Dec 2013 t&g

Inside: Happy Valley Heroes • At home with Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson

deceMBeR 2013

FRee

townandgown.com

The Joy of Giving During the holiday season, Centre Countians open their hearts even more by helping those in need and those who are far from home

If It’s happenIng In happy Valley, It’s In town&gown

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December • Features 30 / Happy Valley Heroes Town&Gown’s annual salute to some of the people who make this region so special once again represents just a small segment of all those doing good work in the community every day. Each has a sense — a calling — to help others • by Jenna Spinelle

38 / Beyond the Headlines New documentary takes a long look at Happy Valley in the aftermath of the Sandusky scandal • by Frank Bodani

38 68 / The Joy of Giving

46 / Not Grappling with Priorities Cael Sanderson may be the best wrestling coach in the country — he’s certainly in charge of leading the best program in the nation. Still, with all the titles and accolades he has received, he has little trouble telling you that none of that is what comes first to him • by Jeff Byers

During the holiday season, Centre Countians open their hearts even more by helping those in need and those who are far from home • by Tracey M. Dooms

53

Special Advertising Section 53 / Holiday Gift Guide

46

Everything from stocking stuffers to unique special presents for loved ones to last-minute ideas, the “Holiday Gift Guide” can help you find where to go and what to buy

On the cover: Photo by Amy Crownover. Park Forest Elementary student Tanner Mona shows off the stocking he put together that will be sent to someone in the United States military who is serving overseas.

Town&Gown is published monthly by Barash Publications, 403 South Allen Street, State College, PA 16801. Advertising is subject to approval of the publisher. COPYRIGHT 2013 by Barash Media. All rights reserved.

Send address changes to Town&Gown, Box 77, State College, PA 16804. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any process except with written authorization from Town&Gown or its publisher.

Phone: 800-326-9584, 814-238-5051. FAX: 814-238-3415. Printed by Gazette Printers, Indiana, PA. 20,000 copies published this month, available FREE in retail stores, restaurants, hotels and motels & travel depots. SUBSCRIPTIONS and SINGLE COPIES: $45/1yr; current issue by 1st-class mail, $10; back copy, $15 mailed, $12 picked up at the T&G office. www.townandgown.com

5 - Town&Gown December 2013

Town&Gown December

A State College & Penn State tradition since 1966.

Publisher Rob Schmidt Founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith Editorial Director David Pencek

91 Departments

Operations Manager/Assistant Editor Vilma Shu Danz Graphic Designer/Photographer Darren Weimert Graphic Designer Tiara Snare

Letter From The Editor Starting Off On Center: Guitarists Sharon Isbin, Stanley Jordan, and Romero Lubambo visit Eisenhower Auditorium 24 About Town: From philanthropy to publishing to helping people stay warm in the winter, the Smith family maintains a busy schedule 26 Health & Wellness: Beat the holiday blues 76 This Month on WPSU 78 Penn State Diary: Rediscovering the joys and insights of genealogy 81 What’s Happening 88 On Tap: Breweries offer special selections in larger formats 91 Taste of the Month/Dining Out: Abe’s Cafe brings homestyle taste and freshness to its menu 102 Lunch with Mimi: One local woman becomes agent of change in Rwanda 106 State College Photo Club’s Winning Photos 108 Snapshot: Retired teacher helps families capture the magic of The Polar Express 8 10 20

Creative Director/Photographer John Hovenstine

Account Executives Kathy George, Debbie Markel Business Manager Aimee Aiello Administrative Assistant Brittany Svoboda Intern Amy Ross (editorial) Distribution Handy Delivery, Tom Neff Senior Editorial Consultant Witt Yeagley

To contact us: Mail: 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801 Phone: (814) 238-5051, (800) 326-9584 Fax: (814) 238-3415 dpenc@barashmedia.com (Editorial) rschmidt@barashmedia.com (Advertising) We welcome letters to the editor that include a phone number for verification.

Back issues of Town&Gown are available on microfilm at Penn State’s Pattee Library.

www.townandgown.com

6 - Town&Gown December 2013

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letter from the editor

A Christmas Tiff — and Tradition

Seasonal movie or not, the yuletide lessons of Die Hard Amid all the wonderfulness that is the Christmas season, an ongoing and, at times, feisty little debate takes place in my house.

The subject pertains to the best Christmas movies of all time — and while I don’t proclaim it to be the best, I always make a point to put Die Hard on the list.

My wife, for some reason, believes the classic action movie starring Bruce Willis is in no way, shape, or form a Christmas movie.

I’ve had this debate with friends, as well, and I believe my conclusions are sound and undeniable.

Yes, there is plenty of violence in the film, along with language that isn’t suitable for children — so, Die Hard is an adult Christmas movie, but it’s still a Christmas movie.

First, there’s the obvious that the movie takes place during Christmastime. That alone could make it a Christmas movie. But if that’s not enough, the movie has a few Christmas-type themes that are prevalent.

One is reconciling with loved ones. This is the time of year when people will usually put their disagreements aside and just enjoy the season together. In Die Hard, Willis’s character, John McClane, and his wife do exactly that even though they live on opposite ends of the country and have some marital issues to work out.

Another theme is helping strangers. Many of us will put in our loose change and give to the Salvation Army or other charities that collect money to help people we’ve likely never met. Or we’ll purchase a present and donate it to Toys for Tots or help with other great fundraising activities that happen during this time of year. In Die Hard, McClane saves the lives of a bunch of strangers

(and his wife). Also, Sergeant Al Powell (played

by Reginald VelJohnson) helps out McClane, even though the two have never met.

Then there is the fact that miracles can happen.

We hear the phrase “Christmas miracle” a lot, and amazing things do seem to happen during the yuletide season that can’t be explained. In Die Hard, well the fact that McClane survives all his “adventures” (like the blowing up of the roof of a building he’s in, for example) and defeats the bad guys despite being badly outnumbered can be described as miraculous.

(It’s also kind of miraculous that he has survived similar scenarios in four subsequent sequels.)

So I believe that besides Die Hard being a Christmas movie, there are lessons that can be pulled from it for this time of year.

Get in touch with a loved one or friend you haven’t talked with in awhile because of some spat. Find out how they’re doing and maybe invite them out for dinner or drinks.

Help those who need help, even if you don’t know them. Donate a coat to help a homeless person. Give a toy or two to a needy family with children. Give all that loose change, and even some bills, to those who are ringing bells on our street corners.

Finally, believe that miracles can, and do, happen — and even believe in miracles you cannot see.

So, even if you now agree with me or not, I and the rest of the staff at Town&Gown wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a healthy holiday season!

David Pencek Editorial Director dpenc@barashmedia.com

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What’s

New

Goreham wins re-election In November, Elizabeth Goreham, a Democrat, won a second term as mayor of State College.

She defeated Republican challenger Ron Madrid, 1,634 votes to 1,019.

“I want to help State College fulfill its own potential,” she told StateCollege.com. “I want to give voice to the importance of the town and to make this town open to entrepreneurial ideas and businesses.”

Democrats Tom Daubert, Theresa Lafer, and Evan Myers were elected to the borough council, filling the three available seats.

In other election night results, Stacy Parks Miller, who ran unopposed, will continue to serve as Centre County District Attorney.

Centre County has 19 “Waste Watchers” The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania and the Solid Waste Association of North America-Keystone Chapter recognized 76 municipalities, counties, private businesses, individuals, and community organizations across the commonwealth for the Pennsylvania Waste Watchers program. Of those 76, 19 are based in Centre County.

The Waste Watchers program highlights recycling, waste reduction, reuse, and composting programs in Pennsylvania that have exhibited exemplary performance, The 19 in Centre County are Art Alliance of Central PA, Autoport Restaurant, Borough

of State College, Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority, Columbia Gas of PA Inc., Corl Street Elementary School, Foxdale Village, Gray’s Woods Elementary, Harris Township Memorial Day Festival, Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, Mount Nittany Middle School, Park Forest Elementary School, Penn State School of Hospitality Management, Prom Attire Event, Restek Corporation, State College Friends School, State College Spikes, and Village Eatinghouse Marketplace & Café.

Penn State tops for veterans In its Best Colleges for Veterans rankings, U.S. News and World Report recently cited Penn State as the number-one school among national universities.

U.S. News cited the university’s military veterans benefit of priority registration for classes beginning with the spring 2014 semester, as well as the school’s Office of Veterans Programs’ assistance with benefits, enrollment, and career services.

Brian Clark, director of the Office of Veterans Programs at Penn State, said in the report that Penn State has more than 900 veterans at its University Park location. He said improving the higher-education experience for veterans has long been a top priority for the university.

In a released statement, Penn State president Rodney Erickson said, “This is a tremendous accomplishment and one we have worked hard to foster. Our veterans deserve our support and assistance every day.” T&G

10 - Town&Gown December 2013

People in the

Community

Anita Ditz

Schlow Centre Region Library head of children’s services Anita Ditz was named the winner of the 2014 Pennsylvania Library Association’s Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes individuals who have given exceptional meritorious service to libraries in the commonwealth.

Ditz has been a librarian at Schlow for 30 years.

During her tenure, she has formed partnerships with community agencies that led to local awards, six state Best Practices citations, and state and national recognition for Schlow’s Family Place program. Her passion for early-learning services raised Schlow Library’s profile in the State College community and connected it with local funders who helped the library develop a full slate of services for children of all ages.

At the state level, she advocated for the creation of a state youth-services position in the State Library,

a mission that was accomplished in 2001. She has been an active committee member since 2008 for One Book, Every Young Child, a reading program that garnered national recognition for Pennsylvania.

Travis Park

In October, Ferguson Township police officer Travis Park received the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year Award at the organization’s annual conference in Hartford, Connecticut. CIT International is a nonprofit membership organization that “strives to develop crisis-intervention team programs throughout the United States and abroad.”

Park is a seven-year veteran of the township police department, and is the first Pennsylvania officer to receive a CIT International Award. He was recognized for his ongoing training, promotion, and work of CIT in Ferguson Township, Centre County, and across the state.

Park told the Centre Daily Times, “It has been a pleasure to be a part of the program and to work with such dedicated professionals, with the goal to make our program a success and to make a positive impact on people’s lives.” T&G

Congratulations & Thank You!

50 Year Members of the Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau: AAA (Centre County Motor Club) The Autoport Restaurant & Lodging Bellefonte Chamber of Commerce Boal Museum Centre County Commissioners Centre Daily Times Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre Co. (State College Area Chamber of Commerce) Duffy’s Tavern Visit historic shopping districts, road trip for art Econo Motel & Restaurant) and wine,Lodge step up(Kar-Mel to the plate, float through a cave, K-B Offset Inc.Adventure / theprinters.com hit the trailsPrinting, cast a line... is waiting!

(Offset Centre)

First National Bank (Peoples National Bank of State College) Hotel State College / The Corner Room / The Allen Street Grill (Corner Unusual) Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership (Philipsburg Chamber of Commerce) Nittany Nitta Lion Inn Penns Cave Ramada Inn & Conference Center (Holiday Inn) The Tavern Restaurant Tussey Mountain All Seasons (Skimont) Woodward Cave

VisitPennState.org 12 - Town&Gown December 2013

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13 - Town&Gown December 2013

Q&A

Q&A with Darrin Thornton, assistant professor of music at Penn State and director of the Carillon Bells

By Sarah Harteis

With Christmas just around the corner, assistant professor of music at Penn State Darrin Thornton is excited to share his love for holiday music with the community.

He joined the School of Music faculty in 2010, and has also served as an e-Learning Institute Faculty Fellow and director of the Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching.

For the last two years, he has directed the Carillon Bells of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in State College. On December 11, the 14 members of the Carillon Bells will be performing its “Holiday Music for Handbells" concert at the Palmer Museum of Art. Thornton shared with Town&Gown his thoughts on the upcoming concert and what he hopes to accomplish through the performance.

T&G: What does the invitation to perform at the Palmer Museum mean to you?

Thornton: This invitation is a wonderful opportunity for our group of ringers to share their enthusiasm and love of music-making

with the community. For me, personally, it is a chance to showcase living examples of lifetime music engagement.

T&G: Why do you think bells usually are incorporated into a holiday concert?

Thornton: Many holiday pictures utilize the bells and bows to conjure up the winter holidays. Bells on horses pulling the sleighs through the snow; bells being rung by Salvation Army pots; church bells ringing; angels getting their wings, etc. Bells have both secular and sacred symbolism, especially related to the winter holidays.

T&G: What do you want your music to bring to your audience?

Thornton: I hope our music will fill the audiences’ ears with the full range of sonorities the bells are capable of producing.

This unique palette of sound creates a sense of intrigue when familiar sounds are presented in this handbell timbre. The miniature version of the ancient clock tower bell being handrung before your eyes also creates a visual artistry that captures the senses in yet another fashion. Therefore, I hope our ringing brings the audience into the music in such a way that they leave with their own constructed aesthetic responses to the eclectic program.

T&G: What do you enjoy most about directing and working with the choir?

Thornton: I most enjoy interacting with the members of the ensemble every week. Ringing is the focus that brings us together, but the community created around this art form through the process of making music together fulfills our lives in ways only music can. I relish this opportunity to facilitate a venue for continued musical engagement. T&G

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Congratulations to Don leitzell!

J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. is proud to announce the selection of Mr. Donald Leitzell, CFP®, President of Diversified Asset Planners in State College, Pennsylvania as the honored recipient of the 2012 J.W. Cole Financial Inc. “Advisor of the Year” award. Mr. Leitzell has diligently served central Pennsylvania investors since 1987 and serves as a role model for other Financial Planners desiring to improve the services they provide to their clients. Through his contributions to the J.W. Cole Financial Advisory Council, Mr. Leitzell has been the driving catalyst behind several improvement projects launched by J.W. Cole Financial designed to improve the experience of the Financial Planner and their clients.

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• The Advisor did not pay a fee to be considered for the J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. “Advisor of the Year award.

• The “Advisor of the Year” award is not indicative of the Advisor's future performance. Working with the “Advisor of the Year” is not a guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee the selected Advisor will be awarded this accomplishment by J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. in the future.

• The inclusion of the Advisor as the “Advisor of the Year” award should not be construed as an endorsement of the Advisor's investment management skills by J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. or any of its affiliates.

• The Advisor may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may or may not manage their client's assets.

• The “Advisor of the Year” selection committee is not acting in the capacity of an Investment Adviser and therefore the reference to this award should not be considered financial advice.

• J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. has approximately 240 Advisors eligible for consideration of the award and only one Advisor per year is selected.

• For more information on the methodology behind the selection committee's nominations, please contact the Chief Compliance Officer at J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. at (814) 935-6776.

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Looking Back Centre County history through the pages of Town&Gown December 1982 “On the Right Track” looked at the Nittany Valley Model Railroad Club, which formed in 1966.

Dick Koontz was an original member of the club, and he, along with his wife, Shirley, owned and operated Ye Olde Huff-N-Puff model-train factory where they made train kit pieces themselves. “We certainly don’t do it for the money,” Dick Koontz said. “A person really has to love model railroading to get this involved.”

1997 The excitement of finding a Christmas tree each holiday season was captured in “Tree Traditions,” which featured Tait Farm and Kuhns Farm.

State College resident Jane Wettstone described how one year one of the Taits’ cats went into the field with her and her family and “ ‘helped’ us pick a nice fir.

The tree had a bird’s nest in it. I’m told that’s a sign of good luck.”

2009 “Frozen Art” spotlighted the popular ice sculptors who appear each year at First Night State College. Ernie DiMartino, owner of the DiMartino Ice Company that participates in First Night, said, “To enjoy this, you have to be a showman.

You have a crowd, you’re an entertainer, you’re a performer. You feed off the crowd. The larger the crowd, the more energy you feel.” T&G

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This Monthtownandgown.com On • In• 5InQuestions, Chip Davis, founder andmanager creator of 5 Questions, State College Spikes Oliver Marmol Mannheim Steamroller (which performs theit’s Bryce talks about the upcoming season and at what like managing Jordan Center December 13), talks about Christmases players at the Class A level. of his youth.

A special recipeoffer for the Greek Restaurant’s roasted leg of lamb.

• A• special coupon from Abe’s Cafe in Belleville.

• Blogs on on sports, entertainment, and more.

• Blogs sports, entertainment, and more.

Oliver Marmol Chip Davis

• Order copies of Town&Gown’s 2013 Penn State • Order copies of Town&Gown’s Penn State sports annuals.

Football Annual and Town&Gown’s 2013-14 Penn State Winter Sports Annual.

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And visit our Facebook site for the latest happenings and opportunities to win free tickets to concerts and events!

And follow us on Twitter @TownGown1.

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ADVANCING EDUCATION INCOME AND HEALTH

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BY MISSION

The holidays are upon us. It is time for celebrating with family, watching warm and fuzzy movies, attending parties and buying gifts. We are fortunate to have many national and regional retail chains in our area that strive to be good community partners. They and their local employees support the Centre County United Way campaign and our mission of improving education, income and health for our neighbors. Through their collective support positive, lasting change is happening in Centre County.

They LIVE UNITED. Best Buy Giant Foods Macy’s Sam’s Club Sheetz Target The Bon Ton United Parcel Service Wal Mart Wegman’s Weis Markets

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. Centre County United Way ccunitedway.org

on center

Gorgeous Guitar Sharon Isbin, Stanley Jordan, and Romero Lubambo string together a January 31 concert

By John Mark Rafacz

If you’re passionate about guitar music, you won’t want to miss the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State’s January 31 presentation.

Three superb guitarists perform Latin, jazz, and Brazilian music in Guitar Passions that Friday evening at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Three-time Grammy Award-winner and classical virtuoso Sharon Isbin, named by Boston magazine as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” teams with innovative American jazzman Stanley Jordan and Brazilian jazz master Romero Lubambo.

The concert, inspired by the popular 2011 album Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions, utilizes a mix of acoustic and electric guitars and features works by composers such as Joaquin Rodrigo, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Isaac Albéniz, Gentil Montaña, Quique Sinesi, Ariel Ramírez, and Alfredo Vianna.

