February Town&Gown 2017

Town&Gown FEBRUARY 2017

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features 32 / Forever For The Kids For those who have been a part of Thon, the experience can be life-changing • by Jenna Spinelle

32

42 / There’s Work to Be Done in Winter Even with the end of the popular fall festival season and fewer farmers’ markets, local farmers maintain busy schedules during the cold-weather months • by Mike Dawson

50 / Thinking about the Children For 50 years, Park Forest Preschool has helped families in need by providing free early childhood education • by Jennifer Miller

42 On the Cover: Larry and Karen Walker of State College met in the 1980s when both were Penn State students and helping to raise money for Thon.

50 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 2017 by Barash Media. All rights reserved.

Send address changes to Town&Gown, 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801. 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. townandgown.com

2017 February T&G - 5

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departments

10 Letter From The Editor 12 Starting Off: The List, People in the Community, Q&A

20 Living Well: Simple ways to thrive in your relationships • by Meghan Fritz

72

22 Health: Diabetes prevention and treatment • by Virginia Wray, DO, CNSC

58 This Month on WPSU

24 About Town: School district makes decision on old school building • by Nadine Kofman

61 What’s Happening: Art & Chocolate, Thon, Pink Zone, and more highlight February’s events

28 On Center: Wilderness journeys through the hearts of young people in distress • by John Mark Rafacz

68 On Tap: Some major craft brewers have become part of big-beer brands • by Sam Komlenic

30 Penn State Diary: New book examines the history of football team’s home stadium • by Lee Stout

72 Taste of the Month/Dining Out: Rusty Rail offers craft beer, great food at historic site • by Vilma Shu Danz 84

Lunch with Mimi: ClearWater Conservancy director works to preserve natural environments within a growing area

90 Artist of the Month: Jennifer Trost’s road to becoming an opera singer was filled with sacrifices and determination • by Tine Liu

90 6 - T&G February 2017

92 Snapshot: Thon director continues his passion for doing good works • by Tine Liu

You Deserve the Best.

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Town&Gown February

A State College & Penn State tradition since 1966.

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

Facebook.com/townandgownsc @TownGownSC townandgown.com 8 - T&G February 2017

Generation to Generation, We have you covered.

Penn State Medical Group at Park Avenue welcomes new patients.

Call 814-235-2480 to make an appointment.

We look forward to meeting you and your family.

T& G

letter from the editor

For The Kids A month dedicated to the youngest in our communities Town&Gown certainly has a focus on kids this month — and it’s the perfect time to do so! Of course, February is when Thon happens. The event hits its 40th year of raising money for the Four Diamonds Fund, and it has raised more than $137 million for the fund in its fight against pediatric cancer.

It’s one of the highlights in Happy Valley each year, when the Penn State students raise the numbers showing how much money was raised over the past 12 months to help those families who have children with cancer.

Not to date myself, but when I attended Penn State, Thon took place in the White Building and it was this nice little event that students did. It was during my college years that Thon first topped $1 million in the money it raised. A few years later, it had moved to Rec Hall and soon after that to its current home in the Bryce Jordan Center.

In Jenna Spinelle’s story this month, “Forever For The Kids,” several people talk about the impact Thon made — and continues to make — on their lives. From former dancers to former Four Diamonds children, each continues to feel a strong connection to Thon.

Families also feel a strong connection to Park Forest Preschool, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The tuition-free school is for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children from low-income families.

Jennifer Miller’s story, “Thinking about the Children,” shows how the school helps prepare kids from families in need for kindergarten. Like Thon, the preschool had humble beginnings but has grown to become a special part of Happy Valley.

Then, be sure to check out Town&Gown’s Parenting, a

10 - T&G February 2017

special insert with this issue. It has stories on everything from ways to have your kids healthier to winter activities for the whole family to helping your children when it comes to mental health and addressing social media concerns.

As I wrote about in last year’s Parenting issue, several staff members at Town&Gown (including yours truly) have children who range in age from teens to as young as 1 year old. Besides obviously caring about our children, we care about the communities they’re growing up in and the quality of life they’re experiencing.

Which is why, at least from my standpoint, I love raising my children here. We have quality schools, we have parks and other great outdoor areas for kids to be active in, we have an amazing public library, we have resources for parents, and so much more.

I believe we live in a community that truly cares about its youngest members and looks to help those who need help, whether because of financial reasons, health reasons, or other reasons.

We’re a region that has a focus on kids and families, not just this month but year-round.

David Pencek Editorial Director dpenc@barashmedia.com

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starting off

The List What to know about February

Love is in the air — and in boxes of chocolates, dozens of roses, and other gifts — as Valentine’s Day is February 14.

It may be the shortest month of the year, but February still packs a lot into 28 days (no Leap Year this year).

Early spring? Find out what Punxsutawney Phil has to say on Groundhog Day February 2.

National Drink Wine Day is February 18.

Whether you like reds or whites, sweet or dry, Centre County has a few wineries that offer great wines and are worth trying!

Time to crown a champion!

Super Bowl LI is February 5.

Of course, February is Black History Month, and one of the ways to recognize that is at the Penn State African American Music Festival February 9-11.

The festival concludes with a concert by Essence of Joy. 12 - T&G February 2017

We just welcomed in our 45th President recently, and we can recognize him and the others who proceeded him on Presidents’ Day February 20.

It’s Hollywood’s big night as the Oscar Awards take place February 26.

We’d like to think Rogue One has a chance for Best Picture, but the Force doesn’t seem strong there. T&G

People in the Community Martha (Marty) Adams

Martha (Marty) Adams, one of the pioneers in Penn State’s women’s athletics program, died on January 12 at the age of 90.

Adams was among the handful of faculty and administrators instrumental in the creation and implementation of varsity women’s athletics at Penn State, along with Della Durant, Lucille (Lu) Magnusson, Bob Scannell, and others.

Adams was a member of the Penn State staff from 1954 to 1987. She and Durant worked with Penn State faculty to create a program titled “Extramural Sports for Women,” which began in 1964 with field hockey and expanded to eight additional varsity sports within the next year.

“She was instrumental in laying the groundwork for a program that would become nationally recognized and admired,” former Penn State associate athletic director and senior woman administrator Sue Delaney-Scheetz said in a press release.

Brian Curtin

In January, Brian Curtin, a senior at State High, won Nittany Valley Symphony’s Ann Keller Young Soloist Competition. Curtin, a violinist, performed Concerto #2, Op. 7, Mvt. III, La Campanella by Nicole Paganini.

Curtin has been playing the violin since age 5 and currently studies with professor Max Zorin of the Penn State School of Music faculty. Prior to winning this year’s Ann Keller competition, Curtin won second place in 2015 and 2016, leading to two performances as soloist with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra. He is intending to major in both violin performance and engineering in college.

He will be the featured soloist at Nittany Valley Symphony’s family concert February 26 at Bellefonte Area High School.

Hari Osofsky

Hari Osofsky has been named the new dean of Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs, effective July 1. She replaces James Houck, retired vice admiral of the US Navy and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence who has been serving as dean in an interim capacity.

Osofsky comes to Penn State from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she served as Robins Kaplan Professor of Law, faculty director of the Energy Transition Lab, and director of the joint degree program in law, science, and technology.

“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as the dean of Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs at this leading public research university,” Osofsky said in a press release. “Technology, globalization, and the need of cross-cutting knowledge are fundamentally changing our society and the legal and international affairs professions. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues at these schools and across campus to develop innovating interdisciplinary research and educational programs that will benefit society.” T&G 14 - 2017 February T&G

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Q&A with Tyler Sperrazza, actor in Fuse Productions’ production of Cabaret

By David Pencek Fuse Productions continues its 2016-17 season with Cabaret, which runs February 16-18 at Schwab Auditorium. The show stars Tyler Sperrazza, who portrays Cliff, an American writer traveling through Berlin in the early 1930s. Originally from Niagara Falls, New York, Sperrazza is working on his PhD in history and African American studies at Penn State. He talked about performing in the wellknown musical and how the show still resonates today.

T&G: Cabaret is obviously one of the classic musicals and had a film adaptation. Is it tough to do something and bring a fresh take on a character that is so well known by people?

Sperrazza: Theater historian Marvin Carlson has this construction that he refers to as the “haunted stage,” which boils down to the idea that every actor, director, designer, and producer involved in a theatrical venture has to deal with the “ghosts” of previous performances of that work and works like it. Taking that to heart means seeing theater as one of the most “recycled” art forms, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Instead, you can bring richness to a character by finding bits and pieces you like from other iterations of that character or similar characters and infusing those gestures, tendencies, and affectations with your own personhood. I can’t perform Cliff as Bert Convy, John Hickey, or Michael York because I’m obviously not them; and no one will ever perform Cliff as I will. Instead, I think owning the fact that all theater is recycled in some way and seeing that as an opportunity to borrow and share from past performances while always maintaining your truth in relation to the character is such an exciting opportunity for exploration and experimentation.

T&G: Why do you think people have enjoyed Cabaret so much through the years?

Sperrazza: I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I know the initial draw for me was the music. [John] Kander and [Fred] Ebb’s score is absolutely masterful, and the melodies linger with you long after you’ve left the auditorium or turned off the film. But I think those catchy melodies serve a dual purpose, because as you are humming “Cabaret” or “Money” or “If You Could See Her,” you start to think about the lyrics, and the full weight of the show hits you yet again. It’s not an easy show. There are a lot of societal issues on which it reflects, and it often does so in a disorienting fashion.

I think audiences love catchy songs and skillful choreography, but I think they also like to be taken to places that challenge 16 - T&G February 2017

FUS E Prod uctio ns

KAN DER AND

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CABARET

book by Joe Masteroff

• music by John Kander • directed by Richard lyrics by Fred Ebb • based on a book written Biever • choreogr

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them. State College audiences in particular are incredibly intelligent and are willing to get in the ring and go toe-to-toe with actors, directors, and designers. They want to be challenged and made to feel disoriented because it forces them to reflect on their own decisions and actions, as well as the consequences of those decisions and actions.

T&G: Do you think the show still resonates today?

Sperrazza: Emphatically yes! Much has been said about the relevance of this show to the current political moment in the US, and I’m sure much more will be said about it during and after our run. But I’m a historian, and context matters. The US is not Germany in the 1930s. It is not the Roman Empire before the fall. It is currently experiencing its own unique moment in its own unique history within a large global context that is far different from either of those other examples. ... Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached multiple times that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and that fact marries beautifully with this show. … This is why I believe the show resonates in every time and place it is produced — it demands that its audience stay awake in order to witness the horror that can occur if they dare to fall asleep. T&G Fuse Productions’ production of Cabaret runs February 16-18 at Schwab Auditorium. For tickets and more information, visit fuseproductions.org.

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2017 February T&G - 17

This Monthtownandgown.com On

• In 5 Questions, Sean Fitz, editor of Lions 247, talks about Penn State football’s 2017 recruiting class.

• The Nittany Valley Society, in a conservation with NVS director Sean Clark, writes about the group’s efforts to maintain the Bellefonte resting place of Evan Pugh and help Penn Staters learn the remarkable story of the university’s founding president.

• A special recipe from Rusty Rail Brewing Company in Mifflinburg for braised pork osso bucco.

Penn State football head coach James Franklin looks to bring in a highly ranked recruiting class this year.

• Order your copy of Town&Gown’s 2016-17 Penn State Winter Sports Annual.

And more!

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

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @TownGownSC.

18 - T&G February 2017

T& G

living well

Making Every Day Valentine’s Day Simple ways to thrive in your relationships

By Meghan Fritz This month we celebrate Valentine’s Day, the one day we set aside each year to celebrate the many ways love comes into our lives. A day to take pause and let your honey-bunny know you still have the sweet sizzle for them.

Now don’t get me wrong, while I think it’s great to go all out on V-Day and get lost in the sugar rush of candy hearts, beautiful flowers, and romance, I have to ask the question: Why can’t we take time every day to nurture our relationships?

Day after day I work with couples who are desperate to find the magic formula to bring back the spark. They appear tired, frustrated, and hopeless. The only spark between them is one of resentment and bitterness.

