Fall 2025 in Happy Valley: An Inflection Point Like No Other — And You’re Smack in the Middle of It

t Connect HappyValley, we said last week that what is happening here felt like a social experiment. This week, it feels like a live broadcast from America’s future, though in Happy Valley it is closer to a Spruce Creek Lager paired with a tray of Spruce Creek Tavern fries than to anything you see on cable news.
Drive by the Penn State athletic fields right now, and you might think we are prepping to host the Olympics.
New press box for the soccer teams, new practice fields, dining facilities and weight rooms. Stadium overhauls and upgrades. Heavy machinery everywhere. It is not just athletic infrastructure. It is a metaphor. Happy Valley is building like it knows something big is coming. And it is.
Introducing the Connectors: Frank S. Archibald, Joe Minich and Rebecca Farmer Force

Frank S. Archibald Frank S. Archibald is a lifelong engineer, educator, and community advocate with deep connections to State College. After earning his BSME from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a PhD from Cambridge, Frank built a career in research and innovation with organizations including Lockheed, Pratt & Whitney, the Navy, and Penn State’s Applied […]
The Blue and White Zone: Living the HappyValley Life, Together

A few weeks ago, I asked a question that had been bouncing around in my mind: What if Happy Valley is already a Blue Zone in disguise? Not the branded kind, but something more authentic and local a “Blue and White Zone,” rooted in community, connection, and the HappyValley way of life.