“It’s really thrilling to see people from different genres come together and create an entirely new voice, and a new concept, and a new style of playing,” Isbin says.

The director of guitar studies at New York City’s Juilliard School, Isbin has recorded more than 25 albums of music ranging from Baroque and Spanish/Latin to crossover and jazz-fusion.

A writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls the Minneapolis native “the Monet of the classical guitar … a master colorist.”

“She gets nuances out of the classical guitar few guitarists since Segovia have matched,” writes a Chicago Tribune critic. “Everything she performs bespeaks perfect technical control yet suggests spontaneous improvisation — the art that conceals art.”

Jordan, who takes listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected, has enjoyed critical and commercial success for almost three decades. The Princeton University graduate, often described as a musical chameleon, performs reinventions of classical masterpieces, soulful explorations of pop-rock hits, blazing straight-ahead jazz, and ultramodern improvisations.

In Magic Touch, his 1985 debut album, the

Isbin performs with Stanley Jordan and Romero Lubambo in Guitar Passions January 31 in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Chicago native introduced the world to his extraordinary tapping technique.

“Jordan’s revolutionary approach to the instrument, consisting of striking the fretboard with both hands to sound notes, allows him access to musical possibilities that are simply out of the reach of other guitar players,” writes a critic for AllMusic.com. “It is in his hands that the guitar attains a level of self-accompaniment formerly held only by the piano.”

Lubambo, called an “ebullient acoustic guitarist” by a JazzTimes reviewer, left Rio de Janeiro for the United States in 1985. He utilizes the styles and rhythms of his native Brazil, plus a fluency in American jazz traditions, to forge a distinctive style.

“Romero Lubambo has been one of the most impressive South American guitarists to arrive on the jazz scene,” writes a critic for the All Music Guide.

“He’s appeared on numerous recordings and also been part of the group Trio da Paz.” T&G Stephen and Patricia Noel sponsor the presentation. Radio station 93.7 The Bus is the media sponsor. For information or tickets, visit cpa.psu.edu or phone (814) 863-0255.

John Mark Rafacz is the editorial manager of the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State.

20 - Town&Gown December 2013

Victorian Rose is not your average retail experience.

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about town

Making a Name for Themselves From philanthropy to publishing to helping people stay warm in the winter, the Smith family maintains a busy schedule

By Nadine Kofman

Around here, even the name “Smith” is likely to be uncommon. It is, of course, a very important name for the Penn State Arboretum. Of the 400 Smiths in our telephone book, there are others of particular note.

Over in Lemont, for instance, are Ron and Sue Smith — synonymous with Lemont’s past and with its year-round activities.

It could be said that 73-year-old Sue is the village’s mother hen. While chatting congenially with her one summer day just outside the Lemont post office, I saw her suddenly bent over and start pulling weeds as she talked. A constant doer, she has been president of the Lemont Village Association for about 15 years.

(The Smiths’ home phone number is the anonymous info line in the association’s event advertisements.)

Ron, 77, a sport historian, is a Penn State emeritus professor of kinesiology. He has been chairman for 18 years of the Granary Committee of LVA. His warm-weather “job” is mowing the Lemont Village Green. I once saw him at a meeting of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society, asking about restroom-construction plans for excursions to Lemont.

They are the parents of two State High graduates (each of whom also has two children): son, Dan, 47, a Penn State and University of Wisconsin grad who teaches political science at the University of Florida and who, married to an anthropologist studying African economics, often makes Ghana a family destination; daughter, Penny Eifrig, 45, a Cornell University graduate whose family usually lives about two blocks away in Lemont but is in Germany for this academic year while her and husband Christian’s bilingual 10- and l4-year-old daughters are schooled in Charlottenerg, a district of Berlin.

Ron and Sue have been touched by the latter’s 20-year-old Polartec clothing business: Knuetes (spelled with an umlaut or, in English, an extra “e”).

During the Eifrigs’ absence, Sue and Ron are some-

Ron and Sue Smith of Lemont show off Knuetes gloves that their daughter, Penny, and her husband designed.

times in charge of shipping orders for the winterwear, made from recycled plastic bottles.

In an e-mail conversation with Penny, I ask about the local and foreign business. She writes: “In 1990, when I first met my (Berlin-born) husband, I wanted to hold hands in the winter, but his pockets were too high to hold hands warmly. So we invented the (award-winning) doublegloves.”

Eventually, those friendly zippered-together gloves would grow into a 50-garment child/adult line.

“In 1994, we got a (TV) gig on QVC (helped by her parents) and sold over 2,000 pairs in less than seven minutes,” Penny writes.

Neckgaiters and headbands followed. The doublegloves won an international prize at SOLTEX, a big outdoor expo in England.

Several big companies were attracted but, instead of buying, probably produced the subsequent “knockoffs” with “slight changes.” The patented doublegloves also were among “the official merchandise” for the Berlin, New York, and Chicago marathons — “until their big sponsors took over the merchandizing and we got kicked out,” Penny writes.

Unbowed, their company still sold Knuetes, including at Appalachian Outdoors, 123 South Allen

24 - Town&Gown December 2013

Street, State College. But now the Eifrigs concentrate instead on the Web — www.knuetes.com — and on a few street markets. On December 6 and 7, Knuetes will be available at Christmas in Lemont at The Granary; in Berlin, the Eifrigs are selling them at weekly and holiday markets.

“We all wear Knuetes — from our undies to jackets and all layers in between,” Penny writes. “In our two strong local markets, State College (area) and Berlin, we still have to stop ourselves from hollering out to people we don’t know, ‘Hey, you are wearing my headband or mittens or sweater!’ ” Like her parents, Penny is doing more than one thing: operating Eifrig Publishing for primarily environmental and self-esteem kids’ books, and translating German into English.

Books also figure in her dad’s life. Besides examining State College’s old “sinkhole” (Memorial Field), he has written several books about intercollegiate sports. The one being written now — “triggered by the Sandusky scandal” — is an analysis of the governance of the Penn State intercollegiate program since the George Atherton administration. “I’ve spent a year and a half in the archives,” he says. He may move in.

Sue, he observes, goes to community meetings all week. She is on the College Township Parks & Recreation board and is a member of Affordable Housing and Interfaith Human Services — in addition to coordinating the Centre County Council of Human Service’s “Helping Hands” articles in the Centre Daily Times, and teaching Sunday school.

It’s hard to imagine the village without them, yet they have been putting down roots there only since they relocated from Wisconsin in 1968.

“We met at the University of Wisconsin,” she says.

She was a Grinnell (Iowa) College graduate in sociology and anthropology and, for safety’s sake, earned an elementary education certificate, allowing for teaching stints in Wisconsin and Centre County.

His Penn State career followed undergraduate work at Northwestern and a PhD at the University of Wisconsin. Then, he says, “We moved directly to this [1916] house.”

Unsurprisingly for the Smiths, who believe in community, “We’re not going anywhere,” says Sue. T&G Nadine Kofman is a native Centre Countian and historian.

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health & wellness

Beat the Blues While the holidays aren’t jolly for everyone, there are ways to ease the melancholy feelings

By Amy Ross

The holiday season is viewed as a joyful time of year that should be spent with family and loved ones. However, some seem to rather spend it alone in bed and under the covers wishing for the yuletide to end just as fast as it arrives.

A “blue Christmas” is a melancholic period of time for individuals who are grieving or experiencing a crisis during the holidays.

It is easy to experience the holiday blues when society has portrayed the Christmas holiday to be a perfect Christmas card, says Pastor Larry Louder, at Grace Lutheran Church in State College.

“It’s bad enough all of society has this Norman Rockwell kind of image of the way Christmas should be, and even people without major issues or crises are often disappointed because it didn’t turn out to be a Christmas card,” he says.

Last year, Grace Lutheran held its first “Blue Christmas” service for people who felt alone or sad or had feelings of loss (whether loss of a loved one, a job, or something else) during the Christmastime. The service was held about a week before Christmas with hopes of offering support and comfort to those who reached out for help, Louder says.

This year’s service, which has the subtitle of “Service of Hope,” is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

December 19.

“The service doesn’t talk so much about Christmas as it does hope and comfort,” Louder says.

According to Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler, a medical journalist at MedicineNet.com, unrealistic expectations, financial stress, and the inability to be with one’s family and friends are the typical sources of holiday sadness.

Her article, “Learn How to Cope with Holiday Depression and Stress Symptoms,” emphasizes the causes, symptoms, and treatments of holiday depression and stress.

“Sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season,” she writes.

Dr. Brian Rabian, director of the psychological clinic at Penn State, agrees that the stress that comes with the holidays is what usually causes people to experience the blues.

“The holiday blues for a lot of people is a post-holiday letdown,” he says. “It’s a tremendous high and all of a sudden Christmas is over and all of this stuff that has been building up is gone.”

His research on anxiety and stress gives him a better understanding of people’s reasons for feeling down during the holidays. Christmastime comes with a lot of stress that involves meeting high expectations, traveling, and making sure everything is perfect, he says. When it is all over,

26 - Town&Gown December 2013

the stress wears you down.

Depression during the winter holidays has been traced to a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a depressive disorder that mostly occurs during the winter months, according to WebMD.com. Short days and lack of sunlight can activate problems with a brain chemical called serotonin. Changes in serotonin levels can influence mood and cause depression, writes Colette Bouchez, a medical journalist, in her WebMD feature “Serotonin: 9 Questions and Answers.”

Those who fall into the holiday-blues community, however, may not always be diagnosed with depression or disorder or receive medical treatment. Most are just temporarily down, reminiscing about what they used to have and dwelling on how much their lives have changed.

Rabian, however, believes that those who fall into holiday depression are prone to depression regardless of the season.

“One of the things that characterizes people who are prone to depression is that individuals perceive themselves as being different from other people,” he says. “Other people’s cheerful behavior can trigger those who are already feeling down to feel like they are missing out on human experiences.”

While reasons for the holiday blues may vary, Presbyterian Senior Living, whose properties include Windy Hill Village in Philipsburg and Westminster Woods in Huntingdon, is active year-round to prevent such moods.

“Our residents are involved in all types of our community activities all the time,” says Teresa Buchman, Presbyterian Senior Living’s corporate director of clinical services.

During the holidays, the activities are slightly different. Buchman says that the residents go

out on trips to see Christmas lights, plays, and concerts, and even receive visits from Christmas carolers. These events increase participation because of the holiday spirit.

“Usually, the activity for [Christmas Day] is kind of limited because you see a lot of families visit, and people would go out to their family’s home for Christmas,” she says.

For a resident who doesn’t want to participate or feels down during the holidays, staff at the facilities will provide one-on-one activities with them, according to Buchman.

Although it can be easy to succumb to holiday depression, there are various ways that it can be controlled.

Rabian suggests relaxation techniques, alone time with loved ones, and more devoted time to your faith as important ways to control the holiday stress and prevent the blues.

Louder encourages attending holiday services that will help people deal with their problems and give people the opportunity to socialize with others who are grieving and feeling alone.

To avoid the holiday blues, people should be realistic and set honest standards for the holidays. He suggests that having a plan is important. If your holiday seems like it will be different, accept it and don’t label the change as negative — unfortunately, many people do not perceive “different” to be a good thing, he says.

“Life is full of changes,” says Louder. “Unfortunately, most people will perceive any type of change to be a loss.”

Whether it is a good or bad change, all that matters is the way you deal with it, he says.

Quoting former Notre Dame football head coach Lou Holtz, he says, “Ten percent of life is what happens to you, and 90 percent of it is how you react to it.” T&G

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Happy

Valley

Heroes

Town&Gown’s annual salute to some of the people who make this region so special once again represents just a small segment of all those doing good work in the community every day. Each has a sense — a calling — to help others

By Jenna Spinelle Photos by Darren Weimert

30 - Town&Gown December 2013

Some people are heroes to their families and friends, some to their communities, and some to broader groups of people. This year’s “Happy Valley Heroes” fit all of those scenarios.

From lifeguards at Welch Pool to a case manager at a Centre Region nonprofit to a group of actors with Down syndrome, all have made positive impacts over the past year.

• • • June 12 started off like any other day at Welch Pool for lifeguards Steve Boris, Luc Lallement, and Taylor Brennan.

The noon to 1 p.m. lap swim was underway and the three were preparing for another busy summer afternoon.

Near the end of lap swim, Lallement noticed 83-year-old regular Gerry Brault floating lifelessly in the water, and immediately knew something was wrong. He quickly blew his whistle three times to signal that additional help was needed, and then jumped into the pool.

“I had just come up to the stand and noticed that Gerry was laying on this side in the middle of the water with his mouth slightly ajar,” Lallement says. “I tried to get him out and started thinking about what I would do once he got out of the water.”

Welch Pool lifeguards Lallement (above) and Brennan (below), along with Steve Boris, helped save Gerry Brault after he suffered a heart attack while swimming laps.

Lallement, 16, was a junior lifeguard in his first summer on the job. Senior guard Boris, 23, quickly assisted him. Boris helped Lallement bring Brault out of the water and began using the automated external defibrillator (AED) while Lallement performed CPR. Brennan, 17, called 911, and an ambulance arrived within five minutes.

Brault says he doesn’t remember much about the incident, only swimming laps then waking up in a hospital bed later that afternoon. He was back swimming laps at Welch Pool within a few weeks of the cardiac arrest.

Welch Pool aquatics supervisor Todd Roth says Brault’s cardiac arrest was the first incident he’d seen like that in 11 years on the job. He was impressed by how quickly the guards responded and how they kept their cool during a stressful situation.

“The fact that these kids had the presence and clarity of mind to embrace what they were trained to do in a rare situation was pretty amazing,” he says.

31 - Town&Gown December 2013

“They don’t see this every day like someone on an ambulance crew might. I’m super proud of this group and everything they’ve been able to accomplish.”

Roth says all lifeguards receive first-aid training and CPR/AED training before the pools open for the season, and take refresher courses once per month during the summer to help keep skills fresh in their minds.

Boris, Brennan, and Lallement all credit that training with helping them be prepared for what happened that day.

“We would do a CPR check every month and that really permanently engrained CPR into my brain,” Lallement says. “When I was working on Gerry everything was just done from muscle memory and I felt I was prepared even though I was very scared.”

All three lifeguards plan to return to the pool next summer if their schedules allow. They recommend becoming CPR certified and say their CPR skills helped keep Brault alive until the ambulance arrived.

“Being a lifeguard is a really morally intensive job because you need to be prepared at all times to save someone,” Lallement says. “Getting CPR certified is a good thing because you can be prepared for every situation at hand.”

••• Krista Wilkinson has spent the better part of her academic career doing research on people with Down syndrome. During that time, one thing became abundantly clear.

“I heard over and over again from parents and families that these students wanted to be on stage and perform,” she says. “Generally, students with disabilities do have opportunities to be in school plays, but it becomes harder for them to access as they get older and the drama program becomes competitive.”

Wilkinson and her family moved to State College from Boston in 2008, and, over the next few years, she saw her own children — daughter, Abby (13), and son, Matt (16) — become involved in drama programs in the State College Area School District. She also joined the board of the Centre County Down Syndrome Society (CCDS) and saw the two worlds coming together.

In 2011, Wilkinson petitioned the CCDS board for funding to start For Good Troupe. The acting group pairs Down syndrome performers with peers from State High’s drama program to promote a supportive environment and allow the

Wilkinson started For Good Troupe, an acting group that pairs children with Down syndrome with members of State College Area High School’s drama program.

performers and peers to bond.

“I didn’t want this to be something that would reinforce negative stereotypes,” Wilkinson says.

“We’ve all had an impact on each other. Peers have learned as much from the performers with Down syndrome as the other way around.”

The group performs two shows per year and rehearses weekly at the Delta Program building on West Nittany Avenue. Wilkinson does not have any acting experience, so she relies on the theater student peers to help with choreography, set design, and direction.

The peers say that working with their performers has given them a new perspective on acting and friendships that will continue after they graduate from high school.

“Just seeing everyone’s reaction and how confident everyone was … it was amazing,” says volunteer Meredith Tillotson, a senior at State High. “I only planned to help with one show initially, but I ended up sticking with it and forming all these great friendships with everyone.”

The sentiment from the performers is mutual.

32 - Town&Gown December 2013

More than 10 years ago, Stahl was homeless and received help from Housing Transitions.

Now, she’s a case manager for Housing Transitions helping women who are in “need of their own support networks to make better lives for themselves.”

“I get to be on stage and have freedom and be myself and be around other people,” says 19-year-old Alec Masters. “It’s good to have attention, but not too much.”

Masters’s mother, Christina, says the troupe was a natural fit for her son and has helped him live out his dreams in a positive environment.

“He’s always been rather hammy and from the time he was able to speak wanted to be a performer,” she says. “It’s great that he has the opportunity to live out some of that dream without pressure of traditional drama troupes.”

The troupe’s repertoire includes songs from popular Broadway shows and radio hits. Its namesake song comes from the musical Wicked.

After some trial and error, Wilkinson found that the best way to structure the group was to have everyone on stage for each number.

“The older performers tend to be featured singers and the younger kids are chorus,” she says.

“We choose other songs so everyone gets a chance to be in a smaller group, and try to make sure that there’s a song for everyone.”

••• Jennifer Stahl may be the perfect embodiment of Housing Transitions, a nonprofit agency in

State College. In 2002, Stahl, 34, found herself homeless and seeking services from Centre House, a shelter operated by Housing Transitions.

She was pregnant and had just gotten out of an abusive relationship. She stayed for a few months and eventually moved back out on her own.

As Stahl puts it, she made a few more mistakes that led to her returning to Centre House in 2004 — staying there for a few more months, which she vowed would be the last time.

“Each time I stayed in the shelter I learned how to be self-sufficient,” she says. “When I started out, I didn’t have the support network I needed to accomplish my goals. I learned a lot from people there who cared about me and were invested in me.”

