration began with a parade down South Allen Street and was followed by a festival in Sidney Friedman Park which included activities for people of all ages. 
People crowded downtown State College to watch the parade travel through the area. The p...
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Former State High teacher charged with indecent assault of student 

STATE COLLEGE — Cesar J. Caceres Tello, 43,  who was charged on Thursday, June 13, with indecent assault, unlawful contact of minors-sexual offenses and indecent assault, had a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, June 26, for his case.
The State College Area High School Spanish teacher was charged after a student was left in a room alone with him and he allegedly made sexual remarks towards the student and inappropriately touched her. State High staff and police moved quickly after the student sha...
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Crafting for a cause

STATE COLLEGE — Scraps and Skeins, a second-hand craft store, sells everything from yarn and buttons to fabric and sewing machines. However, preventing crafting supplies from being sent to landfill is not the only thing Scraps and Skeins does to give back to the Centre County community. 
The store, which opened in 2015, was established in collaboration with Strawberry Fields. Strawberry Fields is a human service agency which benefits people of all ages with physical or intellectual disabilities...
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Historic Barn at Risk of Demolition

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
FERGUSON TOWNSHIP — Centre County was at risk of losing a landmark at the end of June, but local community members and organizations were not willing to give up the historic Kepler Barn easily.
A three-month hold has been placed on the demolition of the barn, which is owned by Penn State and is located at Rock Springs along state Route 45 in Ferguson Township. This hold follows a one-month hold that was placed on the demolition for the...
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WingFest Returns to Tussey Mountain

The sun sets during the final night of WingFest 2021 at Tussey Mountain. Photo by Ben Jones | StateCollege.comThis story originally appeared in the Centre County Gazette.
WingFest will make its return to Tussey Mountain on Thursday, June 13, for another year of wings, beer and music. 
WingFest features local restaurants and organizations with kitchens in Centre County, who create different wing sauces and go head-to-head in a bracket style competition to crown the best wings of the summer. 
Each...