The first question I usually ask is how often the couple spends quality time together. Let me be clear, quality time together is defined as: time without children or conversations about finances, a leaky roof, or the broken snow blower. This is a time that is dedicated to reconnecting, having some fun, and keeping the spark alive. The typical response I usually receive to this question is an eye roll and a sarcastic answer that goes something like this, “Quality time together? We have children and a home to take care of and jobs to do, we can’t even afford to go on a date right now!”

This is usually the time in the session when the couple joins together in shared animosity for me and decide I am delusional.

Unfortunately, it is the same scenario each time. Marriage. Children. Work.

Stress. Schedule. More Stress.

More Work. Strangers.

Time of death for the relationship, usually 10 to 15 years, depending on the couple.

Don’t wait until Valentine’s Day to make time to connect to the ones you love.

20 - T&G February 2017

Make an effort daily to nurture your relationship and watch the tension melt away day by day.

The difference between people who have rich relationships over mediocre ones is one word: effort. Would you ever leave the house without brushing your teeth? You take a little time daily to make the effort to take care of yourself because it’s part of the daily routine of life. This habit of self-care is automatic and requires no effort or thought.

Make nurturing your relationship a habit that you routinely honor.

Take the Love Challenge this month and do one thing a day to nurture your relationship. This exercise can be for any relationship, including the relationship you have with yourself!

The Love Challenge is this: take time daily to let someone you love (including yourself) know one thing you appreciate about them. This means without the distraction of the phone, TV, computer, pets, or children. Too often the day-to-day business leaves us looking into the eyes of the one we adore and letting

them know the garbage needs to be taken out and the mortgage is due. Don’t let your relationship be all about business. Kick it up a notch and let the fire between you burn instead of smolder.

In addition to letting your partner know what you appreciate about them daily, check in with them about their needs.

One of the first homework assignments I give in couples counseling is to ask the question, “What do you need from me today?”

This takes the guesswork out of trying to please your partner and helps you think about and identify more specifically what you really need. The answers can be simple: “I need you to be positive today. I need you to start dinner. I need a hug.” This exercise gets you in the flow of communicating, identifying your needs and honoring the needs of your partner.

You don’t get to be angry with each other if you have not stated clearly what you need.

This simple question can bring amazing clarity to a relationship that is stale and lifeless.

Taking the time to appreciate one another and communicate our needs daily has

the power to transform your relationship.

When we feel appreciated and heard, we feel more motivated, secure, lighter, and inspired. Love gives us the power to do better and stand taller. Why celebrate love one day a year when you can celebrate it every day of the year? The secret to successful relationships is that there is no secret! It takes a daily effort and commitment to keep your relationship alive, healthy, and interesting.

This Valentine’s Day take the Love Challenge to acknowledge your partner and yourself daily with praise and adoration. Don’t wait one day a year to honor your loved ones.

Remember, a little effort goes a long way. T&G Meghan Fritz is a psychotherapist practicing in State College.

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health

Stop the Sugar Diabetes prevention and treatment: The importance of a healthier you

By Virginia Wray, DO, CNSC Concerned about diabetes? Statistics confirm you should be. With 1.4 million new cases of type 2 diabetes being diagnosed annually in the US, if you are not affected, chances are someone you love is.

Developing diabetes mellitus can put someone at risk for a whole host of other serious medical problems. Increased blood sugars contribute to the clogging of small arteries that nourish the brain, eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes is a major player in strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness, and nontraumatic amputations. It also is very concerning that type 2 diabetes is occurring in younger ages, and we are seeing even children and teenagers developing this type of diabetes that we used to mainly see in older people.

Type 2 diabetes (90 percent of all diabetes cases) emerges from a combination of genetic and lifestyle issues. The good news is that studies confirm type 2 diabetes is largely preventable.

You can do it

The Diabetes Prevention Program (a study funded by the US government to see if and how type 2 diabetes can be prevented) found that the risk of type 2 diabetes can be cut by more than half by losing and keeping off about 5 percent of initial body weight and by exercising about 150 minutes weekly. So a 200-pound person who loses and keeps off 10 pounds and walks 30 minutes for five days per week can cut diabetes risk in half! That is very exciting.

So about losing that weight. One very effective way to lose weight and reduce the risk of diabetes is to stop using so much sugar. For a normal blood sugar of 80 to 100, that translates into just a little more than a teaspoon of sugar in the entire 1.5 gallons of 22 - T&G February 2017

Virginia Wray, DO, CNSC

blood supply in the body. One teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams. When someone downs a 12-ounce can of soda, they are driving 39 grams of sugar (about 10 teaspoons!) into their bloodstream. That is extremely stressful for the body, and the frequent pounding of high-sugar beverages (soda, sweet tea, energy drinks, lattes, and frappes, even juices touted to be “natural”) can put you at risk for diabetes, and that excess sugar will be stored in your body as fat.

Read your nutrition facts. If a packaged food or drink item has more than 12 grams of sugar, reject it. It is unreasonable to expect your body to deal with it.

We need to get back to fueling our bodies the way they were made. If you have not seen the “my plate” recommendations, check out choosemyplate.gov. We need to eat breakfast, lunch, and supper, and each meal needs a source of lean protein, half a plate of any fruit or vegetable combination, and just a quarter plate of grains/starches. Our snacks should include a fruit or veggie plus a lean protein. Limit the junk — you are worth more than junk!

Nutrition is, of course, an important element in the weight-loss journey, but it is only one part. In bariatric medicine, a newly introduced Mount Nittany Health

Wray can introduce weightmanagement techniques to patients.

Physician Group service, the focus is on overall metabolism — the key to achieving a healthier weight — and its contributing factors. Metabolism has essential supporting pillars, including sleep, hydration, physical activity, and nutritional needs. In addition, many medical issues can have adverse effects on metabolism. When carefully examined and personalized, attention can be given to identified elements in order to help patients achieve their healthy weight goals.

It also is very important to know your numbers, such as your fasting blood sugar and lipid profile (triglycerides, HDL, LDL), and see your doctor to determine your risks based on your medical history, family history, physical exam, and medications you are taking.

Whether you have diabetes or are at risk for it, taking steps toward weight loss (if you are overweight) and increasing your physical activity can go a long way toward living longer and better.

Need help getting started?

When many people think about this line of medicine, they immediately think of bariatric surgery, such as a gastric bypass procedure.

While surgery can be a part of the bigger picture in bariatric medicine, here at Mount

Nittany Health, I am happy to be introducing weight-management techniques that help patients better understand what their individual weight-loss and management needs entail — including diabetes management — and how to move forward, together, to achieve their unique goals.

Want to get started right away? Begin by keeping a daily food log, increase your intake of fruits and vegetables to five (or more) servings per day, start eating a healthy breakfast, drink plenty of water (not sugary beverages), and get a good night’s sleep. Get started on an exercise program that you feel is doable for you. Begin by taking the steps instead of the elevator or walking around the block before getting your mail. Every little bit helps in starting the journey to better health! T&G For more information on Mount Nittany Physician Group’s bariatric medicine, visit mountnittany.org/ bariatricmedicine.

Dr. Virginia Wray is board certified in family medicine and obesity medicine and provides complete medical weightmanagement services for adults and children.

2017 February T&G - 23

T& G

about town

History and Progress School district makes decision on old school building

By Nadine Kofman As everyone knows, football is seasonal, history isn’t.

But the decision on the Nittany Avenue school building wasn’t that simple.

The fate of the State College Area School District’s oldest recognized elementary school building (built in 1924 as its fifth- through eighth-grade “grammar school”) came to a vote early last month (January 9). There were two options for the building, whose last life (1965 to 2015) was as the school district’s administrative building: • Option A: It could be gutted to become the first onsite locker room for the Little Lion football team, whose home games are at adjacent Memorial Field.

• Option B: It would be demolished, replaced by a new locker room topped by an eastern “viewing plaza”

As part of a renovation project, the State College Area School District voted in January to demolish the former elementary school and administrative building, adjacent to Memorial Field on Nittany Avenue, that was built in 1924.

24 - T&G February 2017

patio with spectator restrooms — the culmination of a plan centering on the attractiveness/ safety and stormwater absorption of low-lying Memorial Field, which is not only the high school stadium but also downtown State College’s biggest green space and, as such, a possible place for community events.

Consistent with the school board’s 2015 assessment, the vote was for option B. On February 20, the board will hear public feedback on the selected design created by State College architectural firm Weber Murphy Fox. A new structure integrated with new home bleachers would provide good sightlines and plaza space, nearby concessions, and the possibility of future seating expansion beyond the coming 3,429, as well as closeness of the team locker room to the field.

State College borough had nixed the offer of acquiring and relocating the old Nittany Avenue building based on cost.

In 2015, school board meetings had been moved to the former Panorama Village Elementary School, a larger building “allowing for many more” district administrative offices.

“We had just outgrown it,” says school board president Amber (Cistaro) Concepcion of the old Nittany Avenue building.

Ironically, outgrowth had necessitated its construction.

At first, the 1897 Frazier State School held all grades. In 1914, high school students got a building of their own down the street. But with population increases, the Frazier Street building (“Fraser” today) was overwhelmed.

So across from the high school, at 131 West Nittany Avenue, a grammar school was built.

The brick building with symbols outlining the front door was designed by A. Lawrence Kocher, head of the Penn State architecture department. (Four years later, he was one of the advisors on Colonial Williamsburg.)

The final installation of this “central school area,” clustered not far from the heart of the downtown, was Memorial Field — once referred to as “the old sink hole” and then known as “the hollow.” Before sports, the parcel was a town dump. As school property, it changed in pursuits, becoming leveled for baseball in 1916. Memorial Field got its name in 1946; it was rededicated in 1993 to State High alumni veterans of all wars.

Today, that “central school area” is in the Holmes-Foster—Highlands Historic Neighborhood, appearing on the National Register of Historic Places. Noting “the intrinsic as well as economic benefits of historic preservation,” the Centre County Historical Society encourages “rehabilitation and adaptive reuse” for the school building, pointing to the former 1931 College Heights Elementary School. “It remains a vital part of the fabric of their neighborhood streetscape.”

Unlike the Frazier Street School, its former students can today mail letters at the succeeding US post office, but they can’t go home again. We all cling to places where we used to spend time — that can be tough for old-timers in a forwardthinking community such as State College.

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• • • In the 1950s, the eight-room Nittany Avenue School was for fifth- and sixth-graders. My early portrait of feminism was Mrs. Baney, my fifthgrade teacher, kicking a dodgeball in high-heeled red pumps during recess behind the building.

(My personal athletic ability is summed up in the scar I received from tripping and falling during an impromptu tag game.)

Even after I grew up, there were a few important visits back to the old school building. It was there that I was given perspective on schooldays.

Subbing in the 1970s as a reporter covering a school board meeting, I spoke afterward with gentlemanly John Kriner, the then principal of the then Westerly Parkway Junior High School (today’s South Building). As we chatted, I asked how he could possibly recall my first name; I hadn’t seen him since he was my eighth-grade science teacher in the former high school.

“You always remember the good students,” he replied pausing, “and the other kind.” (My attention stopped at the saber-toothed tiger.)

Truant-like, I sat in a “central office” hallway

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in the late 1990s, jotting down notes from antique school board minutes. Details would appear on the building’s “State College Historic Site” plaque that I had worked on. Ed Poprik, school district facilities director, was kind enough to loan an architectural drawing for the plaque.

• • • Demolition — following a public notice — and construction will get underway in May 2018, with completion anticipated December 2019.

In terms of a game, the decision has been a small chunk of school-district history versus progress. Fundamentals are unchanged.

Concepcion is a 1997 SCAHS graduate with a feel for history but a dedication to students and the school district’s impact on the community. Ten years ago, she and her family moved here from Washington, DC, in part, because of the kids.

She says, “It was the school district here that brought us back.” T&G Nadine Kofman is a native Centre Countian and historian.

T& G

on center

Roughing It

Wilderness journeys through the hearts of young people in distress

By John Mark Rafacz Holly DeMorro plays Chloe in the En Garde Arts production of Wilderness, which comes to Eisenhower Auditorium March 15.