Nearly a decade later, Stahl has two degrees from Penn State and now works as a case manager for Housing Transitions helping women who are in need of their own support networks to make better lives for themselves.

Stahl’s experience as a former shelter resident makes her uniquely qualified to assist her clients, says Susanna Paul, director of development and community relations at Housing Transitions.

“Jennifer did a lot of really hard work to get to where she is, and I hear her holding clients to the same kind of standards,” Paul says. “She absolutely

33 - Town&Gown December 2013

requires people to do the work alongside her to get where they need to be.”

Paul says Stahl and many others like her have been successful because Housing Transitions and Centre House provide them with more than just a place to stay. While at the shelter, residents work on skills such as financial management, so they can be successful when they leave the shelter.

Stahl’s Penn State degrees are in women’s studies and African and African American Studies. She was inspired to take up those fields after taking a race and ethnic-relations class with professor Sam Richards.

“I felt like I found myself for the first time in that class,” she says. “I realized I grew up in a very patriarchal family and with an eye on depression and disenfranchised populations.”

In addition to her job as a case manager, Stahl picks up emergency shifts as the on-call supervisor at Centre House and is a single mother to her 10-year-old daughter, Auja. She admits the schedule can be grueling at times, but says it’s all worth it for the impact she makes on her clients.

“I tell people all the time to get rid of all the stereotypes in your head about being homeless or

staying in a shelter,” she says. “You just have to be willing to ask for help … you don’t have to live your life that way.”

••• It’s been a long road to recovery for Joshua Leone. The State College native was wounded in Afghanistan in 2011 when his vehicle ran over more than 100 pounds of homemade explosives hidden on a road between Kabul and Kandahar. His ankles and back were broken and he had reconstructive surgeries in Germany and San Antonio, Texas, before returning to his home base at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

Leone was one of the first soldiers to be part of the warrior-transition unit at Fort Bliss. Warriortransition units are set up to help wounded service members and their families manage physical therapy and other elements of post-injury care.

“It’s a good way to manage care by helping soldiers navigate the military chain of command and the medical-care chain of command,” Leone says. “You have a little more access to medicine and experts on

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The Leone family (from left), Addison (6), Sarah (6 months), Michelle, Joshua, Morgan (4), and Hannah (3).

benefits given to guys and gals that are hurt.”

The only problem was that the lack of combatwounded soldiers at Fort Bliss meant a lack of preparedness on the base’s part to manage cases such as Leone’s.

Leone was wheelchair bound for the first few months of recovery and never received a ramp to

get the wheelchair into his home, even though he and wife, Michelle, were promised one by the Army. They also went months without reimbursement for in-home care Michelle was providing in lieu of a nurse, a stipend that was supposed to be guaranteed under the warriortransition program.

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As the weeks wore on, Leone started to become the “squeaky wheel” around the base, slowly moving up the military chain of command asking for assistance. He eventually got the attention of President Barack Obama, who visited the base for a roundtable with soldiers.

That opportunity led to an invitation to attend the 2012 State of the Union address in Washington, DC. “They were looking for a wounded warrior for the State of the Union and folks at Fort Bliss knew who I was because I had been knocking on their doors for so long trying to get better care,” he says. “I got to chat with a couple other soldiers who were in the same boat as I was. It was neat to be in the same room as a lot of great people.”

In the process of securing the care he needed, Leone and his family paved the way for other wounded warriors who would follow in his footsteps at Fort Bliss.

“I was completely baffled by how little they helped us,” Leone says. “When we left it was just completely different. Guys who are hurt deserve so much better.”

Around the same time, Michelle became

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involved with Home for the Homefront, a support organization for spouses of wounded soldiers. She has attended retreats and led online meetings attended by women around the country.

“Partnering with women who have been through the same thing that I have was a huge encouragement to me,” she says. “I didn’t realize what we were going through until I joined, and now I’m trying to give back to other women.”

The Leone family moved back to State College over the summer while Joshua earns his master’s degree in English at Penn State. Upon completion, he’ll begin teaching at West Point, his alma mater. He was able to fully recover from his injuries and is now deployable again.

“The doctor at the base was used to guys coming to him to get medical retirement and I was going to him to get the opposite,” Leone says. “I worked very hard to be able to be deployable again.” T&G Jenna Spinelle is a freelance writer in State College.

She works in Penn State’s Undergraduate Admissions Office and is an adjunct lecturer in the College of Communications.

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The men behind 365 Days: A Year in Happy Valley, director Erik Proulx (left) and writer/producer Eric Porterfield, attempted to make a film that “explores how individuals came together to grapple with unresolved issues in the wake of the Sandusky crimes. … And showcasing the strength and resolve of those who live in and cherish what is known as ‘Happy Valley.’ ”

38 - Town&Gown December 2013

39 - Town&Gown December 2013

everything was wrong about Penn State.

This background, actually, was fine with the brains behind the movie, 365 Days: A Year in Happy Valley. That’s how much they wanted Proulx’s expertise and point of view for the movie, which is scheduled to premiere December 27 at the State Theatre before going to selected cities across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Proulx resisted at first, though. He didn’t want a part in a project simply defending Penn State. He didn’t want to be involved with any kind of quick, sensationalized take on the subject.

It also would mean being stuck in the middle of small-town Pennsylvania and away from his wife and two children.

But there was something more to this entire story for Proulx, as there has been for so many who have gradually come forward.

He had been sexually abused as a child.

••• While Proulx became a key acquisition in the making of 365 Days, the inspiration for it came from the inside, so to speak.

The writing and producing would be done by a man whose parents graduated from Penn State. Eric Porterfield was schooled at Yale but

Contributed photos (3)

The premise for the Penn State movie was set.

All that was needed was the right director. The goal was to present a slow-cooked and evenhanded view of how the Penn State community is dealing with the Jerry Sandusky scandal as it continues to ripple out, two years later.

It would be a straightforward recounting of life after everything suddenly had changed in State College — all jagged edges and jangled nerves included.

It would not be “an analysis of guilt, fair or unfair.”

The problem was getting a perfect-fit director to believe in the feature-length documentary, too.

“My first reaction was, ‘No way, I’m not working on that.’ I told them, ‘I am not your man for this,” says Erik Proulx, a former advertising writer and creative director living in Texas. “ ‘There’s a lot of great directors out there who would want to do this, but I’m not one of them.’ ” Proulx grew up around Boston, went to college in New Hampshire, and eventually relocated to Austin, Texas. What he knew about Penn State since November of 2011 was from the outside, from TV news and headlines, from quick views of online commentaries and blog sites.

And, like so many others, he believed

Director of photography Shana Hagan films former Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti in Mauti’s hometown of Mandeville, Louisiana.

40 - Town&Gown December 2013

Proulx and Hagan film expert fly-fisherman Joe Humphreys. grew up in the State College area, eventually attended the university as a graduate student.

He still lives here.

In a sense, this project was born from another. Porterfield also created The Joe We Know, a month-long film project put together in January 2012 to honor and then memorialize former football head coach Joe Paterno.

Porterfield, 53, has been closely connected to everything about Penn State since the shock waves of the Sandusky scandal first struck.

That’s what eventually drove him to do more than interview scores of former football players for their memories of their head coach.

That’s how 365 Days was first built.

The more Porterfield soaked in everything about the Sandusky scandal from those around him — its possible causes, its effects, how to deal with it — the more intrigued he became by the growing divide surrounding it, even inside the Penn State community.

He wanted to tackle it all in a way no one else had. A headline splashed across the movie’s Web site speaks to that: “After everyone else left, we stayed.”

“If nothing else, I can tell a more factual story of what is really going on here,” Porterfield says. “But one of the things difficult about being a part of any community is that you come with preloaded prejudices. It puts you

at risk of not being honest and real.

“The added problem with State College is that it’s a destination. When you look at Happy Valley, it’s really important for people who visit this area to maintain the notion of what they think is important, even if it’s not true.”

So while he intended to give a voice to all sides of this story, he needed the proper way to do it. He wanted the film to be shot over an entire year, from September 1, 2012 — less than two months after the harsh NCAA sanctions were handed down — to September 1, 2013.

It all would be framed by the start of head coach Bill O’Brien’s first season flowing through the beginning of his second.

Finally, Proulx was convinced to join in.

He already had transformed his working career into directing documentary films, focusing on how people “turn tragedy into greatness.”

His 2009 film Lemonade documented 16 advertising professionals who had lost their jobs but ultimately “turned their creativity inward to discover the happiest and most prosperous period of their lives.” The film was featured on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, National Public Radio, and ABC News with Tory Johnson.

Proulx’s follow-up movie examined the reinvention of Detroit.

He eventually saw 365 Days as an extension

41 - Town&Gown December 2013

Part of the 365 Days film crew — (from left) cinematographer Jenna Pool, Porterfield, Hagan, and Proulx.

of his previous work, “once I felt I didn’t have to just tell a rah-rah Penn State story, that I could be balanced.”

He bought into Porterfield’s grand scheme of being “impartial about it and letting it breathe for a year, and not being reactionary about the

news. The fact that it was a year’s analysis and that we would take our time and just let things happen and not speculate, those were the biggest things that shifted my opinion.”

But he also had to deal with an entirely different issue, one bearing down on him from the time he first learned of the Sandusky saga back in Texas.

“I was reading some of the transcripts of the presentments and I couldn’t get past half of it.

I was just an emotional wreck,” Proulx says.

“Obviously, there were lingering things there.”

Proulx, now 41, says he was sexually molested as a child by those he knew and trusted. He says the perpetrators were his stepfather’s uncle and a scoutmaster. He says the incidents happened when he was 9 and 11.

When he started working on 365 Days, “I got all kinds of bad personal memories coming up.

That was challenging. But, by and large, the story has become less about pedophilia itself and more about the community reaction to it.

“It would have been too painful if I was just going in and talking about the crimes that happened there and everything Sandusky did. I couldn’t have done that.”

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And yet, “having my personal experience, there is a sensitivity I do bring to the project …”

Filming for an entire year, as the narrative spooled out in front of them, sparked a gradual developing and learning for everyone involved.

When they first began filming, soon after the sanctions blasted Penn State, “everybody was still angry, everybody was still very raw,” Proulx says. “At the same time, there was this very pat, forced perspective, that ‘We have to move on, it’s the only way. They tore down the [Paterno] statue because we have to move on.’

“Nobody had the benefit of hindsight then, everybody was in the middle of the emotions.”

But as the crew continued to interview residents, professors, former players, and even Bob Costas of NBC Sports, the tone seemed to gradually shift and become even more complicated.

Proulx admits that his own beliefs shifted the more he heard various perspectives on the subject. His original outside anger at Penn State officials mellowed, his feelings about every part of the community deepened.

When he started on the project, “I was skeptical of everyone I talked to. I still had this

residual of how this is ‘Pedophile University.’

“But the more I started seeing, I came to understand what a fantastic university it is, the education you get here. I also saw the pride the students and alumni have here is really unlike anything I had seen before. To tarnish the reputation of the alma mater is really to tarnish a family member.

“One of the people we interviewed said, ‘My ‘mother’ was in trouble and I had to come back.’ …

That kind of heartfelt affection for an institution was not something I had experienced before.”

And while Porterfield had to guard against a bias because of his long-standing association with the area, Proulx found himself being tested, as well.

Suddenly, his life revolved around State College, Penn State, and the movie. He lived in and worked for months at time from a farmhouse in Spruce Creek, 22 miles away.

“I had to gut check myself against [becoming too close] quite a bit,” he says. “It’s pretty easy to get swept up in the fandom here. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. By and large, the [movie focus] is not anti-fan. It’s really studying and observing how those fans are affected.”

And, so, it was crucial to show the distinct

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break of opinion in how to deal with the aftermath of such a hot-button topic two years later. It’s about respecting those who want to heal by moving on beyond the scandal as well as those who wish to wait and dig deeper, “to find their version of justice.”

And if the film does, indeed, own a message, it centers around the need to examine how public opinion is formed on controversial subjects, how things aren’t always as they seem at first in a fast and furious sound-bite world.

“We rush to judge situations and people, and that’s an outcome of our generation,” Porterfield says. “It really hinges upon how we are given our information. We are out to judge quickly. … If we learn anything from this it’s that we’re not as smart as we think we are.”

Proulx adds, “This is not an exposé. We’re not going to give people news. What we are, hopefully, going to do is at least give people access to another point of view.”

Proulx is the father of a 7-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son and will return to them soon. For him, for the man who was once

abused himself who carried only a headline, sound-bite view of the saga, his life has been changed by it all.

For the movie, the biggest challenge was not “just going down a rabbit hole of blame,” Proulx says. “It would have been easy to do.

A couple of times we had to pull back. I think I’m most proud that it’s become an accurate reflection of the community.”

On a personal level, though, it’s meant more.

“I’ve learned to distrust my own hyperreaction to the news,” Proulx says. “Once I feel my anger rise that quickly when I see a [controversial topic on the news], I now think, ‘There’s got to be another side to this. It can’t be that black and white.’

“I may not know what it is, but it’s almost never that black and white. I’ve learned to temper my own temper.”

And to heal a little more, in a way he never would have imagined. T&G Frank Bodani is a sportswriter for the York Daily Record.

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Not

Grappling with

Priorities Cael Sanderson may be the best wrestling coach in the country — he’s certainly in charge of leading the best program in the nation.

Still, with all the titles and accolades he has received, he has little trouble telling you that none of that is what comes first to him

By Jeff Byers

At home with the Sandersons — (from left) Kelly, Teag, Cael, and Tate.

46 - Town&Gown December 2013

Darren Weimert (2)

47 - Town&Gown December 2013

Building Penn State into the premier collegiate wrestling program in the country hasn’t made Cael Sanderson forget what’s important. It’s still all about family for the man who has led the Nittany Lions to three consecutive national titles.

It’s about building a loving home for his wife, Kelly, and their two sons, Tate (6) and Teag (3).

It’s about the time they all spend together, whether during the off-season or after he comes home from a practice or a dual meet.

“They’re everything,” Sanderson says of his sons. “I mean I love coaching and what I’m doing, but my first responsibility is to make sure my kids get what they need to grow up properly and emphasize family and God. My wife spends a lot more time with my kids than I do.

They’re our kids, but we want to make sure we’re raising them well and giving them a good foundation. Kelly’s job is far more important than mine — I truly believe that. I don’t think there’s any job more important than a mother’s. It’s also the toughest job. But she is an awesome mom and we want to raise the kids with the right principles and love and all the things that are truly important. I try to do my part, but Kelly is the one who really gets the job done.”

And the job of being a mother changed Kelly.

“I never realized just how much life isn’t about me until I had children. It’s obviously changed our lives for the better,” she says. “It’s just so much fun

with them. It’s just fun to watch them grow, and as they’re getting older and they interact more, they’re developing their personalities, and that’s neat to see. Cael is home a lot. I mean, he obviously travels a good bit, but when he’s home he makes such an impact on them. We really just have so much fun together. The other night they were wrestling around and we’re doing wrestling drills in the living room and everyone’s laughing and having a good time. I don’t know, it’s just so much fun, it really is.”

Cael and Kelly met during their freshman year at Iowa State. One of her friends was dating Cael’s roommate, and so the two came in contact with each other a few times. Both were on the quiet side — Cael was really shy, Kelly says — so it took a little while for dating to commence. But the two hit it off, and by their sophomore year they were dating steadily, and on the day of Kelly’s graduation, the two were married.

While they spent a lot of time together in college, during wrestling season there was an understanding that the time together would be a little less.

“I had a clear purpose in what I was trying to do,” Cael explains. “She knew that if I didn’t see her for a day or two before a match, it wasn’t a big deal.”

Kelly says it was just an understanding they had and she accepted it because they spent a lot of time together otherwise.

When Cael is home, “he makes such an impact" on his kids, and the entire family has fun together.

48 - Town&Gown December 2013

Contributed photo

The Sandersons enjoy a family vacation at Pikes Peak in Colorado.

“I kind of learned to like wrestling,” Kelly admits.

“Even though I was from the state of Iowa, I didn’t really follow it at all or anything, but I really got to like it. And it was great because I got to know his family because he lived with [his brother] Cole for a good bit of his early career, and then he moved in with [his brother] Cody and his wife, Sarah, his senior year, so I got to know his family really well.”

While Kelly was understanding of Cael’s pressures in college — he became the sport’s only undefeated, four-time national champion — she was instrumental in getting him to deal with the pressure of pursuing Olympic gold.

“He had a hard time dealing with the pressure he put on himself because of his college career,” Kelly remembers. “He had these sponsorships and he felt like the companies needed him to win, and he felt pressure because he didn’t want to disappoint other people. I think there were a lot things that he wasn’t thinking about in college that he was letting get to him and weigh him down. I knew his dream was to be an Olympic champion and he would regret it if he didn’t do everything he could. So, I tried to just tell him to

wrestle and not worry about the other stuff.”

Cael concurs, “I was kind of going through a little bit of a tough time because I was putting a lot of pressure on myself, and she was really the one who told me to just suck it up, get tough, and deal with it. That was what I needed to hear. She told me to basically quit being a wuss and just go win.”

Which he did. Cael captured the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

The two have always understood and been able to enjoy each other.

While they were dating, Cael would take Kelly to Canada on vacation and the two would rent a boat and go fishing all day.

“She’d read a book and I’d drive around trying to find the fish. And she’d be jigging while she was reading, and we’d find a hole and she’d hook a fish,” Sanderson says. “And by the time I got the fish off, we’d be out of the hole and then I’d find another hole and she’d catch another fish, and I’d take it off and it would just kind of go like that. But we had a lot of fun. For me, it was just about having a best friend to go with more than anything.”

Kelly says, “We’re usually on the same page with things. And even when we aren’t, it’s usually to our benefit. If one of us is losing our minds or pulling their hair out, the other seems to be level-headed. I just think we’ve always been able to balance each other out like that. We definitely developed a strong bond where I would travel with him and stuff before we had kids, and I think that helped us really know each other.”

