FOOD & DRINK
P.J. Harrigan’s to Reopen Under New Name
A longtime State College restaurant will soon have a new name and a new look. P.J. Harrigan's Bar and Grill, which has operated for more than 25 years at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center at 1450 S. Atherton St., will reopen on April 2 as Celebrities. The restaurant closed on March 23, according to the P.J. Harrigan's website. "We want to thank all of our wonderful guests and employees for supporting us over these past years," a sign on the door of the restaurant stated. "We are extremely humbled that so many embraced our restaurant and that we were able to...
New Cafe Opens at State College Airport
On Saturday, March 23, Penn Valley Cafe opened in the State College Regional Airport. The cafe is near the ticket counters in the airport’s main lobby. Penn Valley Cafe features sandwiches, salads, smoothies, snacks, breakfast dishes and more that busy travelers can grab before their flight or on an extended layover. The cafe is open 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. The space was formerly home to Up Up and Away Café, which closed in December of last year. At the time, the coffee shop cited multiple reasons for its closing in a post on Facebook. “We have been brainstorming ways to stay and...
Local Author Reveals Secret History of Centre County
CENTRE HALL — Jeffrey Frazier grew up in Centre Hall, spending much of his childhood exploring the mountains of Centre County and learning about the local legends connected to them. Now, he is sharing the old-time tales he’s collected for the last 50 years in his most recent book, “Pennsylvania Mountain Landmarks Vol. 3.” “I was born and raised in Centre Hall, where I like to say I grew up in a ‘Tom Sawyer’ sort of way,” shared Frazier. “Some of my fondest memories of that boyhood include explorations of the out of the way spots in the mountains and accounts...
Nittany Dance Project cultivates community, choreography
For the current co-presidents of Nittany Dance Project, Maddy Castadot and Karly DeMayo, dancing has always held a special place in their hearts. “I’ve been dancing since I was two, so dance has always been a super big part of my life,” Castadot, a fourth-year studying general science, said. “I’ve always been a dance teacher at my studio, so that’s why I love getting active within the dance community here.”
Flavor Madness: March Madness but sweeter
STATE COLLEGE — March isn’t just for basketball brackets. On Monday, March 18, Penn State Berkey Creamery kicked off its annual Flavor Madness competition. The four-week bracket style competition aims to crown a winner for the best ice cream flavor. Flavor Madness was originally designed to keep ice...
A Culinary Trip at Café Luna: Restaurateurs Offer a Taste of Their Kazakhstan Homeland
Centre County diners can take a culinary trip through eastern Europe and central Asia right here in Pleasant Gap. Café Luna, which opened in October 2022, focuses on sweet and savory regional dishes from faraway lands. The restaurant is run by Gary Shindy, his parents and other family and friends. The family hails from Kazakhstan and came to State College in 1997. Shindy graduated in 2008 from State College Area High School. Shindy and his family treat their customers with great hospitality and enjoy sharing their favorite recipes. “Everything is from home recipes. We have zero café experience,” Shindy says. “We started from...
Phyllis Triolo Music Competition Returns Home for 40th Anniversary
STATE COLLEGE — The Phyllis Triolo Music Competition will return to its original home at the State College Area High School on Saturday, May 18. Created by the Central Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association in 1984, the music competition was established to honor the memory of Phyllis Triolo, a Central Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association member, concert pianist, lecturer and teacher. The first iteration of the competition occurred one year later, after a benefit concert was held to raise funds for the competition’s prizes, explained Patricia Lloyd, one of the founders of the competition. Today, donations, play-a-thons and benefit recitals have enabled the Central...
Meet Sylvester at the Huntingdon Co. Humane Society
HUNTINGDON, Pa. (WTAJ) — Meet Sylvester from the Huntingdon County Humane Society. Lisa Boland, who works at the shelter introduces us to this handsome fella! He was found as a stray in February and has quickly become a shelter staff and volunteer favorite. Help out our community by spaying...
Women Veterans Honored at Military Museum
BOALSBURG — In celebration of Women’s History Month, on Saturday, March 23, at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, “A Walk in Her Boots” was hosted by Her Boots, a new nonprofit founded to provide support to female veterans. Founded by Amanda Strandburg and Elizabeth Maines, who both have served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for 15 years, Her Boots serves as a central point of contact for female veterans to gather resources and build community in their transition to civilian life. “Serving female veterans is extremely important to us; that’s what this initiative is for,” Strandburg said. “We want to...
Interpreting Happy Valley: Photographer Kevin Reilly
Photographer Kevin D. Reilly pulled into the Fraser Street garage on an overcast and at times rainy fall afternoon. He looked up at the sky and questioned if it would clear. He hoped the weather forecast would be accurate and he wouldn’t lose the perfect lighting. The clouds parted and as the sun came out, Reilly trekked to College Avenue with a ladder and camera equipment. Like a true Happy Valley resident, he remembers the day—Oct. 21, 2016—because it was the Friday before Penn State blocked a field goal kick against Ohio State. Standing atop the ladder on the campus side of...
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