Circus Oz makes its Penn State debut February 7 at Eisenhower Auditorium.

For some young people, life can seem like an endless ordeal.

A new multimedia play by En Garde Arts, the company that brought Basetrack Live to Penn State in 2014, juxtaposes projected interviews with real people and actors on stage to tell the stories of teenagers and young adults grappling with addiction, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

The show comes to Eisenhower Auditorium March 15.

“The title refers to a program for psychologically disturbed teenagers and young adults that gathers them in the outdoors for days or weeks of group therapeutic treatment,” writes Charles Isherwood of the New York Times. “But it also speaks to the idea that in contemporary culture, with its often fragmented families and onslaught of social media, kids today are navigating their way into adulthood in a world in which the old signposts have all but been obliterated, and the path has grown thick with thorny emotional underbrush. The result: anxiety, sadness, selfdoubt, addiction, and various other hard-to-vanquish demons.”

Wilderness shares the stories of six families, along with their therapists, on journeys to recovery. A folk music score accompanies the performers on stage.

Isherwood calls Wilderness, written by Seth Bockley and Anne Hamburger, “a terrific, moving new multimedia theater piece.”

“A smart ensemble of young actors turns the real-life stories of Hamburger’s research into an endearing constellation of high school kids in distress,” writes Miriam Felton-Dansky for the Village Voice.

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“The teens relate these stories in fragments, as they hike, set up camp, attend therapy sessions, and argue with their counselors,” Felton-Dansky writes.

“The program is demanding, beginning when the teens are ‘gooned’: kidnapped with their parents’ permission, then flown to a remote part of Utah, where they sleep on the ground and traipse through the backcountry with gear on their shoulders.”

Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State audience and program development director Amy Dupain Vashaw, who attended Wilderness a few months ago during its premiere in New York City, says the show opens up a discussion about teen mental health that needs to be heard and addressed.

“Wilderness serves as an apt metaphor for the families in this story,” she says.

“Yes, on the surface, it’s about families making the difficult decision to send their child to a wilderness therapy program, often for an extended period of time. But the parents, too, are in their own kind of wilderness, wandering in search of answers to help their children navigate tough situations.”

Center for the Performing Arts director George Trudeau, who’s also seen Wilderness, says the show is thought-provoking and emotional.

“It’s a powerful work of theater that touches people in profound ways,” he says, “given that most people have either a familial connection to mental health issues or know of someone — relative, friend, colleague — who does.” T&G Sandra Zaremba and Richard Brown sponsor the presentation. The William E. McTurk Endowment and the Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment also provide support.

Various engagement events are being planned in conjunction with the show. 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.

T& G

penn state diary

“Lair of the Lion” New book examines the history of football team’s home stadium Penn State University Archives (2)

By Lee Stout

Grandstands from New Beaver Field are joined to newly constructed stands at Beaver Stadium in 1960.

After a magical 2016 season that included a Big Ten championship and a thrilling Rose Bowl game, Penn State football fans are naturally looking forward to the first Saturday in September when Akron visits Beaver Stadium for the 2017 season opener.

This coming August also will be a time of anticipation for yours truly and Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering Harry H. West. We are coauthors of a book titled Lair of the Lion, a History of Beaver Stadium, which will become available at that time. I mentioned this project back in 2014 when I discussed the significance of football for the institution and how the game-day experience changed over more than 130 years.

Since the creation of Beaver Stadium in 1960, Penn State fans have become accustomed to the evolving success of the football program and regular expansions of the stadium. But there also is an earlier history of changes to the predecessors to Beaver Stadium that marks the growth of the sport from its small-college Pennsylvania roots to being an eastern power and periodic bowl game participant.

Penn State’s football venue has moved to completely new locations twice as well as seeing both increasing seating capacity and major projects to dramatically change the very nature of the stadium. But, in 2015, a master planning project for athletic facilities was announced, and the possibility of 30 - T&G February 2017

replacing the 55-year-old stadium was introduced. Master plans have always looked forward to possible futures, and Penn State has been doing them since 1907.

Perhaps a look back at that history, as we have traced it in Lair of the Lion, might be useful.

Penn State intercollegiate football, along with other outdoor sports and student activities such as class scraps, began informally on Old Main lawn. However, they soon moved to athletic grounds to the northeast of Old Main, with temporary bleachers there that sat about 100. In 1891 and 1893, Governor James A. Beaver secured state appropriations to grade the field for football and baseball, build a running track, and erect a grandstand. Old Beaver Field opened with a game against Pitt (then the Western University of Pennsylvania) in the fall of 1893.

It was named for the governor who secured the funding, and also was a long-time trustee and friend of the college and its students.

Penn State’s first campus master plan moved the field and its wooden grandstands in 1907-08 to the northwest corner of campus, where today’s Nittany Parking Deck sits. There, New Beaver Field’s grandstands expanded over 50 years from 500 to about 28,000 seats and changed from wood to steel between 1934 and 1939. By 1959, another move was necessary as the university’s growth could no longer accommodate sports fields in the center of campus.

The relocation to the east campus involved taking the steel grandstands apart, trucking them out to the present location, and reassembling and mating them to 16,000 newly constructed seats. Since that time, Beaver Stadium has grown by some extraordinary changes.

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A football scrimmage at Old Beaver Field, which opened in 1893.

The first major expansion in 1977-78 changed the stadium from a horseshoe to a bowl, adding some 16,000 seats. This unique project began with an engineering feat that had never been done to a stadium before or since. The existing 60,000 seats were lifted more than 12 feet by hydraulic jacks, and new concrete-based seats were inserted below the steel grandstands. In addition, a similar 40 rows were added at the south end, transforming the stadium into a bowl.

The addition of a deck at the north end in 1991, which added another 10,000 seats, posed its own engineering challenges when cracks appeared in the concrete members supporting the walkway to the upper deck. A fix was imperative — the safety of those in the new deck and those below it was essential. Fortunately, a solution was found, tested, and the deck opened without incident.

Finally, two south-end decks, luxury boxes on the east side, and enclosed spaces that transformed the stadium to a building were added in 2000-01. Unlike previous changes, this project extended through the 2000 season, requiring the accommodation of 100,000 fans in a construction site for that fall’s games.

The stories of these structural changes and more are the skeleton of the book as well as the milestones that mark the evolution of Penn State football. Both the growth of the stadium and what it has meant to Penn Staters for more than a century is a fascinating story. We hope you’ll like it. T&G Lee Stout is librarian emeritus, special collections for Penn State.

Julianna Razryadov: Up on the Rooftop After growing up in New York City, Julianna Razryadov attended Binghamton University, enjoying the green landscape that surrounds the smaller city. Now a doctoral candidate in horticulture at Penn State, her focus is on green roofs. “This is a good way to match the urban environment with the more expansive greenery and wildlife that I love,” she says.

Razryadov is impacting the University Park campus through her work on the HUB-Robeson Center’s new plant-covered green roof, put in place last year as part of the building expansion and a gift from the Class of 2014. The graduate student acted as an advisor for the project and planted her own experimental garden, focusing on expanding the diversity of green-roof species. Wild strawberry, bee balm, June grass, and other plants provide a complimentary flowering schedule that attracts pollinators and increases aesthetic appeal for human visitors to the rooftop sanctuary.

Her travels to New Zealand, Malaysia, and Switzerland — where at one point she helped hay a hundred-year-old green roof in Wollishofen — have informed Razryadov’s pursuit of the good green roof. “As urban environments get more dense and we get more concerned about their effects on the environment, people are realizing the many benefits of green roofs. They have so much potential.”

The Penn State Bookstore thanks Julianna Razryadov and all faculty, staff, and students who carry out the university’s mission every day.

www.psu.bncollege.com 814-863-0205 2017 February T&G - 31

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For those who have been a part of Thon, the experience can be life changing

By Jenna Spinelle 2017 February T&G - 33

By many accounts, Penn State IFC/ Panhellenic Dance Marathon (Thon) never really ends for dancers and Four Diamonds families. Sure, they may stop attending the annual 46-hour dance party, but the sentiment that comes with being part of the organization remains long after the final total is revealed.

From fund-raising pioneers to cancer survivors, these families continue to embody Thon today.

organizations — Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, respectively — were matched as a Thon fund-raising team.

As the story goes, Karen was on the dance floor of Thon 1985 during her freshman year at Penn State. Larry had returned from a last-minute canning weekend and entered the White Building just before the fund-raising total was announced.

“A whole carload of us showed up, and I finagled my way onto the dance floor. I guess you could say the rest is history,” Larry Larry and Karen Walker Walker says.

The Thon where Larry and Karen Walker Even though she met her husband at Thon, met in the 1980s is very different than what Karen Walker says the experience of dancing exists today. Instead of the sprawling arena in the event was one of the toughest things inside the Bryce Jordan Center, dancers she’s ever done. crammed into the White Building. Fund“I’ve had two kids, and physically that was raising came mainly from fraternities and harder than giving birth,” she says. “I didn’t sororities, and the event was officially called know what I was getting myself into and I the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance wasn’t prepared. They prepare you more now Marathon. And, thanks to the Walkers, the than they did back then.” organization was just beginning to dip its toes In 1989, the Alpha Sigma Phi and Alpha into the water of corporate fund-raising.

Sigma Alpha team became the first group Larry and Karen met when their to raise $100,000 in a single year. Today, all fund-raisers need to be approved by the Thon’s rules and regulations committee, As Penn State but that was not the case students (left), Larry in the 1980s when Greek and Karen Walker organizations were the only went canning to raise groups fund-raising. money for Thon.

“We treated it like a business and started down the path of corporate giving

34 - T&G February 2017

by getting Pepsi involved,” Larry Walker says. “We were very organized and gave away incentive prizes that got people to donate.”

That same competitive spirit applied to canning weekends.

“They’re not allowed to do it now the way we did it then,” Larry Walker says. “We would fight with other groups to can at the intersection of Route 202 and Route 1 in Philadelphia. Now all of that is planned out and there’s more oversight of the committees.”

While much has changed about the logistics surrounding Thon, its mission has not.

“The hook is the same now as it was then,” Karen Walker says. “Once you get involved, you’re hooked. It’s a great cause and huge community.”

Isabella Messina

Much like dancers maintain a community long after Thon weekend ends, Four Diamonds children build relationships that extend far beyond the confines of the Bryce Jordan Center.

Isabella Messina, 16, is a two-time cancer survivor and has attended Thon since 2004. She has been cancer-free since she was 6 and remains active with Thon even though she no longer receives funding from the Four Diamonds Fund.

“It ’s nice being able to give back to the organization that saved my life.”

Ashley Otstott Her fondest memory is attending Thon in 2008, not long after her leukemia relapse.

“I stood on my dad’s shoulders during the countdown to the final reveal,” says Messina, who is a student at State High. “The camera focused on me when everyone was singing ‘Hey Baby,’ and it was like the whole 14,000 people were singing to me.”

Messina’s mother, Renee, frequently speaks at Thon events. She tells new Four Diamonds families not to become too overwhelmed by the spectacle of the event during their first year.

“One thing that we do try to get across to the new families is that you have to pace yourself a little bit,” Renee Messina says.

A former Four Diamonds child, Isabella Messina continues to help with Thon efforts.

2017 February T&G - 35

“Don’t get caught up in the weekend and don’t feel like you have to do everything.”

Outside of Thon weekend, Isabella Messina says she sees many of her Four Diamonds friends at Camp Can Do, a summer camp for kids with cancer held in Mount Gretna. Like Thon, participants share a common bond.

“Everyone’s had cancer, so we have something in common,” she says. “Every year I’m surprised at how many new people are there who I’ve never met before.”

Now that she’s older, other activities are beginning to encroach on her involvement with Thon. This year, she faces a dilemma of how to attend Thon weekend and an out-oftown field hockey tournament.

Ashley Otstott is a Penn State student helping with Thon this year after spending more than a decade as a Four Diamonds child.

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“As the kids get older, they want to stay through the night at Thon,” Renee Messina says. “There’s an external conflict between activities and a lesson in time management.”