What neither may have known, however, was that they had a future about a thousand miles away from Iowa, where Kelly had lived her entire life and where Cael had become an icon.

After his winning the gold medal in the Olympics, Cael started coaching at his alma mater, becoming Iowa State’s head coach in 2006.

After three successful seasons there, he received the offer to come to Penn State. Although the two had spent nearly 12 years together in Ames, it didn’t take long for Cael and Kelly to be enamored with the move to State College. She says she was a little uncertain of the move until they visited.

“But when we came here, I kind of saw the writing on the wall and I really didn’t think there was any other way it would work out other than us moving here,” she states. “It didn’t necessarily make the decision any easier because when it was

49 - Town&Gown December 2013

announced out there, a lot of people were really angry about it. So, it was almost like we just tried to get out of town under the cover of darkness.

But I really haven’t looked back since then, and it’s been a really wonderful experience here. I am truly happy to be here and I really feel like this is home for me now. We’re very happy to be here.”

Wrestling obviously plays a big role in the entire family’s lives — whether it means moving halfway across the country for a job or the four of them having fun together doing wrestling drills at home or when Kelly, Tate, and Teag visit Cael at his “office,” the Penn State Wrestling Room.

“When we go in there it’s great because my boys follow these kids and I know them all and they’ll stop and talk and joke around,” Kelly says. “I mean, we’ve known [Penn State senior] David Taylor and his family since he was a little kid, and I still think he’s like 13. But we get to know these kids.

Like David and Tate have this running joke where they call each other a ‘wuss,’ and there’s just a lot of fun things like that. We love to tease the kids.

I mean, like we’ll get on [Penn State junior] Matt Brown because his favorite movie is The Pelican Brief. I mean, seriously, whose favorite movie is The

Pelican Brief? They are obviously outstanding young men, but it’s fun to kid with them. I don’t think of myself as their mom, but because we do spend time with them and we get to know them and we know how hard they’re working, it’s hard to watch them wrestle. Like, I get a tightness in my chest and I’m nervous. I want them to reach their goals just like Cael did.”

Christmas offers the Sandersons a special opportunity to just enjoy their family. Cael and Kelly usually get to share it with Cody, who joined Cael by coming to Penn State as associate head coach, and Sarah and their family.

Cael says, “Christmas is a real big deal for our family for a lot of reasons. Spiritually, obviously, it’s important.

But it’s that one time of year where you can really have a lot of fun spoiling your kids, and that comes from my mom. My dad was a teacher and my mom was looking after four kids, so we didn’t have a lot of money and my mom would probably max out her credit cards because she loved Christmas and wanted to make sure her kids had a great Christmas. It was always very special — and it still is.”

Kelly says, “It’s really special to me. The kids just get so excited. I like the thrill of finding the

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toys and the gifts that I know that they’ll like, and our oldest one will just go through the roof when he gets something he likes, so that’s just fun to watch. You just have to sit back and videotape him because he gets so excited. I love it! We’re also fortunate to have Cody and Sarah out here because our children are really close, so we get to see them all interact and share in the excitement.”

When Kelly was young, her parents had their kids open the gifts on Christmas Eve because “they didn’t want to get up early on Christmas Day and deal with all of us kids,” she laughs. Kelly was the middle of three sisters and also had two stepsisters and a stepbrother.

Cael’s family tradition, other than “Mom spoiling all of us kids,” was to have their dad booby-trap the steps and walls to the basement in order to get to the gifts.

“He would take a light bulb out and have a string of lights, and then if you bumped it, it would rattle all these pots and pans,” Cael says. “He would set up all of these little traps and it was always fun trying to figure out how to get through it. It was pretty much impossible to get through without setting stuff off, and he’d be on the other side of the wall sleeping so

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he’d know if we hit something. We just always really looked forward to that. Cody would stay awake all night trying to figure out what Dad was doing while the rest of us slept. It was just a fun thing.”

Although Cael and Kelly are planning to get up early Christmas morning to see their kids open the gifts, they are looking to keep the Sanderson tradition of creating an obstacle course on the steps for their sons.

“That’s something I definitely want to do — my kids are maybe a little young yet for that,” Cael says.

Kelly says Cael still tries to get something set up — some blocks or something — for the kids to go through to get to the basement.

“I definitely want them to remember Christmas as a time of family togetherness and giving,” Kelly says of her boys. “I want them to think about others and our family.

And we’re Christian, so I want them to know about Christ our Savior and why Christmas is so important.

But I want them to have have great memories of being with family. That’s what I remember.” T&G Jeff Byers has been the voice of Penn State wrestling since 1990. He also is cohost of The Morning Guys radio show on WRSC in State College.

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Town&Gown’s 2013

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features a huge selection of Kameleon sterling rings, earrings, pendants, and bracelets—all designed to hold an interchangeable “Jewel Pop.” Kameleon Jewelry, Pops, other popular brand jewelry and handbags compliment Conklin’s Corner 10,000 square feet gift store. Often called Central PA’s “Best Kept Secret”.

For unique holiday décor and gifts, Conklin’s Corner has extended holiday hours Black Friday thru December 23rd, open 7 days a week until 8 p.m.

Rt. 350, 670 Tyrone Pike • Philipsburg, PA 16866 814-342-0650 • www.ConklinsCornerBarn.com

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is a great place for unique gift ideas. Swiss Army Knives and NEBO flashlights are a small sample of our many stocking stuffers. With our large in store selection and extensive catalog, for special orders, you’ll be sure to find the perfect gift for your special someone. Our helpful staff is happy to help you in your hunt!

150 Rolling Ridge Dr. State College, PA 16801 814-237-3333 58 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Tasting Room Hours: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Wed.- Sat. 1-7p.m. Sun.

Give the Gift of Wine

Autumn Wood, Blue Luna, and Happy Valley Red are our “red, white, and blue trio” of wines certain to please the palate over the course of the Holiday Season. Please join us for our first annual “Dickens Christmas” open house December 15. Holiday sweets provided by staff in period dress.

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Holiday Gift Guide Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery

Autumn Wood, Blue Luna, and Happy Valley Red are our “red, white, and blue trio” of wines certain to please the palate over the course of the Holiday Season. The ‘three pack’ plus a locally hand-crafted Amish cheese will make a memorable gift for those who enjoy a ‘taste of the valley’. We have wine accessories for those special individuals on your holiday gift list. Please join us for our first annual “Dickens Christmas” open house December 15. Holiday sweets provided by staff in period dress.

576 S. Foxpointe Dr., State College (814) 308-8756 www.thehappyvalleywinery.com

Aurum Jewelers and Goldsmiths

A pendant with a kaleidoscope of colors, featuring Ethiopian Opals set in yellow gold. You can show your individuality by choosing from our unique designer collections and one of a kind Aurum exclusives.

This holiday season give the gift that is as distinctive as the person who wears it.

132 S. Allen Street, State College (814) 237-1566 www.aurumjewelers.net

Victorian Rose Featuring Pompeii Street Soap Co.

Victorian Rose is proud to offer the popular Pompeii Street Soap Co. collection, locally made in Mifflinburg, PA, with natural ingredients and essential oils. Dozens of scents to choose from! New for Holiday is Peppermint Liquid Soap, the Mintfetti soap bar, and Peppermint Sugar Scrub…you’ll be reminded of a freshly crushed candy cane! Whimsical, yet sophisticated, let Victorian Rose surround you with Holiday splendor and fabulous gift ideas!

121 S. Allegheny St., Bellefonte, PA 814-355-4737

60 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

STATE AMUSEMENT Billiards & Darts Central Pennsylvania’s Game Room Superstore!

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• Pool Tables, Cue Sticks, Ping Pong, Foosball, Shuffleboard, Darts, Dart Boards & Accessories, Bar Stools, Poker Tables, Chess Sets, Lighting, Video Games If we don’t have it, we can get it!

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Make Gift-Giving Deliciously “Simple”

Goot Essa says “Build Your Own Gift Baskets” Have fun choosing from 11 Varieties of Amish-Made, All Natural Cheeses, 6 varieties of spreads, 5 flavors of Fudge, and more, presented in a basket, box or cutting board!

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61 - Town&Gown December 2013

Holiday Gift Guide CO2 The Unique Boutique

Looking for a gift that is chic and stylish, yet personal? Our HeartStrings line is just the thing for you! HeartStrings offers a wide assortment of engraved jewelry and gift items from mother’s bracelets, to silver pacifier clips, and infant and children’s jewelry, to trendy sterling silver rings, earrings, bracelets, etc. Let us help you find the perfect gift this holiday season.

104 N. Allegheny St. Bellefonte, PA 16823 (814) 353-4258

The Woolrich Outlet Store is where you’ll enjoy saving 20% to 60% on Woolrich apparel, outerwear, accessories and more. Plus we offer a great selection of famous brand footwear and gifts for the cabin or home. A great experience and worth the trip.

WOOLRICH Outlet Store 39 Boardman Dr. Woolrich, PA, 17779 (570) 769-7401

Some Like It Hot! Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery Spiced Apple Wine Make Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery’s Spiced Apple part of your Holiday Tradition! A spicy wine with cinnamon overtones, this wine is equally delicious, whether served hot or cold. Sample Spiced Apple at our Mulled Wine and Gingerbread Open House, December 14th-15th. Check our website for details.

300 Houser Road, Centre Hall (above the Historic Village of Linden Hall) 814-466-6373 www.mtnittanywinery.com

62 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

CONKLIN’S CORNER ANTIQUE & GIFT BARN 20 Plus Dealer Antique Co-op plus...Huge Country Gift Shop Christmas Room overflowing with unique gifts New Items Arriving Daily!

Open 7 days a week until 8 p.m.

Black Friday thru December 23.

20 minutes from State College Rt. 350, 670 Tyrone Pike • Philipsburg, PA 16866 • 342-0650 • www.ConklinsCornerBarn.com

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www.RoomDoctor.com 63 - Town&Gown December 2013

Holiday Gift Guide Hogs Galore

Start a new tradition with our Hickory Smoked Hams.

Our brown sugar naturally smoked hams capture the flavor reminiscent of an earlier time. We offer Boneless hams, ideal for sandwich and platter serving, and Bone-in Hams that are perfect for carving station presentation. Call and order your ham for the holidays!

330 Enterprise Dr., Philipsburg, (814) 342-7060 www.hogsgalore.com

Worth the Wait! Seven Mountains introduces Pinot Noir for Holiday 2013!

Seven Mountain Wine Cellars proudly introduce their first vintage of Pinot Noir, available December 1st! Aged in French oak barrels for one year, Pinot Noir has flavors of cherry, raspberry, and anise with a slightly spicy, pepper finish.

A versatile wine, great red choice with salmon and poultry!

107 Mountain Springs Lane Spring Mills, PA 814-364-1000 GPS Use 324 Decker Valley Road www.sevenmountainswinecellars.com

State Amusement Company of State College

State Amusement is the only place in town to get everything for your game room. Most people know that we have pool tables, pinball machines and video games, but not everyone thinks to visit us for dart boards, poker accessories, or chess sets. We have wooden darts and just about every dart part you could imagine in our showroom.

We have poker sets that include clay chips and a case for most any version of poker. You won’t find a better variety of chess sets and game boards anywhere in town. Stop in and get some great Christmas gift ideas. If we don’t have what you want, we can get if for you.

Stern Transformers Pin pictured at right

1358 E. College Ave, State College (814) 234-0722 64 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

A very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season from the staff of Town&Gown!

65 - Town&Gown December 2013

Holiday Gift Guide The State College Framing Company and Gallery

is pleased to feature the superb photography of Penn State Alum and State College resident, Bob Lambert. Bob has been capturing local and campus scenes since 1985, including this holiday favorite, December at the Corner. We expertly matte and frame each print to compliment it’s beauty. It’s the perfect gift choice to bring back fond memories!

160 Rolling Ridge Dr., State College (Near Weis Markets on South Atherton) (814) 234-7336 • www.framingstatecollege.com

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Healthy Living begins with Health Sleeping so give the Gift of Health to someone that you love. From our own line of affordable, solid-wood, eco-friendly furniture to our complete line of natural and organic bedding solutions, we can help you to purify your home.

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66 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

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Amy Crownover (3)

Children from Park Forest Elementary stuff stockings that will be sent to men and women serving overseas as part of the Military Family Ministries effort.

68 - Town&Gown December 2013

The Joy of Giving During the holiday season, Centre Countians open their hearts even more by helping those in need and those who are far from home

By Tracey M. Dooms Christmas is a time of giving. It’s a time when we search for the perfect gifts for loved ones, when bundled-up bell-ringers collect donations on street corners, when people of many faiths focus on the universal gifts of life.

Across Centre County, many of our friends and neighbors find opportunities to offer special gifts to new friends, to strangers, and to people they most likely will never meet. Here are stories of just a few of the many ways we share the spirit of the holiday by giving to others in special ways.

69 - Town&Gown & &Gown December 2013

Angels on a tree

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Bellefonte crowd around two Christmas trees, eagerly waiting their turn — not to receive gifts, but to give them. Each tree is decorated with paper angels, and each angel bears the first name and age of someone in need of a gift, along with an idea of what each would like.

“Every year, I think we have too many angels,” says Patty Correll, Giving Tree program coordinator. Eighteen years ago, the program started with 75 paper angels; now, there are

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Bellefonte collects gifts for people in need as part of its Giving Tree program.

350. Parishioners joyfully take charge of buying the gifts on every single angel ornament.

“I get calls from people saying, ‘I didn’t get to church on Sunday — do you have any angels left?’ ” Correll says.

To find out who should be on Giving Tree angels, Correll’s team contacts children’s agencies, Centre Crest nursing home, and the Bellefonte and Bald Eagle school districts, as well as St. John’s own membership. They ask who could use some help this year at Christmas, and what is needed, trying to keep the requests on each paper angel to about $50. “The people who are buying things don’t have a lot of money either,” Correll says.

Requests vary widely: sheets and towels for teenagers transitioning from foster care to their first apartments, toys for young children, baby-care items for expectant mothers, grocery-store gift cards for families going through tough times. Once, a woman asked for a prosthetic leg (and someone offered to pay for it!).

Many parishioners search the trees for the same types of angels every year.

“Some people like to buy for babies,” Correll says. Others choose angels the same age as their own children. Still others always buy for women residents at Centre Crest. “Most people that take the angel buy everything on it,” Correll says. “The back of the church is just overflowing with gifts.

“People are so generous at Christmastime.

It’s wonderful to see.”

Santa’s Workshop

Wrapping toys keeps many parents awake into the wee hours. Wrapping toys for more than 10,000 Centre County children keeps close to a thousand Toys for Tots volunteers busy. Additional volunteers put out more than 200 collection boxes, pick up toys, sort them for wrapping, and so much more.

Still, the bulk of the volunteers wrap toys.

They wrap board games (easy), dolls (sometimes challenging), and basketballs (a job for expert wrappers). They sign up to wrap as Scout groups, as families, and as individuals who just want to do something nice for someone around the holidays. Many return year after year.

Many in the community donate gifts and volunteer their time to help wrap gifts for Toys for Tots.

70 - Town&Gown December 2013

All this wrapping is a rarity in the nationwide Toys for Tots program, run by the Marine Corps Reserve, says Gene Weller, Toys for Tots chairman for the Nittany Leathernecks Detachment of the Marine Corps League for more than 25 years.

“We’re able to do it through the generosity of the community,” he says.

Wrapping takes time, money, and physical space, all of which the community donates.

It also takes organization — volunteers place stickers on the toys they wrap, indicating the type of gift and the appropriate age and gender of the recipient, so that organizations can match gifts with children.

Although Toys for Tots is in the public eye in December, it’s a year-round activity for Weller and the Nittany Leathernecks.

There’s the after-action report and certificates of appreciation in January, and then a brief lull before the kickoff breakfast, when the campaign begins again. Area food banks provide the number of children they serve, including ages and genders, and Toys for Tots strives to provide four wrapped items and at least one stocking stuffer per child. Additional toys go to local agencies such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Centre County Women’s Resource Center for distribution at Christmas and as needed throughout the year, such as when a family’s home is destroyed by fire.

Centre County residents donate thousands of brand-new toys to the program, as well as an average $20,000 a year in vital cash contributions, which Weller’s crew uses for wholesale purchases of toys and wrapping paper, taking advantage of bulk prices.

“We receive that money without having to do any fundraisers,” Weller says. “The public has been so supportive.”

The gift of friendship When Mohammad Fatemi came to the United States in the late 1970s from Iran, by chance he met a woman on the plane who offered to help him when he arrived in the country that would be his new home. That kind offer by a stranger is one reason Mohammad and Tamra Fatemi open their home

and their lives to internationals, especially during the holidays, through Global Connections’ International Friendship Program.

The program pairs a local individual or family with an individual or family from another country, explains Tamra, who is originally from Evansville, Indiana, and is a program coordinator with Global Connections.

Hosts don’t provide housing, but they do find ways to invite their new friends to share some of their favorite activities and events.

That could mean sitting down to a meal, attending a football game, picking apples at an

“You can see things in a different way if you’re showing them to an international for the first time, like building a snowman or having a snowball fight. We get as much out of it as they do.” — Tamra Fatemi orchard, or celebrating a holiday together.

“They really just want to experience the American lifestyle,” she says.

Often the international participants are Penn State visiting scholars, faculty, or staff; others are refugees. The Fatemies have been local hosts for half a dozen years and currently are paired with people from Iran, Azerbaijan, and the Philippines.

Major American holidays can be a difficult time for internationals here, when residence halls close, classes are on break, and most students and many locals leave town, Tamra says. “It’s a really quiet time, especially if they don’t have a vehicle and can’t really travel,” she says. “They’re usually happy that anyone would invite them.”

The Fatemies usually invite their international friends to Thanksgiving dinner as well as a party the week before Christmas. The internationals learn about American traditions, and the Fatemies and their children find out about traditions from other countries.

“We’re learning so much from them,” Tamra says. “You can see things in a different way if you’re showing them to an international for the first time, like building a snowman or having a snowball fight. We get as much out of it as they do.”

