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Takac appointed to Rural Population Revitalization Commission

CENTRE COUNTY — On Tuesday, Oct. 29, State Rep. Paul Takac, D-Centre was announced as the newly appointed House Democratic caucus representative on the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s new commission, the Rural Population Revitalization Commission.


Takac was appointed by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton. McClinton was elected in 2015 to serve communities in west and southwest Philadelphia.


A projected amount of 5.8% of the population of rural Pennsylvania counties will decrease b...
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Penns Valley Youth Center to host fundraiser

PENNS VALLEY— The Penns Valley Youth Center, a nonprofit which aims to “provide students and families in the community with hope, worth and friendship,” according to its website, will hold a fundraiser on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. at the Old Greg School, 106 School St., Spring Mills.


The fundraiser will consist of a traditional Amish dinner. Nate Stupar, a State College native who played for Penn State before playing for the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and New York Gi...
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Pennsylvania Military Museum: Connecting visitors and veterans

BOALSBURG — Boalsburg is home to the Pennsylvania Military Museum which houses exhibits featuring different war memorabilia. The history and location of the museum has deep ties to the United States’ armed forces.The Pennsylvania Military Museum sits on a property once owned by the Boal Mansion. Upon the start of World War One, the property became a training post for American soldiers.During the war, the property eventually turned from a training post to a military post. After the war, it became...
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Gearing up for hunting season: Gun safety

CENTRE COUNTY — Final approval for the 2024-25 hunting and trapping season were given in April of this year by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. At the time, the Game Commission announced that 1,186,000 antlerless deer licenses were to be allocated, up from 1,095,000 the year prior, for the hunting season.


Gun safety is essential year-round, especially during hunting season.


The official website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has several resource videos surrounding firearm...
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Hooked for life by Penn State’s fly fishing program

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State was the first university to create a fly fishing program in the 1930s. The program was formed to give students opportunities to explore different ways they could be active while teaching them skills that they could use in their everyday lives.


Now, as a part of Penn State’s core curriculum students must take three credits of health and physical activity classes during their four years at Penn State. In the early 1930s, Penn State and Joe Humphreys created the fly...
StateCollege.com •

Takac appointed to Rural Population Revitalization Commission

CENTRE COUNTY — On Tuesday, Oct. 29, State Rep. Paul Takac, D-Centre was announced as the newly appointed House Democratic caucus representative on the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s new commission, the Rural Population Revitalization Commission.


Takac was appointed by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton. McClinton was elected in 2015 to serve communities in west and southwest Philadelphia.


A projected amount of 5.8% of the population of rural Pennsylvania counties will decrease b...
StateCollege.com •

Free holiday parking to return to downtown State College

STATE COLLEGE — Free holiday parking will return to downtown State College for an extended time. State College Borough Council approved the Downtown State College Improvement District’s request for the annual holiday parking program during its meeting on Monday, Oct. 21.


Beginning on Monday, Nov. 25, free parking in State College parking garages will be extended from 30 minutes to two hours. Along with this, courtesy cards will be given out to forgive as many as three meter violations at stre...
StateCollege.com •

Celebrating National Immigrants Day with Centre County cuisine

CENTRE COUNTY — National Immigrants Day is on Monday, Oct. 28. Centre County is home to multiple immigrant-owned businesses and restaurants worth trying not just on the national holiday, but year-round. 


National Immigrants Day, first announced in 1987 by Ronald Reagan, celebrates immigrants and their contributions to America through their different cultures. 


“Now, therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby` proclaim October 28, 1987, as National Imm...
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CentrePeace to celebrate 30 years of service

BELLEFONTE — CentrePeace will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3047 Benner Pike. 


Started by Marie Hamilton in 1974, CentrePeace originally began at Rockview Prison in Bellefonte as a prison visitation program. After hearing concerns from inmates about stigmas surrounding them, Hamilton felt called to help in erasing the stigma.


“I felt that it was my task to see if I could tear down these walls of mistrust and fear,” Hamilton said. 


Hamilton originally started work...
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Local author wins Literary Titan Gold Book Award

CENTRE HALL— Centre County native Jeffrey R. Frazier received the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, for his book “Pennsylvania Fireside Tales Volume 2,” celebrating Frazier’s writing due to his work writing about Pennsylvania. 
Frazier was born and raised in Centre County. He discussed how he grew up exploring the nature of Centre County exploring caves, climbing mountains, hunting and fishing. He eventually went on to attend Penn State and moved to New Jersey after graduating, which is when he st...
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New story book chair installed in Bellefonte Community Children’s Garden

BELLEFONTE— The beloved Bellefonte Community Children’s Garden recently got a makeover. A new story chair has been added to the garden, revamping the old set up to prevent the users from being hurt. 
The story chair is a popular part of the garden for groups to use for story time events during the year. 
The Bellefonte Garden Club, local Girl Scouts troops, the Centre County Library, the local YMCA, churches, the Historical Museum and other groups work together to keep the Bellefonte Community C...

Penn State Prime branding panelists' insights teach students lessons | Penn State University

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Marketing and branding professionals told their stories and stressed three major lessons to Penn State Smeal College of Business students at Penn State Prime’s ninth annual “Forging a Career in Branding Panel,” held recently on Zoom.
Penn State Prime is a student-run marketing organization that works hands-on with industry professionals throughout their time at Penn State. For the last nine years, it has hosted the “Forging a Career in Branding” panel. It invites Penn Stat...
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Unique dining experience coming to downtown Bellefonte

BELLEFONTE — An outdoor dining experience is set to return to Bellefonte on Friday, Oct. 11. Bellefonte Under the Lights, put on by Downtown Bellefonte Inc., will benefit not just those who get to enjoy the unique bites, but also the food and craft vendors participating. 
Bellefonte Under the Lights, a communal outdoor dining event, is one of Downtown Bellefonte Inc.’s biggest fundraisers. It will feature local restaurants and food vendors and craft beverage vendors.
“Ticket holders to the event...
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Rappelling down Beaver Stadium for a cause

STATE COLLEGE — Centre County United Way will hold a fundraiser involving rappelling down the side of Beaver Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 8. CCUW has partnered with Over the Edge, to give people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and raise money for the community. 
United Way is an organization that works directly with organizations that help people, like the American Red Cross, Centre Safe, State College Food Bank and more. 
“We focus on what we consider the building blocks for a healthy successful l...
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What you need to know about the upcoming election

CENTRE COUNTY — Election Day is just one month away. Understanding different deadlines is important to ensure you are all set to vote. 
REGISTERING TO VOTE 
To be able to vote in Centre County, you must first register to vote. This can be done at pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx. There, you will need to input personal information to confirm your identity.
The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 21. To check the status of your registration, visit pavoterserv...
StateCollege.com •

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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