No matter how that conflict resolves, Isabella says she will cherish whatever time she gets to spend in the Jordan Center.

“I love the beginning and the end when we all stand up together and all sit down together,” she says. “You realize how many people are actually there.”

Ashley Otstott

Ashley Otstott has been involved with Thon for more than a decade, but will see the event in a new way this year.

The freshman at Penn State Harrisburg is a member of the organization’s Family Relations committee and will work with her first Thon family after spending more than a decade as Four Diamonds child herself.

“It’s exciting because I get to do both aspects of it,” she says. “I’m still a Four Diamonds child, but got to go canning for the first two weekends.

I still get to experience the Four Diamonds aspect and actually being a Thon student.”

In September 2001, Otstott, of Harrisburg, was diagnosed with leukemia two days before her fourth birthday. She recently celebrated 13 years of being cancer-free. She keeps in touch with many of her Four Diamonds friends through social media and looks forward to their annual in-person reunion each February.

She plans to major in human development and family studies at Penn State and hopes to work with kids one day — just as the Four Diamonds staff worked to help her.

“It’s nice being able to give back to the organization that saved my life,” she says.

She says the younger generation of Thon families are in good hands with the students volunteering for the organization today. Having been cancer-free for most of her life, she offers hope to families who are in the midst of a diagnosis or relapse.

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“It’s definitely a great place to forget about everything you’re going through for a short weekend,” she says. “The students who volunteer are very dedicated to what they do. Families should never give up hope and take things one day at a time, and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

Emily Whitehead

One of the most famous stories to come out of Thon, the Whiteheads of Philipsburg have grown into ambassadors for raising awareness for pediatriccancer research.

Emily Whitehead, 11, has been cancer-free for four years. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during Memorial Day Emily Whitehead has been cancerfree for four years after being the first child to receive T-cell treatment for leukemia.

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weekend in 2010 when she was 5 years old. After several relapses, she became the first child to receive T-cell treatment for leukemia in 2012.

Her story has appeared in the New York Times, Forbes magazine, and a Ken Burns documentary. She’s been recognized on the streets of New York City and met celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

The Four Diamonds Foundation paid for much of her early treatment, and she remains close with her Thon organization, the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Her parents, Tom and Kari, receive several phone calls each week from families whose children were recently diagnosed with cancer and are looking for ideas on how to cope.

“Another Thon family just called me and said they had seen us at a lot of Thon events but didn’t realize who we were, and their son is getting the T cells right now,” Tom Whitehead says. “We are getting several calls a week from new cancer patients.”

A frequent concern they hear from parents who are considering attending Thon with their child who has cancer is they are worried about their children being around so many people in the middle of winter and getting sick as a result.

The Whiteheads’ answer? Scary as the thought may seem, it’s well worth it.

“The doctors do everything in their power to discharge as many patients as possible for that weekend so they can make the trip to State College,” Tom Whitehead says. “The morale boost they get there is worth the risk.”

“May 10 will be five years that I’m cancer-free, so I am really looking forward to May 10!”

Whitehead just before she had her T-cell treatment in 2012.

Emily Whitehead

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That boost can come from people such as Emily, who have beaten cancer. She remembers talking with another young girl who was battling the disease.

“Kaitlyn had beautiful, blonde, curly hair and was worried about losing it,” she says. “I told her I lost my hair, and she didn’t worry about it anymore.”

Whitehead chronicles her journey on her blog, and the family is working with a production company on a full-length documentary about her journey.

“May 10 will be five years that I’m cancer-free, so I am really looking forward to May 10!” Emily says.

The Whiteheads also started a foundation to spread awareness about pediatric T-cell therapy and provide assistance to families who are not supported by the Four Diamonds Foundation as they were.

“Everyone has gone over and above to support us,” Tom Whitehead says. “We have never seen the kind of support that Central Pennsylvania brought to her.

We want to give back and give to other patients so all kids can come home healthy and happy.” T&G Jenna Spinelle is a freelance writer and journalism instructor in State College.

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Thon & the Four Diamonds Fund A 40-year perspective

By Rob Schmidt February marks an important milestone as the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon kicks off for the 45th time. Even more significant is this year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Thon’s partnership with the Four Diamonds Fund.

I wandered into my first Thon in 1978, the final year in a packed HUB Ballroom. I watched students doing the line dance to the music from Saturday Night Fever, a hugely popular movie released only weeks earlier. Rules and Regulations Committee members were moving around the floor penalizing, and often disqualifying, dancers who failed to keep their feet moving. When the dancing stopped Sunday at 7 p.m., the dancers collapsed to the floor. Co-chairs Bob Bickhart and Jimmy Cefalo announced the final total — $52,800 for the Four Diamonds Fund.

The 1978 Thon was modest by today’s standards, but arguably the most significant year in the event’s history. Month’s earlier, the Overall Committee (now known as the Executive Committee) voted unanimously to make the Four Diamonds Fund, a fledgling charity that received proceeds from the prior year’s event, its permanent beneficiary. Regrettably, weeks later, while on a trip to Hershey to present the check, one of those committee members, Kevin Steinberg, was killed in a car accident.

I first met Four Diamonds Fund founders Charles and Irma Millard while taping a documentary for my broadcast journalism class.

Charles made a comment that sticks with me to this day — “When you lose a parent, you lose the memories of your past. When you lose a child, you lose the possibilities of the future.”

As a father of two healthy children, I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a child.

That, more than all else, has motivated me to stay involved for the past 40 years.

Anyone who has never been to Thon should witness the Family Hour — an emotion-filled, 60-plus minutes where families share their stories of triumph and, for many, stories of tragedy. You’ll hear from survivors such as Aubrey Minnaugh Mora, a Four Diamonds Child whose leg was amputated at a young age. She is now a 30-year-old mother giving back as a social worker at the Four Diamonds Fund. You’ll also hear gut-wrenching stories from parents whose child has lost their battle with cancer and are now “Angels among us.”

You can watch Family Hour, and all 46 hours, on a live feed available at thon.org.

Thon has grown from the HUB Ballroom to the Bryce Jordan Center, from a Greek event to a university-wide event, from a few thousand dollars a year to millions raised, from helping a handful of families defray travel and lodging costs to making sure families never see a medical bill or spend one penny on their child’s care.

The Four Diamonds Fund is now a worldrenown organization thanks to the students at Penn State, whose energy and dedication are inspired by these brave young children and their families.

Yes, the Four Diamonds Fund would not be what it is today without Thon, but clearly Thon would not be what is today without the Four Diamonds Fund. T&G

Town&Gown publisher Rob Schmidt (left) with Four Diamonds Fund cofounder Charles Millard.

Rob Schmidt is publisher of Town&Gown and director emeritus of the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group.

2017 February T&G - 41

Meg Weidenhof of Tait Farm harvests the last of the farm’s leek crop for retail and winter storage.

Opposite page, Jason Coopey of Way Fruit Farm prunes one of the farm’s 20,000 apple trees.

42 - T&G February 2017

There’s Work to be

Done in Winter Even with the end of the popular fall festival season and fewer farmers’ markets, local farmers maintain busy schedules during the cold-weather months

By Mike Dawson P h o t o g r a p hy by D a r r e n A n d r ew We i m e r t

2017 February T&G - 43

Contributed photo

Over two weekends each October, people from across the area head to Way Fruit Farm’s pumpkin patch. It’s a busy time and place for bucolic Stormstown. Hundreds of cars make temporary parking spaces in the dirt along state Route 550. Area police stop traffic so the steady stream of would-be pumpkin-pickers can cross the road to get in line for a tractor to haul them to the patch.

While waiting for a tractor, some pay a buck to slingshot a few apples at an old pickup truck. There’s also a craft fair, a petting zoo, and the farm’s store that sells their produce and locally grown meats, fruits, vegetables, and more.

When the pumpkin-seeking crowds are long gone and the cold weather of winter begins to set in, the work on this farm and others in Centre County still must go on.

“We don’t slow down at all,” says Jason Coopey, co-owner at Way Fruit Farm. “We have so much that we need to get done over the winter.”

In the winter months, farmers tend to their land, animals, and crops, which is integral to keeping their operations going. Here is a look at what some local farmers say keeps them busy this time of year.

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At Way Fruit Farm, the signature commodity crop is the apple. More than 1 million pounds of the fruit are harvested for sale from 20,000 trees each year. The picking starts in August, and the 21 varieties — gala, McIntosh, honeycrisp, granny Smiths, to name a few — are for sale inside the store here.

The upkeep of the orchard trees that are spread over 130 acres, much of which is on Skytop Mountain, is what Coopey says is job No. 1 in the winter.

Coopey, his wife, Meg, and two others hand-prune the 20,000 apple trees. The pruning began in November, once the fall festivals are over, and it will carry on through April.

Pruning, Coopey says, makes it easier to pick the apples the next fall. It also helps keep the trees at the size to grow the best fruit possible.

“Trees are solar panels,” he says. “They’re using the sun’s energy to make fruit. You want as much of that tree to be in that sun as possible. You want that sunlight to penetrate throughout everything, and that’s what’s going to give you better color.”

Pruning isn’t quick — Coopey says it could take 20 to 30 minutes just to prune one tree.

The larger trees take longer, possibly an hour.

Most of Way Fruit Farm’s apples are grown to be sold at the store, which is open six days a week year-round.

“Apples are a great wintertime fruit,” Coopey says. “It stores naturally. It’s something people can have all winter long.”

Additionally, the farm sells wholesale to some local school districts, such as Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte Area, and West Branch in Clearfield County.

About two miles east of Rebersburg, off state Route 192, there’s Lyn Garling, someone who had always wanted to be a farmer since she was a child. Her dream did not materialize until 1998 when she bought a small five-acre farmstead and 21 acres of crop fields in this area of Penns Valley with its Amish farms, horses and buggies, and country air. She transformed the fields into pastures for grazing, and that is how Over the Moon Farm, a 26-acre grassbased organic farm, came to be.

Opposite page, from left, Lyn Garling cares for the feeder pigs at her farm near Rebersburg. Some of the more than 1 million pounds of apples that are harvested at Way Fruit Farm in Stormstown. The Harpster brothers — (from left) Abe, Aaron, and Andy — own Evergreen Farms in Spruce Creek.

“It was kind of a latent dream for some time,” says Garling, who started the farm while working full time at Penn State. She retired from that job at the end of 2016 and now focuses on just the farm.

She produces pasture-raised chickens, turkeys, and pigs to be butchered for their meat. The chickens are sold fresh May through October, and the turkeys are sold right before Thanksgiving. In 2014, she starting keeping pigs in the winter, in addition to the other seasons of the year.

“There’s quite a big demand for our natural pork, so we’ve had to grow pigs year-round,” she says of the local market.

She buys what are called feeder pigs in the fall, when they weigh about 40 pounds.

She will keep around 30 to grow during the winter until they get to 250 to 280 pounds.

Then, she will send them in two groups to be butchered, one in February and the other in March.

2017 February T&G - 45

Evergreen Farms has 2,500 cows that produce 10 million gallons of milk each year.

She feeds her animals non-GMO feed that’s sometimes also organic. She avoids antibiotics, although pigs sometimes need to be wormed while living outside.

“They don’t get any nonfood additives in their feed. People really want and like natural pork for different reasons,” she says. “Some customers

like how we treat the pigs. Others are more concerned about the pigs’ diet.”

Over the winter, the pigs stay in an indoor facility on the farm, where they can stay warm and dry and have room to move around. She calls it a “giant day care” for pigs.

“Pigs are quiet, playful animals, but they don’t like to be crowded,” she says.

“However, many people don’t like to raise pigs in the winter.

It’s much more work and they also eat more because they need to stay warm.”

Garling’s cuts of pork are sold directly to customers as pork chops, roasts, spare ribs, bacon, many kinds of sausages, and more.

She attends the Boalsburg Farmers’ Market

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year-round and the North Atherton Farmers’ Market in the summer.

When their 2,500 cows are producing 10 million gallons of milk a year, there’s no time to slow down at Evergreen Farms, a dairy farm owned by brothers Abe, Andy, and Aaron Harpster that is one of the largest in the state.