71 - Town&Gown December 2013

Stockings from home By mid November, more than 2,000 Christmas stockings full of treats were on their way from Central Pennsylvania to US military members deployed around the world, thanks to Military Family Ministries (MFM) and their church, school, and community group partners.

“This is the third year for this project, and

each year it gets a little bigger,” says Tracie Ciambotti of Bellwood, who cofounded MFM with Paula Parker of State College.

The two launched Military Family Ministries in 2010. Ciambotti’s son had enlisted in the Army, and Parker’s daughter had joined the Marine Corps Reserves. Both young adults were deployed to Iraq within months of graduating from high school. “It was hands down the scariest moment in my life,” Ciambotti recalls.

A Park Forest Elementary student gives her stuffed stocking, which will be sent to someone serving overseas.

Fourth-grade students (from left) Maggie Bopp, Zosha Muroski, and Kasie Hertzberg participate in the Military Family Mininstries’ stocking-stuffer event.

We wish “yuns” a joyous holiday season and the happiest of New Years.

Enjoy the splendor of central PA year round. There is so much to do!

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The Joy of Giving

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During the holiday season, Centre Countians open their hearts even more by helping those in need and those who are far from home

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With no large military installations in Central Pennsylvania, both women felt alone in their fears, until they found each other. They started MFM to help military members and their families, and efforts grew based on requests from service members.

Projects now include sending care packages and thank-you cards year-round — and stockings at Christmas.

Each stocking is stuffed full of items that deployed soldiers find hard to come by — things such as candy, lip balm, hand and foot warmers, toothpaste, hot chocolate packets, granola bars, beef jerky, and trail mix, along with a Christmas card from the person who put together the stocking, usually someone in a partner organization. Donations help cover the cost of postage to far-flung bases of operation.

Ciambotti points to an e-mail last winter from a Navy SEAL to show how much the stockings are appreciated. Christmas was approaching, the SEAL wrote, and his unit was deployed at a remote location with no running water, and what seemed like no chance

of a holiday celebration. Then, on Christmas Eve, a helicopter dropped boxes that contained MFM stockings.

“E-mails like that make it all worthwhile,” Ciambotti says.

A warm place to sleep

As temperatures start dropping in the fall, Centre County churches take turns opening their doors overnight so homeless people can come in and sleep “Out of the Cold.”

Now in its third season, the program began in November 2011. Ruth Donahue, director of Interfaith Human Services, called a meeting of representatives from local congregations and community organizations to discuss what to do during freezing weather, when the Centre House and Centre County Women’s Resource Center emergency shelters are full and have to turn people away.

The result was Out of the Cold: Centre County.

This year, 10 congregations are participating, each taking charge of a few weeks at a time, says Monica Ouellette, executive com-

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Ouellette is co-chair of the executive committee for the Out of the Cold program, which has 10 congregations participating for the 2013-14 winter season.

mittee co-chair and pastor of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Boalsburg. The American Red Cross provides cots, the State College Food Bank provides food, and Interfaith Human Services provides blankets, and transports everything from one church to the next.

“It really is a community effort,” Ouellette says.

“Tasteful Touches for Every Room”

A host coordinator opens the church doors and sets everything up for the evening in a classroom, a fellowship hall, or a gym.

Men and women have separate quarters, or at least a curtain to separate their sleeping areas. The program provides a snack, and volunteers often prepare a hot meal.

Trained volunteers — at least one man and one woman — stay overnight. Guests arrive between 9 and 10 p.m., and must leave by 7 a.m. Some arrive by car, some by bus, and some walk. (A long-term program goal is to provide transportation, Ouellette says.)

Participants are screened through Community Help Centre. Last year, Out of the Cold served 70 different guests, including homeless veterans, mentally ill individuals, people new to the community, and those who simply had fallen on hard economic times. Some guests work but can’t afford permanent housing, according to Ouellette.

In 2013-14, the program runs from October 28 through April 27. The first year, the program closed for Christmas, but this year University Mennonite Church in State College will make sure people can come “Out of the Cold” during the holiday.

“We always seem to find someone who’s willing to do what’s needed,” Ouellette says.

“It’s come together in a way that I’ve never, ever imagined.” T&G Tracey M. Dooms is a freelance writer in State College and a contributor to Town&Gown.

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ThisMonth on WINTER TV FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN: December 1-15

Viewers will find an array of programming as part of the winter initiative to benefit WPSU-TV. From revisiting Highclere Castle in Return to Downton, to the musical performances of Il Volo and Celtic Woman, WPSU strives to continue bringing its viewers the very best in television. This can only happen through your continued support of local public broadcasting. Pledge your support by calling 1-800-245-9779, or by contributing online at wpsu.org/contribute.

DOWNTON ABBEY PREVIEW Sunday, December 8, at 12:30 p.m.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Kip Carroll

Relive fond memories from the past three seasons of Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey and get a sneak peek at the upcoming fourth season. WPSU invites you to a special preview of the new season in our studios. You also can get your picture taken at Highclere Castle, test your knowledge of past seasons, recap Season III with the hosts of After Abbey, and enjoy an afternoon tea before the screening of the first hour of the Season IV premiere.

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WINTERFEST ’13: OUR GIFT IN SONG Sunday, December 15, at 4 p.m.

WPSU-FM and Penn State School of Music invite you to our third annual holiday musical celebration, Winterfest ’13: Our Gift in Song. The concert will be held at Penn State’s Pasquerilla Spiritual Center and features Essence of Joy, directed by Dr. Anthony Leach. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $5 for ages 18 and under, or students with Penn State ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance at wpsu.org/events/winterfest or at the door.

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CELEBRATE THE SEASON December 24-25 on WPSU-TV

Around the country and across the pond, PBS celebrates the holiday season with new and encore programs! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year when artist and artisan, newsman and newsmaker, singer and songwriter celebrate the holiday season.

From British favorites to musical traditions and children’s favorite characters, join PBS this holiday season! Check local listings for the complete lineup.

DECEMBER 5 - Town&Gown & &Gown December 2013

penn state diary

Family Tree Takes Root Again Contributed photos (2)

Rediscovering the joys and insights of genealogy

By Lee Stout

Genealogy is an increasingly common avocation for senior citizens. With grandchildren, you begin to think more about the continuity of family life. People begin to record memories of both their youth and their elders, and you find yourself telling the family stories to younger relatives. And many discover the pleasures of genealogy.

In my case, I’m rediscovering genealogy. I started doing family history as a teenager. I saw a story in the Sunday paper about a colonial woman named Penelope Stout. She survived a shipwreck, grievous injuries, and Indian captivity, to live to the age of 90 and have 450 descendants at her death. What really caught my attention was that she’d crawled ashore on Sandy Hook, the New Jersey barrier island stretching into Lower New York Bay. It was about 10 miles from where I lived.

I asked my father if we were related. He said he thought so, but wasn’t really sure. I had to find out.

Penelope, I learned, was an 18-year-old Dutch girl, newly married, and on her way to New Amsterdam.

When she finally left the Lenape band that had saved her, the young widow met and married Richard Stout in the settlement of Gravesend, now part of Brooklyn.

When the English took over New Amsterdam in 1664, Richard Stout and his young family moved across Lower New York Bay to what is now Middletown, New Jersey. He was a Baptist, a “nonconformist,” and he wanted to move away from Anglican Church control. My father was born and raised in Middletown; I thought there had to be a connection.

That led me to the Monmouth County Courthouse, the New Jersey State Archives, and genealogy collections in the New York Public Library, and even Boston’s New England Historical and Genealogical Society’s library. This was in the 1960s when genealogy was done with pencil and paper. For the most part, you had to travel to find the unique documents and books containing this esoteric information.

However, for me, family life and work overtook genealogy. I put away my charts and notes, vowing to get back to it someday. Forty years later, I’m getting back to it, and I’ve quickly discovered it’s

The author’s grandfather, James S. Porter, poses with a cranberry scoop and boxes of harvested berries, circa 1940. He would later go into the cranberry business in Chatsworth, New Jersey.

a different world. Like so much else, information technology has transformed genealogy. There are computer programs to keep track of your research and construct your charts, database technology to automate the compilation of vast collections of records, and the Internet to provide access to it all, now through major services such as Ancestry.com.

These tools enable me to find things from my desk in seconds that would have taken days or weeks of travel and interlibrary loans before. Having electronic access to indexed census records makes it possible to quickly discover more genealogical information than would ever have been practical in the past.

However, some things may have gotten worse.

Research errors, always an issue in the past, are now confounded with “it must be true, I found it on the Internet” naiveté. As the carpenter says, “Measure three times and cut once” — you should examine several sources before reaching a conclusion, and

78 - Town&Gown December 2013

Get to know...

The author’s great-great grandfather, John W. Stout, owned this tomato-canning factory in Red Bank, New Jersey, circa 1890.

always document where your “facts” come from.

While it may be simple curiosity and fascination with history that motivates me, genealogy has brought into focus several important self-realizations.

One is that my professional vocation as archivist and historian was no accident. I learned about using “primary sources” and the need to evaluate and assess evidence in this microlevel research before I had any idea of pursuing records and writing as a career. My interest in the past quickly became personal — it was not just the stories of distant events in history books that fascinated me.

Another is sensitivity to trends in our society — the meanings of racial, ethnic, and religious differences and how these forces have affected our past and present. As I push family lines to generations past, I see immigrant ancestors from different lands; marriages across class, religion, and ethnic groups; and social mobility as one generation’s hard-earned wealth is squandered by spendthrifts in following generations.

I have come to see that history combines large generalizations with specifics about individual people who often behave in ways that contradict conventional wisdom. Thus genealogy satisfies curiosity, but it also can provide profound insights into both your own and America’s past. And yes, I discovered I am a direct descendant of Penelope Stout, who was marooned on the beach at Sandy Hook in the 1640s. T&G Lee Stout is Librarian Emeritus, Special Collections for Penn State.

Lloyd Rhoades: Let It Snow

Entrances to more than 800 buildings. Sixty miles of sidewalks, 34 miles of roads, and 16,000+ parking spaces. When snow hits University Park, Lloyd Rhoades makes sure everything gets cleared.

For the “snow marshal,” a blizzard means rallying the troops on campus while snow piles up at his Howard home. “I have to pay somebody to plow my own drive.”

A lifelong Centre County resident, Rhoades has worked with the Office of Physical Plant for almost 30 years. In addition to snow duty, he has overseen everything from elevator repair staff to welders to landscaping. “It’s not like you drop everything and do snow. You’re major multitasking because you still have issues occuring in buildings, and you still have problems on grounds.”

The plan varies depending on the type of snow expected, time of day it hits, and events on campus. His most memorable was in 1995, when almost 20 inches fell five days before the Michigan game. “We not only had to clean campus but we had to clean out the stadium so we could play football on Saturday.” It took staff, prisoners from three correctional institutes, and volunteers off the street, but it was worth it when Penn State won the “Snow Bowl.”

This winter is Rhoades’ last on campus. As he prepares to retire, he’s handing over the symbolic snow shovel to Ryan McCaughey, who learned the ropes at UMass Lowell: “They really got smacked the last couple of years with some huge snows.”

The Penn State Bookstore thanks Lloyd Rhoades and all faculty and staff who carry out the university’s mission every day.

www.psu.bncollege.com 814-863-0205

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Coming to Bryce Jordan Center

DECEMBER 4 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Notre Dame 7:30 p.m.

6 Trailer Park Boys Christmas 8 p.m.

7 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Marshall 4 p.m.

Uncanny Congruencies Continuing through December 15, 2013

FREE ADMISSION Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m.

Closed Mondays and some holidays Closed December 21, 2013–January 1, 2014, and will reopen January 2, 2014.

For more information, please call 814-865-7672.

Uncanny Congruencies was co-organized by the museum and the School of Visuals Arts at Penn State.

Above: Judith Bernstein, Birth of the Universe #2/The Crown Jewels, 2011, oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and The Box LA.

The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.

8 Nittany Lion Wrestling vs. Pittsburgh 2 p.m.

13 Mannheim Steamroller 8 p.m.

15 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Texas A&M 2 p.m.

21 Penn State Fall Commencement 9 a.m.

22 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Alcorn State 11 a.m.

Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Mount St. Mary’s 2 p.m.

29 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Hartford 2 p.m.

31 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Michigan State 5 p.m.

December 6

7

11

13

14

Bellefonte Victorian Christmas returns and runs through Dec. 15.

The Nittany Lion basketball team “Returns to Rec” and plays Princeton in Rec Hall.

25

27

28

Merry Christmas!

The State Theatre hosts the premiere of 365 Days: A Year in Happy Valley.

Deadline for submitting events for the February issue is December 30.

8

The Penn State wrestling team takes on crossstate rival Pitt at the Bryce Jordan Center.

9

10

what’s happening

Boalsburg Hometown Christmas and Christmas in Lemont begin and each runs through Dec. 7.

Schlow Centre Region Library holds its Polar Express event Dec. 7-8 and 14-15.

15 WPSU’s Winterfest at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center features Essence of Joy.

22

31

Say goodbye to 2013 and ring in 2014 at First Night State College.

Announcements of general interest to residents of the State College area may be mailed to Town&Gown, 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801; faxed to (814) 238-3415; or e-mailed to dpenc@barashmedia.com. Photos are welcome.

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Academics

Classes & Lectures

2 – State College Area School District, Thanksgiving Holiday, no school, K-12.

13 – Penn State University, classes end.

20 – State College Area School District, no school, K-12.

21 – Penn State University, commencement, BJC, PSU. 23-31 – State College Area School District, Winter Holiday, no school, K-12.

3, 17 – “A Joint Venture,” a free class on hip and knee replacements, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 11 a.m. Dec. 3, 7 p.m. Dec. 17, 278-4810.

4 – Penn State Forum Series: “A Conversation with David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States,” Penn Stater Conference Centre Hotel, PSU, 11:30 a.m., pennstateforum.psu.edu.

4 – The Art of Poetry: “The Fairest of Them All” by Carolyn Turgeon, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

8 – Introduction to the Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 2 p.m., fertility. appreciation@gmail.com.

11 – Classic Music Project Lecture Series: “The Spectacular Orchestra” by Emily Dolan, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 3:30 p.m.

17 – Central PA Civil War Round Table: “Civil War Artifacts Road Show” by Nicholas Picerno, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 7 p.m., 861-0770.

Children & Families 1 – The Nutcracker Excerpts presented

by Performing Arts School of Central PA, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 2:30 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.

2 – Curious Fit Club, Discovery Space of Central PA, S.C., 9 a.m., wwwmydiscoveryspace.org.

2 – No School Discovery Day Hands on Activities, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.

2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19 – Music Together free trial class for children 0-5 and a parent, Oakwood Presbyterian Church, S.C., 10:45 a.m.

Mon., 9:30 a.m. Thurs., 466-3414.

4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21 – Music Together free trial class for children 0-5 and a parent, Houserville United Methodist Church, S.C., 9:30 a.m., 466-3414.

4, 11, 18 – Baby Explorers, Discovery Space of Central PA, S.C., 10:30 a.m., wwwdiscoveryspace.org.

5, 7 – Penn State Thespians present Where the Wild Things Are, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 7 p.m. Thurs., 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Sat., www.schlowlibrary.org.

5, 12 – Story Time, Discovery Space of Central PA, S.C., 10:30 a.m., www.mydiscoveryspace.org.

5, 12 – Science Adventures, Discovery Space of Central PA, S.C., 11 a.m., www.mydiscoveryspace.org.

7, 8, 14, 15 – Design Your Own Gift Wrap, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., www.schlowlibrary.org.

7, 8, 14, 15 – Polar Express, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., www.schlowlibrary.org.

7, 14, 21 – Bill Welch Cartoon Series, State Theatre, S.C., 10 a.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

21, 28 – Saturday Stories Alive!, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.

Club Events 3, 10, 17 – State College Rotary Club mtg., Nittany Lion Inn, PSU, 5:30 p.m., statecollegerotary.org.

4 – Outreach Toastmasters Meeting, The 329 Bldg., Room 413, PSU, noon, kbs131@psu.edu.

4, 11, 18, 25 – State College Sunrise Rotary Club mtg., Hotel State College, S.C., 7:15 a.m., kfragola@psualum.com.

5 – State College Toastmasters Club 1219, South Hills School of Business and Technology, S.C. 6 p.m., http://statecollegetoastmasters. toastmastersclubs.org/.

5 – 148th PA Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Group mtg., Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, S.C., 7:30 p.m., 861-0770.

5, 12, 19, 26 – State Collge Downtown Rotary mtg., Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, S.C., noon, http://centrecounty.org/rotary/club/.

10 – Women’s Mid Day Connection Luncheon, Mountain View Country Club, Boalsburg, 11:45 a.m., 355-7615.

11 – State College Bird Club, Foxdale Village, S.C., www.scbirdcl.org.

17 – Women’s Welcome Club of State College Coffee/Tea, Oakwood Presbyterian Church, S.C., 8:30 a.m., www.womenswelcomeclub.org.

18 – Outreach Toastmasters Holiday Potluck, The 329 Bldg. Room 413, PSU, noon, kbs131@psu.edu.

25 – Applique Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 6 p.m., 237-0167.

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Community Associations & Development 5 – Borough of State College’s Lunch & Learn: What’s On Our Plate for 2014, State College Borough Building, S.C., noon, www.statecollege.pa.us.

5 – CBICC Business After Hours hosted by Tubbies, 2231 E. College Ave., S.C., 5:30 p.m., 234-1829 or www.cbicc.org.

11 – CBICC Member Information Session, CBICC, 200 Innovation Blvd., S.C., 8:15 a.m., 234-1829 or www.cbicc.org.

12 – Centre County TRIAD meeting: Toys for Tots Holiday Party, Centre LifeLink EMS, S.C., 10 a.m., 237-8932 or 237-3130.

17 – Spring Creek Watershed Association mtg., Patton Township Municipal Building, 7:30 a.m., www.springcreekwatershed.org.

