A Few Good Nights Are Waiting
Some weeks quietly offer a lot. Not the kind of busy that asks for effort, but the kind where a few doors are open and you can wander in, stay awhile, and leave feeling warmer than when you arrived.
Nothing here demands commitment. It’s all simply available, good music, good conversation, good room energy, if you feel like stepping out.
Happy New Year, Blue-White Zone
If the last year left you feeling strangely “hungry” even with a full calendar and a full cart, you are not alone. Many neighbors are discovering that more content, more convenience, and more commitments have not added up to more meaning. Thin vs. thick desires Writer Joan Westenberg calls it the difference between thin and […]
A Happy Ending in Happy Valley
My wife Janyce and I arrived in State College in the spring of 1995, when I was hired as the General Manager at CATA. We moved here from Washington State, where I had been the manager of the local transit system for eight years, but had been asked to resign following a change in board leadership. In any event, moving back to Pennsylvania (we had met when we were students at Bucknell years earlier) was not something we really wanted to do, because professionally it was a step backwards, and we both had very much liked the ambiance of the Pacific Northwest.
We’re Not Building a Media Platform. We’re Building a Tailgate (All Year Long)
by Greg Woodman Let’s talk about tailgates. Not just football. The human kind. Because after a year of building, listening, and dreaming with people across this region, I’ve started to believe tailgates might be the whole thing. People think tailgates are about football. But they’re not. Tailgates are about belonging.They’re about the shared rhythm of […]
Local and Super Last Minute Gift Scramble Guide
By Melissa Hicks The Makery Market (State College – local makers / gifts) Under $20 $20–$40 $40–$75+ How to shop this guide fast Master Goblin Games (State College – games / hobby) Under $20 $20–$40 $40–$75+ How to shop this guide fast Stax of Trax (State College – music / vinyl) Under $20 $20–$40 $40–$75+ […]
Happy Valley = Tailgate: A Year-Round Invitation to Gather
As we close out 2025 and enter the stillness of the season, we offer this wish:
May this time of year slow us down just enough to remember what truly matters.
The laughter of family. The presence of friends. The quiet joy of gathering. Not because we have to, but because we get to.
Sydney Sweeney, Nittany Mall, and the Question We’re Avoiding
The American Eagle store at Nittany Mall is closing.
That news lands at the same moment the brand is riding one of the biggest awareness waves of the year. A national campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney. Massive reach. Cultural relevance. Constant attention.
Here’s the part that should give us pause. In just a few months, a casino is opening in that very same mall. You could hardly ask for a stronger magnet for foot traffic.
If awareness and proximity were enough, this store should have been positioned to benefit.
Instead, it’s shutting down.
HAPPY VALLEY UPCOMING EVENTS
Current listing of events in Happy Valley.
Christmas in Philipsburg is Epic
A billboard on the western edge of Philipsburg greets Route 322 motorists with a photo of Santa Claus exiting a bright yellow helicopter. The message above it: “Christmas in Philipsburg is Epic!”
Situated on the banks of the Moshannon Creek, Philipsburg is unlike any other town in Centre County. It’s an old coal town that still mines some coal. It’s a working-class town that’s still a little scrappy. It’s a town of deep history and immense heart. And it’s definitely a town of characters.
And so goes Philipsburg’s Christmas celebration.