They manage about 7,000 acres, the majority of which are in Huntingdon County but also in Ferguson and Halfmoon townships in Centre County.

“We have to feed, milk, and take care of cows every day of the year — Christmas, New Year’s, Fourth of July. It doesn’t change,” says Abe Harpster.

The farm employs about 90 full-time workers, many of whom are involved in animal care.

While care is an essential part of running the farm all year, it is especially important in the winter.

“The worst thing in the winter is long periods of high wind or extreme cold,” Andy Harpster says. “We can take a day or two of real cold, but if it’s extended, it can really impact the production of the animals.”

Celebrating Our 90 th Year

Cows will divert their nutrients to maintaining their bodies and produce less milk. It could be as much as 10 percent of a cow’s normal production.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time, and we’re pretty well equipped to manage through,” Andy Harpster says. “We’re pretty good at alleviating that by knowing ahead of time.”

When the temperature drops below 25 degrees, crews check that the cows’ water isn’t frozen or that anything could be frozen and prevent the cows from being able to eat or drink.

It’s not just the temperature the Harpsters have to worry about in the winter — snow also presents obstacles. If milk trucks can’t get to the farm to pick up the milk to be processed because of snow on the roads, the Harpsters have to figure a way to get the milk to the milk plant.

Just as adverse weather in the winter can affect the farm’s operations, harsh summers can have the same impact. Abe Harpster says the farm harvests much of its corn, which is used to feed the animals. They use the rest of the plant to create a bedding called corn fodder that’s used to keep the cows warm. If the harvest is low and they have fewer corn plants, they won’t have

Bellefonte Intervalley Area Chamber Volunteer Fair!

March 11th, 2017 10 AM to 2 PM

American Philatelic Society at the Match Factory in Bellefonte This free event offers the public a way to conveniently speak with many community service organizations that need volunteers - making it easy to see what is available and to find a volunteer opportunity that matches the interests and time available of each person or family.

PLUMBING • HEATING • AIR CONDITIONING HEAT PUMPS • SPRINKLER SYSTEMS • MEDICAL GAS

Serving the Centre Region since 1927 814.355.4841 www.josephhazelinc.com HIC# PA 012698

2017 February T&G - 47

David Hopey of Tait Farm builds a partition in a greenhouse to promote efficiency and cut heating costs for the farm’s seeding production.

as much corn to make fodder. Then, they have to buy it, which is an added expense.

This past summer was particularly acute, Harpster says.

“We lost about 50 percent of our crop due to a lack of rain,” he says. “It’s been a tough year for the farmers of Central Pennsylvania.”

Evergreen Farms’ milk goes into a variety of products, such as cheese for pizza, yogurt, milk powder for export, and infant formula that is sold across the northeast. The farm is a member of the co-op DFA, which owns the Borden Label.

Similar to operations at Evergreen, there’s no letting up this time of year at Tait Farm, a mixed vegetable farm on US Route 322 between Boalsburg and Potters Mills. This past January marked the start of its fifth growing season.

Here, they grow year-round 50 to 60 different kinds of vegetables and herbs and sell the produce at the Tait Farm Harvest Shop and the Friends and Family Cooperative online farmers’ market. Everything is certified organic by Pennsylvania Certified Organic.

48 - T&G February 2017

Farm manager David Hopey says that in the winter the farm mainly grows leafy greens, such as spinach, arugula, scallions, leeks, and more.

They’re planted inside hoop houses or low tunnels, which are covered from the elements and do not require supplemental heat.

In addition, Hopey says, the farm is preparing root crops grown in the fall, mainly carrots and beets, for sale. Typically, there are enough of those crops to sell through May, when the farm is producing spring root crops.

While the winter doesn’t see as much of a workload at Tait, Hopey says there’s still plenty to do to keep things running, including preparing produce orders and the community-supported agriculture distributions, annual equipment maintenance, and determining crop rotations and how much to plant the next season.

And, of course, this season’s most important task, says Hopey: “Taking advantage of the reduced workload in winter to rest, spend time with family, and prepare for the next growing season.” T&G Mike Dawson is a freelance writer who lives in State College.

The fight against breast cancer continues!

Be sure to check out Town&Gown’s Pink Zone 2017!

Town&Gown’s

2017

The Tie That Binds Katie Anderson-Wheeler, Heather Sanford, and Marjorie Miller are examples of the strength shown by breast-cancer survivors

• The PA Pink Zone welcomes its new director, Erin Tench.

• The Pink Zone game has a special meaning for several Penn State Lady Lions.

• Pennsylvania becomes first state to have 3D mammograms covered by insurance.

Pick up Town&Gown’s Pink Zone 2017 • Survivor profiles. at this year’s Pink Zone game on And more!

February 26!

Special Advertising Section - 101

50 - T&G February 2017

For 50 years Park Forest Preschool has helped families in need by providing free early childhood education

By Jennifer Miller

2017 February T&G - 51

A

n academic institution in State College has positively impacted generations of students and their families — but it’s not just the institution that may first come to mind.

There’s the alumna who could not live with her mother full time because she was unable to provide proper care. But she had good mentors, did well in school, and is now a student at Penn State.

There’s the mother of two alums who attended the school’s parenting classes regularly and furthered her own education.

Today, she’s an administrator at Penn State.

There’s the alum from a low-income, singleparent home who was led by a supportive mother and is now a student at Penn State.

For 50 years, Park Forest Preschool has provided free early childhood education to families in need. Since 1967, nearly 1,000 local toddlers have attended the school strictly because of one revenue stream: donations.

From the classroom-space donation by Park Forest United Methodist Church to contributions from individuals, faith

communities, civic organizations, and the Centre County United Way, gifts are what allow school leaders to meet the needs of families across Centre County, including State College, Bellefonte, Pleasant Gap, Centre Hall, Port Matilda, and Boalsburg.

“We want to reach those children and families who want to send their children to school but just aren’t able to find the funds to do so,” says Barbara Geist, school director.

“We want all children in our area to be able to receive an early childhood education.”

With classes for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds, the ultimate goal is to prepare children for kindergarten. The school’s curriculum includes traditional academics, following Pennsylvania’s early learning standards, as well as an emphasis on social and emotional skills, language and literacy, self-help skills, large and small motor development, and self-confidence.

“We believe that a child’s social and emotional well-being is equally important to being successful in school and later on in life, so we spend time helping children recognize their feelings, the feelings of others, and how to express those feelings in an appropriate manner,” Geist says. “Our overall goal is that children in our program are as equally prepared for kindergarten as any other child attending

School director Barbara Geist

Board chair Gail Addison Guss 52 - T&G February 2017

other programs in our area.”

A board of directors is responsible for the school’s finances and makes recommendations to the director. Board chair Gail Addison Guss worked in early childhood education for more than 30 years.

“Research has shown over the last 10 to 15 years that a quality early childhood education experience is foundational for a child’s learning throughout elementary school, high school, and college along with holding down a job and staying out of prison,” she says. “It’s a good investment.”

A GRASSROOTS EFFORT One Sunday in the 1960s, Art Williams, member of Park Forest United Methodist Church, invited fellow members to his home to develop a community outreach initiative for the church.

Norma Woika attended that meeting along with many others who brainstormed possible efforts, such as planting a community garden or throwing birthday parties for the elderly.

“Then Art said, ‘I think we should be thinking about the children,’ ” Woika recalls. “And we all looked at him thinking there are no children we have to worry about in State College; everyone here has a good job. … But as we looked into it we realized there was a need.”

Woika, who is still a member of the church 50 years later, volunteered to meet with families who could benefit from a free-tuition preschool, originally named Park Forest Village Day Nursery.

She filled them in on what the school would offer: a ride to the school and back, breakfast and lunch, and instruction from a certified teacher.

Norma Woika

On March 18, 1967, the school opened with 15 children for a 10-week spring session, with one room for instruction and another for dining and playing.

Woika arrived that morning to make breakfast for the children, assuming she would serve toast and milk, something simple for so many students.

Instead, she learned a dietician had offered guidance, and she was asked to make Cream of Wheat, something she had never previously cooked.

“I didn’t know what to do. I found the biggest pot and made half of a box,” Woika says. “We had so much Cream of Wheat, and no one ate.

Our first meal was a disaster!”

Quickly, founders worked out the kinks. In its second year, the school expanded to offer two 4-year-old sessions for 12 weeks. In September 1968, the school began offering fall classes.

Along the way, parent classes, visual screening services, and dental exams were incorporated.

In 1969, a 3-year-old class was added. In 1993, the school added a 2-year-old program.

Today, the school offers free tuition; breakfast and lunch daily; health screenings, including dental, vision, developmental, and speech; a clothing bank for children; holiday food gift boxes

2017 February T&G - 53

for students and their families; emergency funds for parents; a weekly parenting class; and outdoor and indoor play areas. All classes meet for half-days.

The school recently added an extended day option for 3- and 4-year-olds.

“No one thought it was needed in State College. I know it’s hard to believe when you think you live in a town where everything is perfect. But then when you see this, it makes you feel good that you are able to help,” Woika says.

“I hope when the children go on to school they’re comfortable with their situation at the school and they don’t think they are different. I hope they can go in and be part of the gang and just enjoy school and their school work.”

Heather Fields

HEAD OF THE CLASS Heather Fields, instructor for the 2-year-old class, has a natural ability to connect with her students. Gloria Horst-Rosenberger, who directed the school for 23 years, hired Fields as an assistant teacher and promoted her to teacher.

“I am so pleased that she has the gift of understanding 2-year-olds and is self-educating.

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

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Free Heat • Free Cooking Gas • Free Parking • Free Basic Cable High Speed Internet • Furnished or Unfurnished Apts.

On CATA Bus Routes R, RC and RP Grocery Shopping Across the Street • 24-hour Maintenance On-Site Laundry & Management Office • Tennis and Basketball

238-2600 • 424 Waupelani Drive Open Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-3 • www.lionsgateapts.com lionsgateapts@lionsgateapts.com

54 - T&G February 2017

She is so passionate about being a good teacher that she does a lot of learning on her own,” HorstRosenberger says. “She is a good motherly figure to these children, and she is able to direct them to follow through with instructions without a negative approach.”

What also may help Fields connect with her students and their parents is that she is an alum of Park Forest Preschool. In 1987, Fields was a student in the 4-year-old class. Just a toddler, her memories are vague; however, she recalls being happy in school, going on field trips, playing with cool toys, and eating good food.

Fields, a mother of two, takes her job seriously as she prepares young children for their education beyond preschool, whether it’s learning their colors, managing their emotions, or teaching them

Gloria Horst-Rosenberger

skills to help them build positive relationships with others.

“The kids make you feel good about yourself and as though you’re actually doing something important in society by teaching them how to be kind to one another and show compassion and empathy,” she says. “If everyone in the world could be kind to one another, think about how much better the world could be.”

Give Kids a Smile & Vision For The Future Day

April 7, 2017 FREE – Dental Care FREE – Vision Exam FREE – Hearing Exam For qualified children ages 1 – 18 in need of dental and vision care Call CVIM at 814.231.4043 for an application Applications are due by March 24th

2520 Green Tech Drive State College, PA 16803 814.231.4043 www.cvim.net 2017 February T&G - 55

A BLESSING FOR PARENTS For parent Kerri Sanchez, she sees how her son has grown since enrolling at Park Forest Preschool.

“I have seen him change dramatically. He is more social and wants to do more, like read.

It’s just been great. He talks about school all of the time, and he loves his teachers,” she says.

Gail Catalano not only appreciates the school preparing her great-grandson for kindergarten but she also is grateful that teachers were able to identify his speech issue.

“The teachers, because they are trained professionals, can pick up on an issue and tell us how to get help,” she says. “After one summer [of speech therapy], they couldn’t believe the difference in my great-grandson’s speech.”

Heather Herncane, who has two children enrolled at the preschool, also noticed a dramatic change in her son.

“When he came here he had a complete turnaround. He is just a more vibrant child.

The change was immediate. It was love at first sight, and he just shined,” she says.

A weekly parenting class, facilitated by Connie Schulz with the State College Area School District, supports parents such as Sanchez, Catalano, and Herncane.