Exhibits Ongoing-8 – American Block and Burin: Wood Engravings from the Permanent Collection, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-8 – Crossing Borders: A Conversation, HUB Gallery, PSU, 880-7419.

Ongoing-15 – Recent Acquisitions, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-15 – Uncanny Congruencies, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-22 – A Common Canvas: Pennsylvania’s New Deal Post Office Murals, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 1-4 p.m.

Wed., Fri., & Sun. Ongoing-31 – Eat Well, Play Well, Discovery Space of Central PA, S.C., www.mydiscoveryspace.org.

1-January 26 – Annual Arts Show and Sale, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, 1-4 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 1-4:30 p.m. Sun., www.bellefontemuseum.org.

6 – Paper Views: Bookyness, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Health Care For schedule of blood drives visit www.cccredcross.org or www.givelife.org.

2 – Cancer Caregiver Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 10:30 a.m., www.cancersurvive.org.

BuyHereLiveHere.com 83 - Town&Gown December 2013

Music

Penn State School of Music’s Mosaic returns to Eisenhower Auditorium December 8.

2 – Breast Cancer Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 5:30 p.m., 231-7005.

5 – The Children and Families with Type 1 Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 777-4664.

6 – Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Mount Nittany Dining Room at the Inn at Brookline, S.C., 1 p.m., 234-3141.

8 – The Ostomy Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 2 p.m., 234.6195.

10 – Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Mount Nittany Dining Room at the Inn at Brookline, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 234-3141.

10 – Brain Injury Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 7 p.m., 359-3421.

11 – The Diabetes Support Group, Centre Region Senior Center, S.C., 10:15 a.m., 231.7095.

11 – The Fertility Issues and Loss Support Group, Choices (2214 N. Atherton St.), S.C., 6:30 p.m., www.heartofcpa.org.

12 – The Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6 p.m., 231-3076.

16 – Cancer Survivor Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 11:30 a.m., www.cancersurvive.org.

17 – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Outpatient Entrance, Pleasant Gap, 6 p.m., 359-3421.

19 – Better Breathers Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 2 p.m., 359-3421.

19 – The free “Parents-to-Be: The HEIR & Parents Hospital Tour for Expectant Parents,” Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 231-3132.

23 – Heart Failure Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 4 p.m., 359-3421.

1 – Zeropoint Big Band: Nutcracker Swing!, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

2 – Percussion Ensemble II, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 5 p.m., 863-1118.

2 – Percussion Ensemble I and Mallet Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., 863-1118.

3 – Centre Dimensions, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., 863-1118.

4 – Dark Star Orchestra, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

5 – Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah, State College Alliance Church, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.centreorchestra.org.

5 – Inner Dimensions/Outer Dimensions, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., 863-1118.

8 – Mosaic, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 4 p.m., 863-1118.

10 – Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

11 – Philharmonic Orchestra, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8 p.m., 863-1118.

11 – The Art of Music: “Holiday Music for Handbells” – Carillon Bells of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., 865-7672.

12 – Symphonic Band, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8:30 p.m., 863-1118.

13 – Mannheim Steamroller, BJC, PSU, 8 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu.

14 – Acoustic Brew: Bill Staines, Center for Well Being, Lemont, 7:30 p.m., www.acousticbrew.org.

14 – Bellefonte Community Band Holiday Concert with the Nittany Knights, Bellefonte Elementary School, 7:30 p.m., http://bellefonteband.net.

14 – State College Choral Society: “December Colors,” Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.scchoralsociety.org.

15 – WPSU’s Winterfest, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center Worship Hall, PSU, 6 p.m., 863-1118.

Special Events 1 – Elks Memorial Service, Bellefonte Elks Lodge, 2 p.m., 355-2828.

1 – Taste of the Town to Benefit Centre County United Way, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, PSU, 6 p.m., 238-8283.

3, 10, 17, 24, 31 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, St. John’s United Church of Christ, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., www.boalsburgfarmersmarket.com.

6-7 – Stocking Stuffer – Antiques, Art & Fine Craft Sale, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 10 a.m., www.centrehistory.org/stockingstuffer.

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Funeral Directors

F. Glenn Fleming - Supervisor John H. “Jay” Herrington

(814) 237-2712 2401 S. Atherton Street, State College, PA 16801 www.kochfuneralhome.com Crematory on Premises “The experience to serve you better, the compassion to undertand your needs.”

PFDA

Taste of the

Month

Each month Town&Gown highlights a local place to eat and offers a glimpse into the great dining of our community.

If it’s happening in Happy Valley, it’s in Town&Gown!

Larry Marcus

6-7 – Boalsburg Hometown Christmas, Boalsburg, 2 p.m. Fri., 8:30 a.m. Sat., boalsburgvillageconservancy.org.

6-7 – Christmas in Lemont, Lemont Village Association, Lemont, 5 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m. Sat., mandak24@gmail.com.

7 – Annual Holiday Art and Ornament Sale, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

7 – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Tribute, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 12:45 p.m., www.palmermuseum.org 7-8 – Winter Craft Market, Mount Nittany Middle School, S.C., 10 a.m.,www.wintercraftmarket.com.

7, 14, 21, 28 – Millheim Farmers’ Market, Old Gregg School Farmers’ Market, Spring Mills, 10 a.m., www.oldgreggschool.com.

8 – Alternative Christmas Fair 2013, University Baptist and Brethren Church, S.C., 237-2708.

13-15 – Bellefonte Victorian Christmas, Bellefonte, www.bellefontevictorianchristmas.com.

13-15 – Centre County United Way’s Festival of Trees, Central PA Institute of Technology, Bellefonte, 4 p.m. Fri., 9 a.m. Sat., noon Sun., 238-8283.

14-15 – Classic Christmas at Rock Hill School, Rock Hill School, Linden Hall, 10.am. Sat., noon Sun.

VILMA/AMY/JOHN&CREW: THIS IS COPY FOR DEC’13 RED CROSS AD – PLEASE USE THIS AS IS PLEASE DON’T REDUCE, ENLARGE, KERN, OR OTHERWISE CHANGE COPY IN ANY WAY – IF IT DOESN’T FIT VERTICALLY OR HORIZONTALLY, PLEASE EMAIL WITT – HE WILL MAKE IT FIT 2-pt XTRA SPACE BETWEEN GAL GROUPS AS SHOWN Acoustic Brew hosts Bill Staines at the 2013-12 DEC Red Cross Center for Well Being December 14.

FOR MAX LINE WIDTH: mimimimimimimimimimimimimimi

Red Cross Honor Roll of Milestone Blood Donors

3 GALLONS: Daniel Cameron 2 GALLONS: Elizabeth Bennett, Mary Besch, Philip Bosha, Colleen Danz, Andre Elder, Barbara McDill, Richard Morehead, Lori Musser, Robert Regel, Sharon Salter, Eric Stromer, Nancy Wilson 1 GALLON: Katherine Becker, Stephanie Beyda, Tylor Dippel, Kaitlin Gurganus, Rebecca Hargrove, Cidney Jones, Valentina Karpeshov, Carrie Levanosky, Alexandra Loder, Doris Malkmus, Alisha Miley, Pranoy Mohapatra, Ashlyn Montresor, James Purtell, Goeffrey Rushlau, Johnathan Tate, Cheryl Weitoish, Angelica Wutz THIS AD IS SPONSORED BY

650 N Science Park Rd

85 - Town&Gown December 2013

•

2601-A E College Ave

14-Jan. 6 – South Sparks Street 12 Days of Christmas Display, State College.

15 – Twas the Week Before Christmas, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, S.C., 9 a.m., www.crpr.org.

15 – State College Holiday Home Tour Charity Event, State College, 1 p.m., www.pfdn-preschool.org.

22 – The Bellefonte Elks Lodge’s Family Christmas Food Baskets program, Bellefonte, 355-2828.

31 – First Night State College, State College, firstnightstatecollege.com.

Sports For tickets to Penn State sporting events, visit www.gopsusports.com or call (814) 865-5555. For area high school sporting events, call your local high school.

1 – PSU/Union, men’s ice hockey, Pegula Ice Arena, PSU, 7 p.m.

4 – PSU/Notre Dame, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 7:30 p.m.

7 – PSU/Marshall, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 4 p.m.

8 – PSU/Pittsburgh, wrestling, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.

12 – Blue-White Showcase, men’s & women’s gymnastics, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.

14 – PSU/Princeton, men’s basketball, Rec Hall, PSU, 2 p.m.

14 – Blue-White Meet, track & field, Multi-Sport Facility, PSU, all day.

15 – PSU/Ohio State, wrestling, Rec Hall, PSU, noon.

15 – PSU/Texas A&M, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.

22 – PSU/Alcorn State, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 11 a.m.

22 – PSU/Mount St. Mary’s, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.

29 – PSU/Hartford, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.

31 – PSU/Michigan State, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 5 p.m.

Theater 2 – Ride Along, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

3 – McConkey, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

6 – Trailer Park Boys Christmas, BJC, PSU, 8 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu.

6-8 – Centre Dance presents The Nutcracker Princess, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m. Fri. &. Sat., 3 p.m.

Sun., www.thestatetheatre.org.

Maggie Lucas and the Lady Lions have four home games in December, including Notre Dame on the 4th and Texas A&M on the 15th.

11 – Tony Lentz A Christmas Carol, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

13-15 – Fuse Productions presents Scrooge!

The Musical, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., www.thestatetheatre.org.

14-15 – Ballet Theatre of State College presents The Nutcracker, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., www.pascp.org.

16-19 – It’s a Wonderful Life, State Theatre, S.C., 4 & 7:30 p.m. Mon. & Tues., 7:30 p.m. Wed. & Thurs., www.thestatetheatre.org.

18-19 – Singing Onstage presents Calvin Berger, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

19-21 – State College Community Theatre presents It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Mount Nittany Middle School, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.scctonline.org.

21 – Fuse Productions presents A Charlie Brown Christmas, State Theatre, S.C., 1:30, 4, & 7 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

22 – Singing Onstage presents Mulan Jr., State Theatre, S.C., 3 & 7 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

23 – White Christmas, State Theatre, S.C., 4 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

23 – A Christmas Story, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

27-29 – 365 Days: A Year in Happy Valley, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m. Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 4 & 7:30 p.m. Sun., www.thestatetheatre.org.

30 – Singing Onstage presents Guys and Dolls Jr., State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.statetheatre.org.

31 – Greats at the State Film Series: An American in Paris, State Theatre, S.C., 2 p.m., www.statetheatre.org. T&G

86 - Town&Gown December 2013

Come Home to The State www.thestatetheatre.org • (814) 272-0606 130 W. College Ave. • Downtown State College Zeropoint Big Band Nutcracker Swing Sunday, December 1 | 7:30p

Dark Star Orchestra Wednesday, December 4 | 8p Bill Welch Cartoon Series FREE November 30 | 10a December 7, 14, & 21 | 10a

Tussey Mountain Moonshiners The Attic Tuesday, December 10 | 7p

Scrooge!

The Musical December 13-15 Time Various

It’s A Wonderful Life December 16-19 Time Various A Charlie Brown Christmas Live Onstage December 20-21 Time Various 365 Days: A Year In Happy Valley December 27-29 Time Various

on tap

Bigger Bottles, Better Beer Breweries offer special selections in larger formats

By Sam Komlenic

Well, here we are in December once again, arguably the most festive month on the calendar! As we move closer to the joys of the holidays, and the parties that inevitably accompany the season, I’m prepared to go out on a limb and suggest what some might consider heresy. Though wine is a fine, if somewhat predictable accompaniment to your meal or party, why not consider being a maverick as you close out another year of note? Think, instead, about making great beer a more integral part of those year-end festivities.

Any good bottle shop or beer distributor offers a selection of large-format bottles (22 oz. and 750 ml) that not only look impressive and appropriate for the occasion, but also contain some scrumptious beers that most of your guests may never have experienced before.

You’ll look like a true party professional when you bring along a couple of these exotic brown beauties to the next holiday soiree you’ve been invited to. There was a time when these types of bottles came only from faraway places such as Belgium or England, but now you can find a wide selection from any number of countries, and from so many of the craft breweries that have made the United States the most brewery-prolific country on earth.

The trend toward large bottles is part of what is being called the “wine-ification” of beer — a push by brewers to make beer as respectable to pair with, say, braised short ribs as is a nice Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Bigger bottles are offered exclusively by some breweries such as the Bruery in California, while others, including Delaware’s Dogfish

Head, devote a sizeable portion of their efforts to larger-format bottles. Bigger bottles also command wine-like prices, which couldn’t be achieved with the ubiquitous 12-ounce package.

Though many use a standard crown cap, some employ the more traditional “cork and cage” closure — a protruding cork held in place with a wire seal, for a more formal touch. Most of those cork-and-cage offerings also are bottle conditioned; a bit of yeast is

88 - Town&Gown December 2013

added to the bottle when it’s filled, which induces a secondary fermentation right in the bottle, providing very fine carbonation, much like traditional champagne. It is a treat many of your friends and acquaintances have yet to enjoy, and you can start them on that journey.

These big bottles contain an amazingly diverse array of beer styles, too.

Doppelbocks, Belgian ales, brown ales, saisons, and hoppy double IPAs join more seasonal offerings such as pumpkin ales and winter warmers. The color palette ranges from light golden to opaque black, and those combinations of color and flavor can add immensely to a meal, or just general merriment. Try that pumpkin ale with your holiday bird, or a porter or oatmeal stout with dessert, and bring something different and unexpected to your (or someone else’s!) holiday feast.

Some of those seasonal offerings are often a brewery’s most sought-after products.

Mad Elf from Troegs brewery in Hershey is a strong dark ale brewed with cherries, honey, and chocolate malt, which is named for its color rather than flavor. Mad Elf even comes in a magnificent threeliter jeroboam, and you might still be able to find one — they sell quickly! State College’s own Otto’s Pub and Brewery has released its Jolly Roger imperial stout in 22-ounce “bomber” bottles in time for the holiday season this year, and its rich, dark, malty body will warm you from the inside out, as is appropriate at this cooler time of year.

All of our local breweries offer growlers (half-gallon reusable jugs) that can be filled with any of their draft offerings, and that 64-ounce package can go a long way, pouring four pints of the freshest beer anywhere.

Grab a couple, and you’re a walking beer festival — the hit of whatever party you might attend, or crash (at least you’ll be welcome)!

This holiday season, step outside your normal comfort zone and experience the enjoyment of better beer in bigger bottles. They can be bought one at a time, and allow you to experience styles that sometimes aren’t available in smaller packages. Will you like them all? Probably not,

but you’ll be better informed as a beer aficionado, and I’ll guarantee that you’ll find a new favorite that will be perfect for sharing with a friend in front of a warm fire on a bracing winter’s night. I can’t think of a better way to ward off the chill.

Local Brewing News

• Speaking of big bottles, Otto’s Pub and Brewery continues with its own bottleconditioned Cork & Cage series, offering a couple of innovative variations for in-house enjoyment. As always, Otto’s gift shop has a great selection of beer-centric merchandise for the geek on your gift list.

• Gamble Mill brewmaster Mike Smith has been busy with his Buffalo Run Winter Ale, brewed in the style of a porter, with additions of star anise, nutmeg, clove, allspice, cinnamon, orange peel, ginger, and vanilla bean. It comes in at around 7 percent ABV and should be available for your enjoyment until late December. Duncan’s Oatmeal Stout will be pouring on the nitrogen tap, too!

• Elk Creek Café + Ale Works will be celebrating another sublime year in Penns Valley with their moderately strong (6-7 percent ABV) Anniversary Ale, brewed with “lots of Cascade hops,” according to head brewer Tim Yarrington. On December 1, Elk Creek also will celebrate another anniversary, the repeal of Prohibition, with Prince’s Porter — bourbon-barrel aged, hand pulled, and named for the region’s notorious and stillrevered rogue distiller during the dry years, Prince Farrington (and yes, that was his real name!).

• Both new Centre County breweries, Happy Valley in Lemont and Robin Hood in Bellefonte, have fired up the kettles and should have beer available this month — so stay tuned!

Happy holidays to all. May you experience a joyous new year filled with hoppy new beer! T&G

Sam Komlenic, whose dad worked for a Pennsylvania brewery for 35 years, grew up immersed in the brewing business. He has toured scores of breweries, large and small, from coast to coast.

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John Hovenstine (4)

Tasteof the Month

Abe's Cafe's crab-cake entrĂŠe with house-made apple and onion remoulade tartar sauce, served with local red-skinned potatoes and organic Swiss chard.

Bounty in Belleville Abe’s Cafe brings homestyle taste and freshness to its menu

By Vilma Shu Danz Prepare to be delightfully surprised by the exceptional food at Abe’s Cafe, located at 4045 East Main Street in Belleville. As you walk into the 100-year-old building, you are drawn to the service counter with the floor-mounted, backless metal stools, the row of booths, and the local artwork that decorates the walls.

At first glance, the menu seems simple. There are a BLT, grilled Reuben sandwich, cheesesteaks, burgers, and breakfast items from omelets to French toast. However, when your order arrives at the table and you take that first bite, you can taste the freshness of the ingredients and the love that owners Abe and Julie Gingerich have put into every dish coming out of that kitchen.

“We strive to make everything from scratch with the bountiful produce we are surrounded by here in the Big Valley,” says Abe. “I make homemade sausage every Saturday morning and serve it with red-skinned potato home fries, an English muffin, eggs, and sausage gravy, and it is such a big hit that the last couple Saturdays we were sold out before breakfast was over.”

Julie adds, “Customers are always telling us how great our fresh-cut fries are, and we tell them that

Grilled chicken salad with house-made balsamic garlic-tarragon vinaigrette

Corned beef Reuben with fresh-cut fries. when you start with a fresh-cut potato that has never been frozen, it just tastes so much better.”

Opened in May 2009, Abe’s Cafe is a mix of traditional Central Pennsylvanian cuisine with a new twist. With the growing tourism in Belleville due to the greenhouses, flea markets, and the Wednesday auctions, Abe’s Cafe has become a destination for locals and visitors alike.

The Gingeriches both started working in restaurants at a young age. Julie started at the Red Lobster in Altoona, and, after moving to State College, she worked at the Allen Street Grill, Zola’s New World Bistro, and then ended up at the Gamble Mill where she met Abe. Abe started working at age 15 at the Original Waffle Shop in State College. He also has worked

92 - Town&Gown December 2013

at the Autoport, and then at The Gamble Mill.

Julie says, “Abe’s grandfather owned this building, and five years ago the Gamble Mill was changing ownership, so the timing was right for us when we were offered the opportunity to open our own restaurant in Belleville.”

With their combined experience working at some of the area’s premier restaurants, the Gingeriches work hard to come up with a menu that highlights the local ingredients, and offer

Julie and Abe Gingerich diners some unique dishes that they don’t expect to find in Belleville.

Friday Night Dinners at Abe’s Cafe is a culinary taste sensation with entrées from housemade crab cakes and roasted rack of lamb to local steaks and rabbit legs confit (cooked in duck fat).

“Depending on what is in season and what our local farmers have to offer, we will serve different entrées, and people can call to make reservations and ask about our features. We always do one meat and one fish option,” says Abe. “As the weather gets colder, we have heartier dishes like rabbit stew with wild mushrooms that we pick ourselves, and our barley-and-mushroom meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and gravy is very popular.”

Julie adds, “We make our own homemade apple-butter BBQ sauce, New England clam chowder done the old fashioned way, and ham pot pie with local homestyle ham.”

Once a month, typically the third or fourth Saturday of the month, Abe’s Cafe hosts “A Taste of Art” event that brings the community together through the senses — sight, sound, and taste! For $25 a ticket, enjoy an evening of live music, a special meet-and-greet with a featured artist whose Pumpkin works are for sale, hot gourmet mousse with hors d’oeuvres, local cheeses, house-made homemade soup, fresh fruit, ginger snap and salad. cookies.

On December 6, Abe’s Cafe is hosting a special “A Taste of Art” event with a Black Friday theme where several local artists from State College, Huntingdon, and other surrounding counties will feature their artworks for sale.

“The idea is for people to buy local art as Christmas gifts while enjoying music by a local musician and sampling our food,” says Julie.

For more information on upcoming events and features, call Abe’s Cafe at (717) 935-2237 or send an e-mail to cafeabe@embarqmail.com.

For a special offer from Abe’s Cafe, visit www.townandgown.com. T&G

> Featured Selections < Hours of Operations: Tuesday-Friday: 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Friday Night: 5-8 p.m.

Saturday: 7 a.m.-1 p.m.

Pay by cash or check only.

BYOB, no corking fee.

Additional parking in the back of restaurant.

Reservations for Friday Night Dinners recommended, call (717) 935-2237.

Catering available on-site and off-site, call (717) 935-2237 or e-mail cafeabe@ embarqmail.com for details.

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Dining Out Full Course Dining The Autoport, 1405 S. Atherton St., 237-7666, www.theautoport.com. The all new Autoport offers exceptional dining featuring local produce and an extensive wine list. Tapas menu and special events every week. Catering and private events available. Live music. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar. bar bleu, 114. S Garner St., 237-0374, bar-bleu.com. Socializing and sports viewing awaits at bar bleu. Don’t miss a minute of the action on 22 true 1080i HDMI high-definition flat-screen monitors displaying the night’s college and pro matchups. The bar serves up 16 draft beers in addition to crafted cocktails, including the “Fishbowl,” concocted in its own 43-ounce tank!

Pub fare featuring authentic Kansas City-style barbecue is smoked daily on-site. AE, D, DC, ID+, MC, V. Full bar.

Bella II, 135 S. Allegheny St., Bellefonte, 353-4696. Cozy and charming, yet affordable, Bella II’s specialty is good food!

Fresh, classic pasta dishes with homemade sauces, large dinner salads, and in-house, hand-crafted desserts, top the favorites. Plan to try Bella II’s lunch buffet, Tues.-Thurs., featuring pasta, pizza, wraps, and desserts. BYOB welcomed! Take out available. Hours: Sun. 12-9, Tues.-Thurs. 11-9, Fri.-Sat. 11-10, Closed Mondays. AE, D, MC, V. Bella Sicilia, 2782 Earlystown Road, Centre Hall, 3642176. An Italian kitchen where food is prepared from scratch and with love! Featuring traditional recipes of pasta dishes, calzones, Stromboli’s, subs, salads, and extraordinary pizza!

Try Bella Sicilia’s stuffed, Sicilian, Chicago, or 16 varieties of thin-crust specialty pies, including seafood pizza with shrimp, clams, calamari, mussels, and margherita sauce! Take-out or enjoy our beautiful dining room, located in the back of our building. Feel free to bring your own beer and wine. Lunch buffet Mon.-Fri. Check us out on Facebook. AE, MC, V, MAC, D. Carnegie House, corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave., 234-2424. An exquisite boutique hotel offering fine dining in a relaxed yet gracious atmosphere. Serving lunch and dinner. Prix Fixe menu and à la carte menu selections now available. AAA Four Diamond Award recipient for lodging and fine dining. Reservations suggested. AE, MC, D, V. Full bar.

Cozy Thai Bistro, 232 S. Allen St., 237-0139. A true authentic Thai restaurant offering casual and yet “cozy” family-friendly dining experience. Menu features wide selections of exotic Thai cuisine, both lunch and dinner (take-out available). BYO (wines & beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V.

Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, 1031 E. College Ave., 237-6300, damons.com. Just seconds from Beaver Stadium, locally owned and operated, Damon’s is the premiere place to watch sports and enjoy our extensive menu. Ribs, wings, burgers, steaks, apps, salads, and so much more. AE, D, MAC, MC, V, Full bar.

The Deli Restaurant, 113 Hiester St., 237-5710, TheDeliRestaurant.com. Since 1973, The Deli has served up New York-style deli favorites on an American menu offering everything from comfort food to pub favorites, all made from scratch. Soups, breads, sauces, and award-winning desserts are homemade here early in the morning folks. Look for its rotating menu of food-themed festivals throughout the year. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

The Dining Room at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., 865-8590. Fine continental cuisine in a relaxed, gracious atmosphere. Casual attire acceptable. Private dining rooms available. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Down Under Steakhouse at Toftrees, One Country Club Lane, 234-8000, www.toftrees.com. A casual restaurant with unique dining featuring hearty appetizers, delicious entrees, fresh sandwiches and salads in a comfortable scenic atmosphere. Outdoor seating available.

AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Duffy’s Boalsburg Tavern, On the Diamond, Boalsburg, 466-6241. The Boalsburg Tavern offers a fine, intimate setting reminiscent of Colonial times. Dining for all occasions with formal and casual menus, daily dinner features, specials, and plenty of free parking. AE, MC, V. Full bar.

Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., 234-9000, www.faccialuna.com. A true neighborhood hangout, famous for authentic New York-style wood-fired pizzas and fresh, homemade It.alian cuisine. Seafood specialties, sumptuous salads, divine desserts, great service, and full bar. Outside seating available. Sorry, reservations not accepted. Dine-in, Take-out. MC/V.

Key

AE ...........................................................American Express CB ..................................................................Carte Blanche D ................................................................ Discover/Novus DC........................................................................Diners Club ID+ ................................................ PSU ID+ card discounts LC ............................................................................ LionCash MAC .......................................................................debit card MC .......................................................................MasterCard V ......................................................................................... Visa .............................................. Handicapped-accessible

To advertise, call Town&Gown account executives Kathy George or Debbie Markel at (814) 238-5051.

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r

Galanga, 454 E. College Ave. 237-1718. Another great addition to Cozy Thai Bistro. Galanga by Cozy Thai offers a unique authentic Thai food featuring Northeastern Thai style cuisine. Vegetarian menu selection available. BYO (wines and beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Gamble Mill Restaurant & Microbrewery, 160 Dunlop St., Bellefonte; 355-7764. A true piece of Americana, dine and enjoy our in-house craft beers in a historic mill.

Experience bold American flavors by exploring our casual pub menu or fine dining options. Six to seven beers of our craft beers on tap. Brewers Club, Growlers, outdoor seating, large private functions, catering. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Dinner 5-9/10 p.m. Mon.-Sat. “Chalk Board Sunday’s” 4-8 p.m. All credit cards accepted.

The Gardens Restaurant at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., Innovation Park, 863-5090. Dining is a treat for breakfast, lunch and dinner in The Gardens Restaurant, where sumptuous buffets and à la carte dining are our specialties. AE, CB, D, DC, MC, V. Full bar, beer.

Fantastic Cuisine, Cuisine, Fantastic Exquisite Decor.

Exquisite Decor.

Voted “Best” Voted “Best” for i nand Most Romantic Fine Dining Fine Dining

Make any night an Make anyenjoyable night an evening at Carnegie Inn & Spa enjoyable evening atESCAPE!

Carnegie Inn & Spa. ESCAPE! Reservations are suggested.

Reservations are suggested.

Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave.

814/234-2424

Pet Many Friendly Choices Hotels

Seasonal Specials and Packages. PSU Did you know that four Parents and Alumni legged friends areby our Discounts offered welcome at four of our six six State College hotels.

State College hotels? . Hilton Garden Inn . .Days DaysInn InnPenn PennState State . .Quality Inn Quality Inn . .Nittany NittanyBudget BudgetMotel Motel . .Super 8 Super 8 . Carnegie Inn & Spa

.com

Upscale Chic Southern Metropolitan Hospitality dining Patio Now Open

NEW Menu

Express Lunch under $10 Gift Featuring Cards Available Small Plates Friday & Saturday Martini Nights

RESTAURANT RESTAURANT 2080 West West College College & & Cato Cato Ave. Ave. 2080 State College State College

814 . 861 . 3463 GigisDining.com GigisDining.com

carnegieinnandspa.com www.carnegiehouse.com 96 - Town&Gown December 2013

December 2013 -Issue - 1/2 Town & Gown Mar 2013 Issue 1/2 Pg Ad Pg Ad

The Greek, 102 E. Clinton Ave., 308-8822, www.thegreekrestaurant.net. The Greek Restaurant is located behind Original Waffle Shop on North Atherton Street. Visit our Greek tavern and enjoy authentic Greek cuisine. Full service, BYOB. D, MC, V.

Greek Specialties

Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, 1221 E. College Ave. (within the Hilton Garden Inn), 237-4422, www.harrisonsmenu.com. Traditional seasonal favorites prepared extraordinarily. Fusion food, sharing plates, and fresh seafood. Extensive wines-by-the-glass, full bar, moderate prices. Lunch/Dinner. Exquisite catering.

MC, V.

Tasty chicken kebabs grilled with green peppers, fresh cherry tomatoes and onions. Served with orzo.

Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, “Where Bacon Is An Herb,” 132 W. College Ave., 272-0738. Located next to the State Theatre. Serving authentic Austrian home cooking in Central PA. Ranked #1 Ethnic Restaurant in State College for 7 years in a row. Eat-in, Take-Out, Catering. Gluten-free options available. Bacon-based dessert.

Homemade breads, BYO beer or wine all day. Sense of humor required. D, MAC, MC, V. Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 North Atherton St., 237-0375, HiWayPizza.com. The State College tradition for nearly 50 years, nobody does it better than Hi-Way! Offering more than 29 varieties of hand-spun pizzas made from scratch offer an endless combination of toppings. Its vodka “flaky” crust and red stuffed pizzas are simply a must have.

Hi-Way’s menu rounds out with pasta dishes, calzones, grinders, salads, and other Italian specialties. Eat-in, Takeout, or Hi-Way delivery. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

India Pavilion, 222 E. Calder Way, 237-3400. Large selection of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes from northern India. Lunch buffet offered daily. We offer catering for groups and private parties. AE, D, MC, V. (call ahead.)

Bella 2 is now OPEN!

Chicken Kebab

Mon - Sat: 5pm - 9pm 102 E. Clinton Ave.

(Behind the Original Waffle Shop)

814-308-8822 www.thegreekrestaurant.net

We love People, Beer & Local Foods Bringing you craft beer and fresh food using local products in a family friendly, casual atmosphere.

Food & Beer TO GO!

Bottles • Cases • Kegs • Growlers ring Now offe e ad m locally candy, , p a be er so & mugs!

135 S. Allegheny St., Bellefonte • 353-4696

Bella Sicilia

2782 Earlytown Road, Centre Hall • 364-2176 Dining Room in rear, open 7 days

2235 N. Atherton St. State College 814.867.6886 www.ottospubandbrewery.com

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Inferno Brick Oven & Bar, 340 E. College Ave., 237-5718, InfernoBrickOvenBar.com. With a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, Inferno is a place to see and be seen. A full-service bar boasts a unique specialty wine, beer, and cocktail menu. Foodies — Inferno offers a contemporary Neapolitan brick-oven experience featuring a focused menu of artisan pizzas and other modern-Italian plates. Lunch and dinner service transitions into night as a boutique nightclub with dance-floor lighting, club sound system, and the area’s most talented resident DJs. AE, D, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Legends Pub at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., Innovation Park, 863-5080. Unwind with beverages and a casual lounge menu. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.

Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 1272 North Atherton St., 234-4273, MariosItalianStateCollege.com. Fresh specialty dishes, pasta, sauces, hand-tossed pizzas, and rotisserie wood-grilled chicken all made from scratch are just a few reasons why Mario’s is authentically Italian! At the heart of it all is a specialty wood-fired pizza oven and rotisserie that imparts rustic flavors that can’t be beat! Mario’s loves wine, honored with six consecutive Wine Spectator awards and a wine list of more than 550 Italian selections. Mario’s even pours 12 rotating specialty bottles on its WineStation® stateof-the-art preservation system. Reservations and Walk-Ins welcome. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

Let Us Plan Your Celebration!

Specializing in: • Catering for Home & Office Parties • In House Banquets & Lunches • Wedding Receptions - Great menu options available - Up to 250 people - On & off site -Full breakfast, lunch & dinner menu packages Several wedding packages to choose from!

- Convenient free parking

Hoag’s Catering & Event Rental’s Superior Food & Service Truly Allows Our Clients to be Guests at Their Own Party!

814-238-0824 • 2880 Commercial Blvd., State College

www.hoagscatering.com

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Otto’s Pub & Brewery, 2235 N. Atherton Street, 867-6886, www.ottospubandbrewery.com. Our new location provides plenty of parking, great ales and lagers, full service bar, signature dishes made with local products in a family-friendly, casual atmosphere. AE, D, DC, LC MC, V. Full bar.

The Tavern Restaurant, 220 E. College Ave., 238-6116.

A unique gallery-in-a-restaurant preserving PA’s and Penn State’s past. Dinner at The Tavern is a Penn State tradition.

Major credit cards accepted. Full bar.

Whiskers at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., 865-8580. Casual dining featuring soups, salads, sandwiches and University Creamery ice cream. Major credit cards accepted. Full bar.

Zola New World Bistro, 324 W. College Ave., 237-8474.

Zola combines comfortable, modern décor with exceptional service. Innovative, creative cuisine from seasonal menus served for lunch and dinner. Extensive award-winning wine list. Jazz and oysters in the bar on Fridays. Catering. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.

Milk and Cookies...the perfect holiday pair!

MILK • ICE CREAM • EGGS • CHEESE • JUICES POP'S MEXI-HOTS • BAKED GOODS • SANDWICHES • EGG NOG ICE CREAM CAKES • & MORE! • EGG NOG AVAILABLE NOW!!!

MEYER DAIRY STORE & ICE CREAM PARLOR Open Daily 8:00 a.m. - 11 p.m. • 2390 S. ATHERTON STREET • 237-1849

A true neighborhood hangout highly regarded for its popular and authentic New York-style wood-fired pizza and commitment to quality. Award-winning pizza. and Italian cuisine homemade with only the best and freshest ingredients.

www.faccialuna.com 1229 South Atherton St. • State College • 234-9000

Now Booking Holiday Parties!

This year, make your Holiday gathering memorable!

Special Lunch & Dinner Buffets!

Great food, great prices, and a perfect party atmosphere!

Call Trish today at 814-237-7666

1405 South Atherton St. State College, PA 16801

www.theautoport.com

814-237-7666

This Holiday Season Give the Gift of Good Taste! AUTOPORT Gift Cards

MAKE PLANS FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE AUTOPORT! For more information, visit us on the web or Facebook

Come watch the STEELERS at

g rin te e Ca bl te la Si i n- va O A

NFL

$

5

Check out our web site for all our daily specials.

Sundays

Holiday Gift Card Special!

Buy $50 in Damon’s gift cards & get an additional $10 free...no limit!

Appetizers

Check out our New 2 for $25 menu..

1 app and 2 entrees all for $25!

Coors Light Feature

1301 West College Ave. • 814-308-8959 www.westsidestadiumbarandgrill.com 99 - Town&Gown December 2013

Damon’s Delivers Everyday!

Order online at lionmenus.com 1031 East College Ave. 814-237-6300 • damons.com

Good Food Fast Baby’s Burgers & Shakes, 131 South Garner Street, 234-4776, www.babysburgers.com. Love poodle skirts, a jukebox playing the oldies, and delicious food cooked to order? Then Baby’s Burgers & Shakes is your kind of restaurant! Bring the entire family and enjoy a “ Whimpy” burger, a Cherry Coke or delicious chocolate shake, and top it off with a “Teeny Weeny Sundae,” in our authentic 1947 Silk City Diner. Check out Baby’s Web site for full menu and daily specials! D, MC, V, MAC, Lion’s Cash.

Westside Stadium Bar and Grill, 1301 W. College Ave., 308-8959, www.westsidestadium barandgrill.com. See what all the buzz is about at Westside Stadium. Opened in September 2010, State College’s newest hangout features mouthwatering onsite smoked pork and brisket sandwiches. Watch your favorite sports on 17 HDTVs. Happy Hour 5-7 p.m. Take-out and bottle shop. Outdoor seating available. D, V, MC. Full Bar.