56 - T&G February 2017

“The older you get the more you realize the importance of families, and part of what we do is not only for the children but we also try to support parents to help them to have strong families,” Guss says, “because the research tells us that’s important in terms of helping children be successful.”

Herncane adds, “It takes a village to do anything; to live, it takes other people. That’s what this school has been. They provide everything that you need. I’m a big advocate of education. Everything comes back to education. Education is a basic need that everybody deserves.” T&G For more information on Park Forest Preschool, visit parkforestpreschool.org.

Jennifer Miller works at Penn State. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies at West Chester University and a master’s degree in public affairs reporting at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

This Month Spy in the Wild, a NATURE Miniseries

on

Wednesdays, at 8 p.m.

For additional program information, visit wpsu.org

Conversations Live! Resilience Thursday, February 23, at 8 p.m.

Host Patty Satalia leads a discussion on resilience.

To join the conversation, email questions to connect@wpsu.org, tweet @WPSU with the hastag #WPSUconversations, or call 1-800-543-8242 during the program.

More than 30 animatronic “spy cameras” disguised as animals secretly record animal behavior in the wild. These Spy Creatures reveal that animals show emotions and behavior similar to humans — a capacity to love, grieve, deceive, cooperate, and invent.

February 1 February 8 February 15 February 22 March 1

WPSU Celebrates Black History Month

Love Intelligence Friendship Bad Behavior Meet the Spies

Peace Officer

Thursday, February 16, at 8 p.m.

Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP® Sunday, February 5, at 7 p.m.

Smokey Robinson: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Friday, February 10, at 10 p.m.

African American Museum Sunday, February 12, at 7 p.m.

Explore the increasingly militarized state of American police as told through the story of William “Dub” Lawrence, a former sheriff who established and trained Utah’s first SWAT team only to see that same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later.

Stay tuned after the documentary broadcast for a panel discussion on documentary and gun violence issues. Submit your questions by email to connect@ wpsu.org, or tweet @WPSU.

wpsu.org U.Ed. OUT 17-0011/17-PSPB-TV-000

Liberty & Slavery: The Paradox of America’s Founding Fathers Sunday, February 19, at 7 p.m.

Maya Angelou: American Masters Tuesday, February 21, at 8 p.m.

Africa’s Great Civilization Monday–Wednesday, February 27–March 1, at 9 p.m.

Holding History: The Collections of Charles L. Blockson Watch online at wpsu.org/blockson

FEBRUARY

21st

JUNE 1 LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED

JUNE 2

Bryce Jordan Center

February

3 Brantley Gilbert 7 p.m.

4 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Rutgers 1 p.m.

7 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Maryland 7 p.m.

8 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Minnesota 7 p.m.

11 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Purdue 2 p.m.

12 The Original Harlem Globetrotters 4 p.m.

17-19 Thon 6 p.m.

21 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Purdue 6 p.m.

26 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Michigan TBA 28 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Ohio State 8:30 p.m.

60 - T&G February 2017

T& G

February

what's happening

10

ClearWater Conservancy holds its annual Art & Chocolate Winter Gala at the Ramada Inn in State College.

17-19

14-25 Penn State Centre Stage presents American Idiot at the Playhouse Theatre.

19 It’s the annual Thon weekend as Penn State students raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund and to help in the fight against pediatric cancer.

22

The Penn State women’s basketball team hosts Michigan in its annual Play 4 Kay game benefitting Pink Zone.

Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra presents “Mostly Mozart,” featuring clarinetist Moran Katz, at the Bellefonte Area High School.

25 Local artists perform "Keepin’ It Country" at the State Theatre in a benefit concert for Hearts for Homeless.

To have an event listed in “What’s Happening," e-mail dpenc@barashmedia.com.

2017 February T&G - 61

Children & Families 1, 6, 8, 13, 15 – Baby & Me Lapsit, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 9:30 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

1, 6, 8, 13, 15 – Baby & Me Movers, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 10:15 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

1, 6, 8, 13, 15 – Tales for Two, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

2 – Pajama Concert, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4 – Block Party, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4, 11, 25 – World Stories Alive, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Stories for Little Eyes and Ears: One book + one work of art, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 11 a.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

7, 14 – 3s, 4s, 5s Storytime, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 9:30 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

7, 14 – Everybody Storytime, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 10:30 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

7, 14, 21 – Toddler Learning Centre, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 9:15 or 10:30 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

11, 25 – Elementary Explorers, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

12 – For the Love of Reading, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

18 – Saturday Stories Alive, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

26 – Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

Classes & Lectures 1 – “Rape, Racism, and Healthy Masculinity: How Are They Connected,” HUB-Robeson Center, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

4 – Gadgets for Grownups: Android Basics, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 10:30 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

5 – Docent Choice Tour: “Rembrandt Peale and His Contemporaries” by Kathy Burnham, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 2 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

62 - T&G February 2017

6 – Leadership Centre County Transformational Leadership Series: “Planned Giving” by Tony Simon, Diane Allen Jordan, Keith Cook, Central PA Convention & Visitors Center, PSU, 5:15 p.m., leadershipcentrecounty.org.

7 – Penn State Forum Speaker Series: “Collections, Computers, and Craft: An Artistic Practice Fueled by Yard Sales and 3D Printing” by Rebecca Strzelec, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, PSU, 11:30 a.m., sites.psu.edu/forum.

7, 21 – “A Joint Venture,” information session on hip or knee replacement, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 11 a.m. Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Feb. 21, 278-4810.

10 – Gallery Talk: “A Kaleidoscope of Color: Studio Glass at the Palmer” by Joyce Robinson, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

12 – Docent Choice Tour: “The Ashcan School” by Sue Hutchison, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 2 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

17 – Gallery Talk: “Through the Eyes of Children: Playfulness in Contemporary Art” by Hayon Park, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

19 – Docent Choice Tour: “The Figure in Twentieth-Century American Art” by Dotty Ford, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 2 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

21 – Straight Talk: “Mindfulness” by Peter Montminy, Mount Nittany Middle School, SC, 7 p.m., scasd.org/straighttalk.

23 – Jana Marie Foundation presents Mokita Dialogues: “The Power of Dialogue,” New Leaf Initiative, SC, noon, janamariefoundation.org.

24 – Paper Views Conversation: “Photogravure: Process and Poetry” by Jean Sanders, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 1 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

26 – Docent Choice Tour: “Contemporary Studio Glass” by Susan McCartney, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 2 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Club Events 1, 15 – Outreach Toastmasters, The 329 Building, Room 413, PSU, noon, kbs131@psu.edu.

2, 9, 16, 23 – State College Downtown Rotary, Ramada Inn & Conference Center, SC, noon, centrecounty.org/rotary/club/.

2, 9, 16, 23 – Comics Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 3:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Chess Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Go Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

6, 20 – Knitting Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 5:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

7, 14, 21, 28 – State College Rotary Club, Nittany Lion Inn, PSU, 5:30 p.m., statecollegerotary.org.

8 – Women’s Welcome Club of State College, Oakwood Presbyterian Church, (not affiliated) SC, 7 p.m., womenswelcomeclub.org.

8 – 148th PA Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Group, Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, SC, 7:30 p.m., 861-0770.

9, 23 – Schlow Stitchers, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 5:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

14 – Nittany Valley Writers’ Network, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

15 – CR Active Adult Center Book Club, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Taylor, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 12:15 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

18 – Boardgame Meetup, Schlow Centre Region Library, 10 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

18 – Lego Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

20 – Parrot Owner’s Group, Perkins, SC, 7 p.m., 237-2722.

21 – Evening Book Club: Truly Madly Guilty

by Liane Moriarty, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

22 – Afternoon Book Club: A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

22 – Applique Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6 p.m., 237-0167.

26 – Mother/Daughter Book Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

Community Associations & Development 16 – CBICC Membership Recognition Night, BJC, PSU, 5 p.m., cbicc.org.

21 – Spring Creek Watershed Association, Patton Township Municipal Building, SC, 7:30 a.m., springcreekwatershed.org.

22 – Patton Township Business Association, Patton Township Municipal Building, SC, noon, 237-2822.

Exhibits Ongoing-February 26 – Art Heim/Brenda Horner, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon-4:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

Ongoing-February 26 – Artwork by William “Billy” Mills: Special Gifts and Special Needs, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon-4:30 p.m. Fri.Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

Ongoing-March 2 – He Called Me Sexy Baby … But My Name Is Helen, HUBRobeson Galleries, PSU, studentaffairs.psu.edu/ hub/artgalleries.

Ongoing-May 7 – Eva Watson-Schutze: Pictorialist Portraits, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m.

Sun., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-May 14 – Contemporary Studio Glass, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-May 14 – Morris Blackburn: Prints and Paintings in Process, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

3-26 – Lisa Beightol, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon-4:30 p.m.

Fri.-Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

3-26 – Pauleete Berner, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon4:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

3-26 – Mary Haight/Michelle Randall, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon-4:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

3-26 – Joan Koester, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon-4:30 p.m.

Fri.-Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

3-26 – Carol Korte, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, noon-4:30 p.m. Fri.Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

3-26 – Memories & Mindscapes, Art Alliance Gallery Downtown, SC, noon-6 p.m. Wed. & Sat., noon-8 p.m. Thurs. & Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sun., artalliancegallerydowntown.org.

24 – Paper Views Exhibition: Photogravure: Process and Poetry, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

2017 February T&G - 63

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

1 – Amputee Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 5 p.m., 359-5630.

3, 14 – Juniper Village at Brookline’s Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Mount Nittany Dining Room at The Inn, SC, 1 p.m.

Fri., 6:30 p.m. Tues., 231-3141.

6 – Breast Cancer Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 7 p.m., 231-6870.

8 – The Fertility Issues and Loss Support Group, Choices, SC, 6 p.m., heartofcpa.org.

9 – Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 6 p.m., 231-7095.

9 – A free parents-to-be class, Mount Nittany Health – Boalsburg Pediatrics, Boalsburg, 7 p.m., 466-7921.

12 – Ostomy Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 2 p.m., 234-6195.

15 – Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, Foxdale Village, SC, 1:30 p.m., 867-6212.

15 – Alzheimer’s Support Group, Elmcroft Senior Living, SC, 6:30 p.m., 235-7675.

20 – Cancer Survivors’ Association, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 11:30 a.m., 238-6220.

26 – Neuropathy Support Group of Central PA, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 2 p.m., 531-1024.

28 – Stroke Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 4 p.m., 359-3421.

28 – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 6 p.m., 359-3421.

Music 1 – Every Time I Die, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

2 – Railroad Earth, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

3 – Brantley Gilbert, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m., bjc.psu.edu.

4 – John Flynn, Center for Well-Being, Lemont, 7:30 p.m., acousticbrew.org.

9-10 – Penn State School of Music: African American Music Festival, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 6 p.m., music.psu.edu.

10 – Justin Hayward, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

11 – Penn State School of Music: Essence of Joy, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, PSU, 1 p.m., music.psu.edu.

64 - T&G February 2017

Lunasa performs February 25 at WPSU Studios as part of the Acoustic Brew concert series.

11 – State College Choral Society presents “Brahms Love Songs,” Grace Lutheran Church, SC, 7:30 p.m., scchoralsociety.org.

12 – Revamped Duo, Centre County Library, Bellefonte, 2:30 p.m., bellefontearts.org.

12 – Penn State School of Music: Timothy Hurtz, oboe, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 4 p.m., music.psu.edu.

16 – Penn State School of Music: Percussion Ensemble I and Mallet Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 7:30 p.m., music.psu.edu.

16 – Rusted Root, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

17 – Jazz in the Attic: Billy Best Trio, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

19 – Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra presents “Mostly Mozart,” Bellefonte Area High School, Bellefonte, 3 p.m., centreorchestra.org.

21 – Penn State School of Music: Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 7:30 p.m., music.psu.edu.

22 – Geoff Tate, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

23 – Wu Han, piano, Philip Setzer, violin, David Finckel, cello, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

24 – Penn State School of Music: Philharmonic Orchestra, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., music.psu.edu.

25 – Lunasa, WPSU Studios, PSU, 7:30 p.m., acousticbrew.org.

25 – Penn State School of Music: Centre Dimensions Jazz Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 7:30 p.m., music.psu.edu.

25 – Keepin’ It Country, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

26 – Nittany Valley Symphony presents “Mr. Smith’s Bowl of Notes, Bellefonte Area High School, Bellefonte, 4 p.m., nvs.org.

26 – Penn State School of Music: Faculty Spotlight Concert Series, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 4 p.m., music.psu.edu.

27 – Badfish, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

28 – Penn State School of Music: Inner Dimensions and Outer Dimensions Jazz Ensembles, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 7:30 p.m., music.psu.edu.

Special Events 3 – First Friday, Downtown State College, 5 p.m., FirstFridayStateCollege.com.

3, 10, 17, 24 – Downtown State College Winter Farmers’ Market, Municipal Building, SC, 11:30 a.m., visitpennstate.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Millheim Farmers’ Market, Hosterman & Stover Hardware Store, Millheim, 10 a.m., visitpennstate.org.

7, 14, 21, 28 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, St. John’s UCC, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., visitpennstate.org.

10 – Art & Chocolate Winter Gala, Ramada Inn, SC, 6:30 p.m., clearwaterconservancy.org.

11 – 69th Annual Mount Nittany Medical Center Charity Ball, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, PSU, 6:30 p.m., mountnittany.org.

11-12 – Wine & Chocolate Pairing, Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery, Centre Hall, noon, mynittanywinery.com.

12 – The Original Harlem Globetrotters, BJC, PSU, 4 p.m., bjc.psu.edu.

17-19 – Thon, BJC, PSU, 6 p.m., thon.org.

19 – Centre County Reads Kickoff Event, Centre County Library & Historical Museum and Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, 1 p.m., centrecountyreads.org.

Sports For tickets to Penn State sporting events, visit gopsusports.com or call (814) 865-5555.

3 – PSU/St. Francis, men’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.

4 – PSU/Kentucky, women’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 9 a.m.

4 – PSU/Albany, women’s lacrosse, Holuba Hall, PSU, noon.

4 – PSU/Rutgers, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 1 p.m.

4 – PSU/Cleveland State, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 1 p.m.

4 – PSU/Lehigh, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 4 p.m.

5 – PSU/Cornell, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 1 p.m.

2017 February T&G - 65

24-25 – PSU/Syracuse, women’s ice hockey, Pegula Ice Arena, PSU, 4:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sat. 25 – PSU/Pittsburgh, women’s gymnastics, Rec Hall, PSU, 4 p.m.

26 – PSU/Michigan, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, TBA. 28 – PSU/Ohio State, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 8:30 p.m.

Theater

Penn State wrestling takes on Maryland February 12 at Rec Hall in its final dual meet of the regular season.

5 – PSU/St. Bonaventure, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 5 p.m.

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

8 – PSU/Minnesota, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m.

10 – PSU/VCU, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 5 p.m.

10 – PSU/Illinois, wrestling, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.

11 – PSU/Towson, women’s lacrosse, Holuba Hall, PSU, noon.

11 – PSU/Purdue, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.

11 – PSU/Ohio State, men’s gymnastics, Rec Hall, PSU, 4 p.m.

11 – PSU/Ohio State, women’s gymnastics, Rec Hall, PSU, 4 p.m.

12 – PSU/James Madison, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 9 a.m.

12 – PSU/Pittsburgh, women’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 1 p.m.

12 – PSU/Maryland, wrestling, Rec Hall, PSU, 2 p.m.

12 – PSU/Bucknell, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 5 p.m.

15 – PSU/Ohio State, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 5 p.m.

17 – PSU/Harvard, men’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 1 p.m.

17-18 – PSU/Minnesota, men’s ice hockey, Pegula Ice Arena, PSU, 6:30 p.m. Fri., 8 p.m. Sat. 18 – PSU/Cornell, men’s lacrosse, Holuba Hall, PSU, noon.

18 – PSU/Lehigh, women’s lacrosse, Holuba Hall, PSU, 3 p.m.

18 – PSU/Sacred Heart, men’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.

21 – PSU/Purdue, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 6 p.m.

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1 – Art of Poetry: Keith Gilyard, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

7 – Circus Oz presents Straight Up, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

9 – National Theatre Live in HD presents Amadeus, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

11 – Tempest Productions presents Vita & Virginia, Webster’s Bookstore & Café, SC, 7:30 p.m., tempestproductions.org.

12 – Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema presents Swan Lake, State Theatre, SC, 3 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

14 – Bale Folclorico de Bahia presents Bahia of All Colors, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

14-25 – Penn State Centre Stage presents American Idiot, Playhouse Theatre, PSU, 7:30 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., theatre.psu.edu.

15 – Art of Music: Beethoven’s Slippers, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

16-18 – Fuse Productions presents Cabaret, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., fuseproductions.org.

17-18 – Oscar Nominated Short Films, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

19 – Sinbad, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

20 – Embrace (film screening and discussion), HUB-Robeson Center, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

20 – State of the Story presents Loving & Loss, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

25 – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD presents Rusalka, State Theatre, SC, 12:55 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

28 – Brooklyn Babylon, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu. T&G

T& G

on tap

Is Your Beer Really Craft?

Some major craft brewers have become part of big-beer brands

By Sam Komlenic One of our favorite topics here is craft beer, which by definition means brewed by small, independent companies.

Most of those brewers truly care about not only the beer in your glass but also the experience it provides you, the drinker. There’s been quite a bit written in the last few years about larger craft brewers whose success has made them prime targets for buyouts by bigger brewers and investment firms. We’ve not touched on that subject thus far, but feel it might be a good time to fill you in.

Craft brewing as a whole is big business, even if most of the players are small. According to Craft Brewing Business, craft beer now represents more than 12 percent of industry volume and more than 21 percent of the market’s retail dollar value. As mass-market big-beer brands continue to lose favor in the current climate, big brewers have been relatively unsuccessful in building craft-like brands of their own. So the next move was entirely predictable: simply buy out some of the more successful craft brewers in order to gain a piece of that pie.

Sure, bigbeer brands Goose Island is now part of the AnheuserBusch Fanily.

68 - T&G February 2017

such as Blue Moon (MillerCoors) and Shock Top (Anheuser-Busch) did well for them, but the Belgianstyle white category can carry you only so far. So what’s next?

It started with the formation of the Craft Brew Alliance (CBA), a group consisting of breweries who sold a minority stake to AnheuserBusch (A-B), beginning in 2007 with Redhook and Widmer Brothers, two northwestern craft brewers. Since then, Kona Brewing of Hawaii has been added to the CBA roster.

Now known as A-B InBev since they merged with an even bigger megabrewer, they took the concept to the next level with what they call “The High End,” a group of former craft brewers who sold off a majority share to A-B. These include Goose Island (Illinois), Blue Point (New York), 10 Barrel (Oregon), Elysian (Washington), Golden Road (California), Breckenridge (Colorado), Four Peaks (Arizona), and, most recently, Devil’s Backbone (Virginia).

It’s an impressive stable of quality brands, now with the added power of a major distribution network to assist in their reaching a much wider audience. So what’s the issue, you might ask? Well, this alliance with major brewers allows greater production flexibility with the potential for the rules to be bent, usually without the consumer having any idea.

For example, none of the Kona brands being distributed nationally are brewed in Hawaii anymore, since economics prohibit including the cost of transportation in getting their beer to the mainland. Though brewed with the same ingredients and with water adjusted to mimic

Otto’s offers authentic craft beer in Centre County.

that from Hawaii, Kona is now brewed at CBA breweries in New Hampshire, Oregon, and Washington.

The same can be said for the phenomenally successful Goose Island standard portfolio, beers that are now brewed by A-B in megabreweries in New York and Colorado. Does this change the taste of Kona or Goose? Are they less “craft” now? Does an affiliation with the world’s largest brewer make them less appealing?

These are questions only you, the consumer, can answer. One thing is certain though — they are definitely less-honest brands in their present guise.

A-B InBev is not alone in this practice.

MillerCoors also has a “craft” division, known as Tenth and Blake. It includes Terrapin (Georgia), Hop Valley (Oregon), and Revolver (Texas), along with importing rights to brands such as Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch.

Speaking of imports, here’s something else you might not be aware of: some formerly imported major brands are now brewed in the US for domestic distribution, too.

Beck’s, formerly from Germany, is now 70 - T&G February 2017

brewed in St. Louis. Jamaica’s Red Stripe is now brewed in Latrobe. Foster’s lager, once the pride of the Outback, is currently brewed in Texas and Georgia.

Bass ale holds the world’s oldest registered trademark and uses the world-renowned brewing water of Burton-on-Trent in England, but if you’re buying it here, it’s being brewed in Baldwinsville, New York, by A-B. Kirin, once brewed only in Japan, now hails from A-B breweries in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Los Angeles.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. So what’s the point of this exercise? I guess this is a prime example of caveat emptor — let the buyer beware. If you like the taste of the supposed craft or import beer in your hand, there’s no need to go any farther. Enjoy. But if you were drinking these thinking they were the honest-to-God real thing, you may want to reconsider your choice of tipple.

As yet, this trend has not affected any of Pennsylvania’s craft brewers. In fact, to avoid this very scenario, an independent alliance was recently formed between Victory Brewing of Downingtown and Southern Tier of Lakewood, New York, in partnership with a venture capital firm. Called Artisanal Brewing Ventures, it was formed specifically to provide much-needed capital for expansion and capital improvements while avoiding the need to partner with a conglomerate brewer to achieve that goal.

Big business isn’t inherently bad, but it permits — and sometimes encourages — subterfuge: smoke and mirrors, if you will.

Plus, there are plenty of craft beers that don’t require extensive research to verify their origins, and four of them come from right here in Centre County. Elk Creek, Happy Valley, Otto’s, and Robin Hood are all locally owned and operated and will be happy to serve you a genuine craft beer, with no strings attached. 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.

2017 February T&G - 71

T& G

Taste of the Month

A Dining Destination Rusty Rail offers craft beer, great food at historic site

Pork osso bucco: Braised bone-in pork shank, served with roasted vegetables, red skin mashed potatoes, and a demi glace.

72 - T&G February 2017

By Vilma Shu Danz Photos by Darren Andrew Weimert

Da pla

Dam Donuts has become a popular owner place to Chef hang and out in Bellefonte.

Eric Sarnow.

Curried root vegetable bisque garnished with mussels, clams, and balsamic reduction.

T

The Rusty Rail Brewing Company in Mifflinburg currently encompasses 50,000 square feet of a 250,000-square-foot brick building that had a rich history in the manufacturing industry.

Originally built in 1911, the building at one time was where buggies, carriage bodies, gears, axles, and automobile bodies were assembled. In 2013, two brothers, Paul and Eric John of Ritz-Craft Corporation, a home-construction company, had a vision to turn the dilapidated building into a destination brew pub, and for the next two years, the building underwent extensive renovations.

Paying homage to the building’s history, much of the wood and sheet metal were repurposed, adding unique decorative accents throughout the restaurant. The old

subflooring was recycled to build the staircase up to the second story, and assembly-line chains were cut and used to support the staircase handrails. The building’s original bank safe was converted into the wine vault, and three Model TT Ford trucks that were originally built in the building are on display.

“We refurbished them so they are in working condition,” explains Myles Biggs, marketing director.

2017 February T&G - 73

Cheesesteak spring rolls: Two rolls with rib eye, caramelized onions, American cheese, and baby greens, served with a slow-roasted tomato dipping sauce.

Inspired by the railroad line that once ran to the factory, large murals depicting the history of the building and the railroad adorn the walls. Skillfully crafted door handles were made from rail spikes, and railroad ties were transformed into bar footrests.

Opened in 2015, the Rusty Rail Brewing Company, located at 5 North 8th Street, is a 15-barrel (450 gallon) brew house that produces up to 8,000 barrels of beer per year. Equipped with a 12-spout GAI rotary bottling system, the brewery also has the ability to fill 3,000 bottles per hour.