Specialty Foods

HUB Dining, HUB-Robeson Center, on campus, 865-7623. A Penn State tradition open to all! Eleven restaurants stocked with extraordinary variety: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Higher Grounds, HUB Subs, Mixed Greens, Burger King, Panda Express, Piccalilli’s, Sbarro, Sushi by Panda, Wild Cactus, and more! V, MC, LC.

Hoag’s Catering/Celebration Hall, 2280 Commercial Blvd., State College, 238-0824, www.hoagscatering.com. Hoag’s Catering specializes in off-site catering, event rentals, and on-site events at Celebration Hall. We do the work, you use the fork — large and small events.

Meyer Dairy, 2390 S. Atherton Street, 237-1849. A State College Classic! Meyer Dairy is the perfect choice for a quick, homemade lunch with fresh soups and sandwiches or treat yourself to your favorite flavor of ice cream or sundae at our ice cream parlor. Fresh milk from our own dairy cows (we do not inject our cows with BST), eggs, cheese, ice cream cakes, baked goods, and more! Plus, Meyer Dairy is the best place to pick up your Town&Gown magazine each month!

Hogs Galore, 330 Enterprise Dr., Philipsburg, 342-7060, www.hogsgalore.com. Locally raised farmto-table pork producer since 1979. Family owned and operated. Fresh and smoked meats on-site processing. Catering, BBQ restaurant, retail market, and wholesale meats. T&G

India Pavilion Exotic Indian Cuisine

Now Open 7 Days a Week Lunch Buffet: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

222 E. Calder Way 237-3400 www.indiapavilion.net 100 - Town&Gown December 2013

Carry Out Available

Celebrate Grand Sushi Tray

From appetizers to entrées, let Wegmans help with your holiday entertaining.

Three ways to order ahead: 1. Visit wegmans.com/parties 2. Call 1-800-914-GIFT 3. Stop by the Catering Dept or Prepared Foods

345 Colonnade Boulevard • State College, PA 16803 • (814) 278-9000

lunch with mimi

Helping Hope Become Reality One local woman becomes agent of change in Rwanda

Eat WEll!

102 - Town&Gown December 2013

John Hovenstine

For the past three years, Carol Falke of State College has been an international volunteer in Rwanda, Africa.

Through the nonprofit organization Hope Made Real, she helps support the Urukundo Children’s Home and Learning Center. Not only does Falke help raise funds to build schools in Rwanda, she also connects local Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith (right) talks with organizations and Carol Falke at The Deli in State College. churches to projects, and cultivates classroom-toclassroom partnerships between schools in State a bachelor’s degree in social work and psychology College and the Urukundo Learning Center. from Valparaiso University in Indiana. She has Hope Made Real also has a sewing technical always had the heart to work in international center, an agriculture/livestock farming program, development and has worked in Laotian refugee an English as a Second Language class for adults, camps in Thailand for six weeks in 1980 and and a new daycare in Rwanda set to open. traveled seven times to Nicaragua on mission trips.

In addition, Falke is involved with ZOE Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Ministry, an orphan-empowerment program that Coppersmith sat down with Falke at The Deli in provides grants to communities of orphans to help State College to discuss how she got started with them become self-sufficient in three years. She and her humanitarian work in Rwanda, what Hope several other local families support a community of Made Real has done for the past three years, and more than 80 orphans in Rwanda. what she hopes to accomplish in the future for the Born and raised in Philadelphia, Falke earned children she helps in Rwanda.

Mimi: Carol, I’ve known you a long time in a lot of different roles, most of them fundraising.

I guess you’ve taken those fundraising skills to a new level. Tell us what made you do it.

Carol: People always ask me how I found Rwanda, and I always like to tell them that it really found me. I didn’t have any intention of working in Africa. I had been working on missions in Nicaragua for seven years, and an opportunity presented itself to help raise funds for a water project in Rwanda. What they needed was churches in the area to work together to raise funds for $15,000 worth

of pipes. So, I said, I can do that. I had just retired a month before from the State Theatre.

Mimi: And the opportunity presented itself through your church?

Carol: Yes, through my church, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. The church that actually took the lead on this is Park Forest Village United Methodist Church, which is a small Methodist church. They decided to take the leadership role on it, and then realized they needed some help. So, our church was contacted and I said I can do this.

The person I spoke with, Nickie Askov, said we’ve stalled at just under $5,000. I said, “The challenge is on, let’s do it!” Nickie and I spoke to churches and other groups, and within probably four months raised the $15,000 for pipes for the water project.

It’s about a mile of pipes that took the water from the base of the mountain up to several holding stations on the mountainside. The woman I’m working with, Mama Arlene Brown, established the Urukundo Children’s Home and is the person who had the vision to have water accessible to 3,000 people in the community. Children and adults were hiking a mile down and carrying the water jugs a mile up the mountain. It’s very safe but it’s very difficult. So, what they did was have holding stations for the water so people could come across the mountain to access the water.

After the money was raised, I realized that people had donated to this project and I hadn’t seen it completed. So, I thought it was important for me to go to Rwanda. In October 2011, I went to see what I helped with and make sure that everything was on the up and up.

Mimi: And when you got there, what did you find? What were your impressions?

Carol: First of all, a beautiful country, 8,000- to 9,000-foot elevation, mountainous and rolling hills, lush greenery, beautiful weather, and friendly people. I saw a lot of opportunity where we could make connections and build bridges with the people. A few stats that you might want to know are: Rwanda is a country of 11 million people. Of that, 1.2 million are vulnerable children. Of those 1.2 million, 800,000 are orphans.

Mimi: Now, did you know that when you first started?

Carol: No. I soon realized that many kids, 12- and 13-year-olds are raising younger brothers and sisters. These children are the future of this

country, so we can’t just let them be to fend for themselves without providing opportunities.

Mimi: Improve their living standards — food, clothes.

Carol: Well, the first time I went, I connected with Arlene Brown from Williamsport, the woman who established the Urukundo Children’s Home to provide those needs. I actually stay at the children’s home and have met many children that are receiving care.

Mimi: And these are orphans?

Carol: Vulnerable children. Some are orphans and some were street kids. Some of them have relatives, but it’s not a safe place for them, so, we call it a children’s home for vulnerable children. There are 45 children at the home. From the youngest, Jacob, who is four-weeks old, to 16- and 17-year-olds.

Mimi: And do they educate them?

Carol: The role of the children’s home was to make sure the children had a safe haven, food, love, health care, and provided opportunities for them to go to school. The younger ones go to preschool and public school and the older ones go to secondary schools or boarding schools. Mama Arlene actually started the children’s home having traveled back and forth in 1995 to the Congo and throughout Rwanda. She did this in her late 60s. She has lived there full-time since 2006.

Mimi: It’s quite inspiring that you set everything else aside in your life and make room for this mission. It takes a very giving person to give a month’s time as a volunteer and to make a difference in the fashion in which you’re doing it. How do you sustain that?

Carol: I always like to think that our lives can change in a heartbeat. Anything can happen — good or bad — that can transform

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to connect to Rwanda. Two girls, Leah Maines and Mollie Albert, who were 12 at the time, agreed to work with their moms on collecting shoes. These girls were phenomenal. Other kids at church helped raise money to buy pigs, goats, and desks. Now, how can I connect kids beyond my church? I contacted the Penn State Child Care Center at Hort Woods where I met Nina Fellin, a preschool teacher for almost 30 years. She connected her class using the theme “Same-Same, But Different.” What’s the same about us and what’s different? When you go to Rwanda, you think everything is different. But there Falke (right) reads a book to some children at the Urukundo is also a lot of similarity between Children’s Home in Rwanda. kids in the US and kids in Rwanda. us. We also need to appreciate what we’re Nina’s preschoolers drew pictures and shared their blessed with and fortunate to have. I have a photos. I took this project with me, and materials the wonderful family, my health, and the financial kids in Rwanda would need to do the same project resources to go to Rwanda. Not everyone has as a gift for Nina’s class. We also shared baskets that. I also have the desire and something comparing ones made in the US and Rwanda and inside calling me to do it. So, for me, all of made booklets showing how each were made. I knew those things fell into place. I felt like I could we were connecting kids, but I realized we were accept what was placed in my life. also connecting the teachers. Teachers in Rwanda Mimi: Well, if my readers could see you, usually have a high school education or a year or they could see that from head to toe you’re two of college. This was a great way for teachers to really into this. It’s an inspiration, and, as a teach and mentor teachers across the world. Next, result, you can be an inspiration to others.

I formed a partnership with Lynne Bradley at the Carol: When I went the first time, I met Friends Schoolhouse preschool in State College. The children and people who have lost everything. theme we used was “A Ride on My Mother’s Back,” So I thought, How did these kids survive and comparing how babies are carried. Connections kept become who they are — loving, hopeful, and coming. Last year, Caroline Simon, a third grader faithful kids? When I go, the hearts of these from my church, told her teacher, Linda Margusity, kids are really transforming my life. They’re like at Mount Nittany Elementary, that she knew about my children. Since this is a short-term mission Rwanda and had collected shoes. State College project I know the importance of keeping elementary schools study Africa in third and fourth these connections throughout the year, to grade. Her teacher asked me to give a presentation keep building on relationships and sustainable comparing life in Rwanda to life in the United projects. Giving a hand-up, not continuous States. The kids wrote letters expanding on themes handouts and aid. Provide opportunities for such as what it was like to live on a farm, to be a them to help themselves and others. twin, to play an instrument or a sport, cook their Mimi: How do you go to the next step of favorite food, or play in the snow, and these would keeping up with the potential that you’ve created? be used as a formal lesson plan. I also asked if they Carol: A lot of it started through my church. would collect buttons to be used as a teaching tool in I realized it was more about kids connecting with math class. And the kids also worked with Candace kids. I encouraged children from our Sunday School Smith, the school art teacher, and made an art 104 - Town&Gown December 2013

project using the buttons. Button projects went back and forth between classrooms across the globe.

Mimi: Now, you do this all as a volunteer?

Carol: Yes, all as a volunteer. As the learning part of the Urukundo Children’s Home and Learning Center continues to grow I am recruiting friends who are teachers to help.

In April 2012, we completed a three-room preschool currently attended by 140 children.

In January, we opened two classes of first graders and a community library. In January 2014, we’ll add two second-grade classes and an art/music room. We hope to continue building, but it’s very tough to raise money for international projects. Each classroom now costs about $20,000, and our goal is to go up to sixth grade.

That would mean raising at least $160,000.

What’s wonderful about our school is what we can offer — smaller classes, teaching materials, and books. The primary grades in rural public schools usually have one teacher per class of 65 children. There are not enough desks. There are not enough seats for these kids. One child will go in the morning, come home, and their brother or sister would go in the afternoon. They wait for them to come home so they can use their school shoes. So, kids might share shoes and even share a uniform. The parent association at our school makes sure children of extreme poverty and on full scholarship have what they need to succeed.

The community works together.

Mimi: Wow! Now, you’ve come back home after a three-week stint in Rwanda. What is your ultimate goal?

Carol: Well, for me it’s finding the funds to build classrooms through sixth grade and to continue building on our technical school. We only have a sewing tech center, but would like to develop into agriculture and cooking. We would like to offer more in the way of technical training that can provide youth with more job opportunities.

The future is education. Not always a college education, which is very expensive, but also a technical education. Another goal is to continue to connect children and youth, to connect schools and connect teachers. To help children in our community become more aware of the world. One amazing example is last year I was raising $12,500 for one firstgrade classroom. I was $1,000 short of that

goal. Haley Justice, a high school student at State High, coordinated “Hearts for Rwanda,” an art show. She helped us finish paying for the classroom in Rwanda by raising over $1,000. Kids helping kids.

Mimi: I’m inspired, and I thank you for sharing it with our readers and me.

Carol: Thank you. T&G Note: After her “Lunch with Mimi,” Falke shared an update. She is working with Mark Smeal and six third- and fourth-grade classes at Houserville Elementary School, and, through Candace Smith, six classes at Easterly Parkway Elementary School.

Falke also has been asked to represent Rwanda at Grace Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten for its annual International Week in February 2014.

To make a donation for the Urukundo Children’s Home and Learning Center write a check payable to Hope Made Real. Mail it to: Carol Falke, 246 Chateaux Circle, State College, PA 16803.

Her blog is cdfalke.blogspot.com.

If you are interested in helping or going to Rwanda to work in the classroom, contact Falke at falkes@verizon.net.

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State College Photo Club’s Winning Photos The State College Photo Club provides photo enthusiasts with the opportunity to share their passion for photography with others and to provide an environment for learning and developing new skills. The club welcomes individuals from amateurs to professionals. One of the club’s activities is to hold a monthly competition. Town&Gown is pleased to present the winning images from the club’s competition.

Shown this month are the first place winners from the judged September meeting competition.

September Meeting First Place: Theme “Food”

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“Backyard Feast” by Carolyn Todd

“One day in August I noticed a large spot of brown on our lawn in the backyard. It was a large mushroom cluster growing on an old oak stump. I took lots of photos with my macro lens and was fascinated by the patterns and variations of color. It might be a species that is commonly referred to as ‘Hen of the Woods,’ which is an edible variety of mushroom. I did not try them because I was advised I should get an expert opinion, and that’s advice all of us should heed.”

September Meeting First Place: Open Category “Backhoe Scoop” by Chet Swalina

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“This is an abstract image of the interior of a backhoe scoop shot in the Penn Eagle Industrial Park in Bellefonte. Abuse and weathering of the once yellow machine gradually produced the rich texture and interesting patterns. The vibrant colors were achieved using high dynamic range (HDR) techniques.”

A copy of either of these photos may be obtained with a $75 contribution to the Salvation Army of Centre County. Contact Captain Charles Niedermeyer at (814) 861-1785 for more information. You can select any size up to 11 inches wide.

The State College Photo Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Foxdale Village Auditorium. Guests and new members are always welcome.

Visit www.statecollegephotoclub.org for more information about how to join.

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Thanks to the donations and efforts of generous and devoted supporters, Coaches vs. Cancer – Penn State raised over $2 million for the first time during the 2012-2013 fiscal year!

If you’d like more information about the organization or to volunteer, visit www.cvcpennstate.org.

Upcoming Event: CVC Day

Penn State Men’s Basketball Game Saturday, February 15, 2014 Penn State vs. Illinois Order your tickets online at http://www.gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html

Each year, approximately 596 Centre County residents are diagnosed with cancer.

Thanks to the generous sponsors, donors, and volunteers of Coaches vs. Cancer, the American Cancer Society is able to fund life-saving research while supporting patients in the Centre community. In 2012 the American Cancer Society:

• Provided 244 people with cancer with 662 services, information, and guidance • Provided 414 free nights stay for 31 people at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge ®, saving them over $62,000 in lodging costs • Provided 66 rides to treatment for eight patients through Road to Recovery ® • Assisted 16 women through Look Good Feel Better ® • Provided 17 wigs for cancer patients with hair loss If you know a cancer patient that needs help, have them contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or cancer.org, 24/7, 365 days a year.

www.cvcpennstate.org

Contributed photo

snapshot

Still Believing Retired teacher helps families capture the magic of The Polar Express

By Amy Ross

Reading to children and families, giving out velveteen goodie bags, and watching children ride the trolley to Santa’s workshop are what Doyle Wilkerson loves the most about Christmastime.

Wilkerson, 73, is a loyal reader at the Schlow Centre Region Library each year during the holidays.

Since the initiation of the Polar Express program at the library, she has read the book The Polar Express to children and families each year without fail.

The retired elementary-school teacher from Easterly Parkway School began teaching at State College in 1969 to kindergarteners and first and second graders.

She and her husband came from Fostoria, Ohio, for a temporary stay until he finished his doctorate, but they ended up permanently teaching in the State College Area School District, she says.

The Polar Express is one of her favorite Christmas books, along with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

While Wilkerson enjoys reading the book to children, she especially loves reading it to adults. She admires watching adults sit down and be mesmerized by the beautiful story of The Polar Express, she says.

In fact, she prefers reading to a first-timer.

“I always ask before each reading if there’s anyone in the group that has not heard the story or seen the movie,” she says. “To read to someone for the first time is a wonderful experience.”

Each time she reads the story to an audience, she is overcome with sentimental feelings. To her it’s more than just reading, but also sharing her love for Christmas with people who feel the same way.

“I pray before I read that I won’t cry,” she says.

After her reading, each child receives a velveteen goodie bag with a bell and a coin. The coin is used when they arrive to Santa’s Workshop (located at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center) to buy a gift, hoping that it will be for someone else rather than themselves, she says.

She mentions that the bell’s purpose is her favorite.

“That is their bell to just ring and to make sure that their parents and grandparents can hear the bell and

Doyle Wilkerson Favorite leisure activities: “I love to read, hike, bike, garden, decorate, sing, travel, create, spend time with family and friends, but mostly spend time with my husband, Ron. We just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and I still enjoy his company more than anyone I know!”

Ideal vacation: “Visiting the stately gardens of Versailles, exploring ancient streets in Rome, discovering a small museum in Dublin — these are all vacation experiences I have loved, but as Ron and I get older we find ourselves drawn away from city travel to more quiet and picturesque villages such as the small English villages of the Yorkshire Dales, where we spent five weeks this past summer hiking the fells and soaking up the English atmosphere. … We also love spending time in Ocean City, New Jersey, and have arranged our schedules so that we are able to spend at least two months of the year at the seaside.”

Favorite holiday meal: “Holidays are spent visiting with family, and although the food is delicious, it is the fun and camaraderie that is far more important to me ... but I do love Christmas cookies!” still believe in the magic of Christmas,” she says.

For Wilkerson, traditions are very important, and she values them more with every year that goes by.

Lighting the Christmas tree downtown, becoming Mrs. Santa Claus, and reading The Night Before Christmas every year are other traditions that she enjoys and appreciates.

“Our society is moving away from valuing traditions, and I worry about that,” she says. “The more we continue to value this, the more it is important to society.” T&G

108 - Town&Gown December 2013

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