The Rusty Rail has four flagship beers — Blue Collar Blonde Ale, Trail’s End Pale Ale, Rail Spike IPA, and Wolf King Warrior Imperial Stout. In addition, there are four seasonal brews — Blue Collar Raspberry Blonde, NOktoberfest Blood Orange Rye Ale, Snow Flyer Hazelnut Chocolate Porter, and Swing Tree White IPA with Apricot. Other experimental brews on 74 - T&G February 2017

Burrata cheese and grilled Roma tomato salad: Baby greens dressed with pesto vinaigrette and virgin olive oil, served with frilled sourdough, pickled red onions, and imported olives. draft in the pub as part of the Side Track Series, where recipes are tested before wholesale distribution, include the Mango Habanero IPA, Maple Pecan Imperial Brown, and Plums Up. The Rusty Rail may have as many as 16 beers on tap. Enjoy a sampling flight at the bar or fill your growler-to-go. Every Thursday is discounted growler fills, $8 for 64 ounces and $4 for 32 ounces for any beer on tap, all day long. Limit two per person. The beer also is available by wholesale at distributors across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The restaurant features an outdoor beer garden with Bavarian-style picnic tables, a main dining room and full bar on the ground floor with seating for up to 300, a game room on the second floor with two Brunswick pool tables, foosball, shuffleboard, darts, four video game tables, six large-screen TVs, an additional 100 seats, and a full-service bar.

Also on the second floor is a mural lounge with leather chairs and a couch as well as a private event facility available for holiday parties, community functions, and wedding receptions for up to 300 guests.

A separate entrance and elevator provides privacy for guests who book the event facility. It is a truly complete wedding venue that features a great room and chapel, so couples can get married and have the reception on-site. It also offers separate bride and groom rooms, eight suites on the third floor for the wedding party to stay overnight, and, of course, great beer and food.

“The main idea for the food at Rusty Rail is to take a fine dining twist on traditional pub fare,” says Biggs.

Serving lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, some unique menu items include grilled prawns, crawfish nachos, pale ale steamed mussels, elk burger, smoked brisket, cedar plank salmon, pork osso bucco,

tropical chutney chicken, cider brined pork t-bone, jumbo lump crab cakes, and cheesesteak spring rolls.

“One of the things I like to put on the menu are dishes that you would never make at home or necessarily want to attempt at home,” says executive chef Matt Lambert.

“Stop in for our Sunday brunch and try our tiramisu-inspired French toast, breaded with granola and graham cracker crust and served with triple Dutch chocolate gelato and mascarpone.”

Mimosa and Bloody Mary flights also are available for brunch.

In February, the Rusty Rail will be introducing a new winter menu that will include dishes such as venison meatballs, Thai pot stickers, Zinfandel poached pear salad, Panko-encrusted ravioli, chili cheeseburger, and cheesy bratwurst.

Reservations are highly recommended.

“At our busy times, the wait could be an hour and a half,” explains Biggs.

Every other Friday night, Rusty Rail Live invites local and national acts to play live music on the stage in the main dining room. Ticket prices vary depending on the show and are available online through rustyrailbrewing.com.

Upcoming events at the Rusty Rail include a Wedding Expo on February 12 where brides meet with vendors and receive a tour of the Rusty Rail event facility. Tickets are $5 and include hors d’oeuvres and a craft beer sample.

Book your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner (February 14) at the Rusty Rail. A special menu is available with select new dishes, and tickets are $55 per person and include tax and gratuity. T&G For more information, visit rustyrailbrewing.com or call (570) 966-7878 to make reservations.

For a special recipe for pork osso bucco, visit townandgown.com.

Vilma Shu Danz is operations manager and assistant editor of Town&Gown.

2017 February T&G - 75

T& G

dining out

All restaurants are in State College or on the Penn State campus, and in the 814 area code unless noted.

Full Course Dining 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 Citystyle barbecue is smoked daily on-site. AE, D, DC, ID+, MC, V. Full bar.

Barrel 21 Distillery & Dining, 2255 N. Atherton St., 308-9522, barrel21distillery .com. Barrel offers a unique gastro-distillery dining experience that features our one of a kind spirits and beer which are made on premise. Our menu of rotating seasonal items blends classic dishes with current trends to deliver new and interesting presentations for our guests to enjoy. Sunday brunch is a favorite with made-to-order omelets, Bloody Mary bar, and full buffet, including Irving’s bagels, smoked salmon platter, house-made pastries, and much more. Happy Hour is from 4 to 6 p.m.Tuesday through Friday, featuring half-price Barrel 21 spirits and Otto’s beer. Our tasting room also is open if you would like to take a bottle home with you, and our private dining room is available for your special event. We look forward to seeing you at Barrel 21!

Carnegie Inn & Spa Restaurant, 100 Cricklewood Drive, 234-2424. An exquisite boutique hotel offering fine dining in a relaxed yet gracious atmosphere. Your dining experience begins with a wide array of appetizers and entrees that compare to the best restaurants of the largest cities in the United States. Additionally, the Carnegie Inn & Spa Restaurant wine list is one of the best in the area and features a wide variety of wines from California, France, and other countries. 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 and beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. The Deli Restaurant, 113 Hiester St., 2375710, The DeliRestaurant.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 awardwinning 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.

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.

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 Nicohl Gezvain or Debbie Markel at (814) 238-5051.

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Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., 234-9000, faccialuna.com. A true neighborhood hangout, famous for authentic New York-style wood-fired pizzas and fresh, homemade Italian 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. 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. 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 special- ties. AE, CB, D, DC, MC, V. Full bar, beer.

Gigi’s, W. College Ave, on the corner of Cato Ave., 861-3463, gigisdining.com. Conveniently located 5 minutes from downtown State College, Gigi’s is a farm-to-table dining experience inspired by the hottest southern trends. Outdoor Patio. Lunch & Dinner. Full Bar. AE, D, MAC, MC, V. The Greek, 102 E. Clinton Ave., 308-8822, thegreekrestaurant.net. Located behind The Original Waffle Shop on North Atherton Street.

Visit our Greek tavern and enjoy authentic Greek cuisine. From fresh and abundant vegetables to the most succulent kebabs, each dish has been perfected to showcase genuine Greek flavors. When we say “authentic,” we mean it. Full service, BYOB. D, MC, V. 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 8 years in a row. Eat-in, Take-Out, Catering. Glutenfree options available. Bacon-based dessert.

Homemade breads, BYO beer or wine all day.

Sense of humor required. D, MAC, MC, V.

2017 February T&G - 77

Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 N. 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, take-out, or Hi-Way delivery. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

Hoss’s Steak & Sea House, 1454 North Atherton Street, State College, 234-4009, www.hosss.com.

Since 1983, Hoss’s has been providing considerate service, delicious food, and a pleasant environment that brings family and friends together. We offer a variety of steaks, chicken, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches. Hoss’s showcase is our all-you-can-eat Hosspitality Bars — offering fresh salads, soups, breads, and desserts. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V

Duffy’s Tavern and Love & Light Productions Presents a

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE

in Historic Boalsburg, PA

My Fatal Valentine A play that features jealousy, envy, audience participation, and a little murder

Join us on Feb. 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th at 6pm in our upstairs dining room ($48/person).

Come early and enjoy our happy hour with Big Spring Distillery (starting at 5pm).

Reservations at duffystavernpa.com or Loveandlightproductions.org

DuffysTavernPA.com 113 East Main Street, Boalsburg PA 16827 78 - T&G February 2017

Be Sure to Like Us on Facebook 814.466.6241

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 transi- tions 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.

Liberty Craft House, 346 E. College Ave., 954-4923, LibertyCraftHouse.com. A worthy destination inspired by their passion for knowledge, skill, and small-batch artisan goods. Liberty is a humble neighborhood joint with design cues from the industrial revolution that provides a comfortable post for a few drinks, food, and good times. A one-of-a-kind, worldclass digital-menu-driven draft system features nitro-coffee, craft sodas, cocktails, wine, ales, lagers, and hand-pumped cask ale. Specializing in American whiskey, Liberty boasts a bottled beer, wine, mead, cider, and spirits list that would make your buddy jealous. Hungry? Liberty’s menu focuses on small-batch, local, organic, and artisan food made 100 percent in-house, fresh from scratch. Charcuerie, fromage, and flat breads are at the heart of the menu that is complemented by many other classic gastropub favorites.

Open 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. every day (kitchen ’til midnight). AE, D, MAC, MC, V.

Happy Hour Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri 5-7pm, Wed 5-9pm Plus 50¢ wings.

1/2 OFF Drafts, $1 OFF Mixed Drinks, $3 House Wine

814.237.6300 • lettermans.net • Lettermans 1031 E. College Avenue • State College, PA 2017 February T&G - 79

Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 272 N. 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 and is 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® state-of-the-art preservation system. Reservations and walk-ins welcome. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

Otto’s Pub & Brewery, 2235 N. Atherton St., 867-6886, ottospubandbrewery.com. State College’s most awarded craft-beer pub and brewery featuring more than a dozen fresh, house-brewed ales and lagers on tap as well as fine, affordably priced, local American food with vegan and vegetarian offerings, a kids’ menu, weekly features, and seasonal menu. Open for lunch and dinner in a family-friendly, casual atmosphere. Barrel 21 craft distilled spirits available. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.

Philipsburg Elks Lodge & Country Club, 1 Country Club Lane, Philipsburg, 342-0379, philipsburgelks.com. Restaurant open to the public!

Monday-Saturday 11-9, Sunday 9-3. Member-only bar. New golf-member special, visit our Web site for summer golf special. AE MC, V. Full Bar (members only).

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.

One Country Club Lane, State College, PA 16803

814.234.8000 • www.toftrees.com

Award-winning pizza and Italian Cuisine.

Homemade… with only the best and freshest ingredients.

1229 S. Atherton St., State College

234-9000

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Zola Kitchen & Wine Bar, 324 W. College Ave., 237-8474. Zola Kitchen & Wine Bar features ingredient-driven, seasonal, new American cuisine paired with an extensive wine list, certified wine professional, and exceptional service. Zola’s also features a new climate-controlled wine room, premium by-the-glass wine pours, fine liquor, and craft beer at its full-service bar. Serving lunch and dinner seven days a week. Reservations recommended. Catering. Free parking after 5:30 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Barranquero Café, 324 E. Calder Way, 954-7548, barranquerocafe.com. A locally owned coffee shop specializing in authentic Colombian coffees and specialty drinks. Works closely with its coffee suppliers in Colombia to ensure that it receives only the highest quality coffee beans the region has to offer. Also serves fresh fruit juices, empanadas, and more! Hopes to bring a little piece of Colombia to Happy Valley! Hours: Mon.-Sat. 7a.m.-8p.m., Sun. 10a.m.-8p.m.

Good Food Fast

Fiddlehead, 134 W. College Ave., 237-0595, fiddleheadstatecollege.com. Fiddlehead is a soupand-salad café offering soups made from scratch daily. Create your own salad from more than 40 fresh ingredients.

Baby’s Burgers & Shakes, 131 S. Garner St., 234-4776, 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.

HUB Dining, HUB-Robeson Center on campus, 865-7623. A Penn State tradition open to all!

Enjoy 12 different eateries in the HUB-Robeson Center on campus. Jamba Juice, McAlister’s Deli, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Grate Chee, Sbarro, Soup & Garden, Diversions, Blue Burrito, Mixed Greens, Panda Express, and Hibachi-San

by Panda.V, MC, LC.

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2390 S. Atherton St. (814) 237-1849

Serving authentic Colombian coffees

fresh juices, empanadas and more!

Come relax at 324 E. Calder Way, Downtown State College Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sunday 10am-8pm

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2017 February T&G - 81

Irving’s, 110 E. College Ave., 231-0604, irvingsstatecollege.com. Irving’s is State College’s finest bakery café serving award-winning bagels, espresso, sandwiches, salads, and smoothies.

Meyer Dairy, 2390 S. Atherton St., 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!

Specialty Foods Dam Donuts, 216 W. High Street, Bellefonte, 548-7825, damdonuts.com. Locally owned, specialty donut shop. Made-to-order donuts are made daily, right before your eyes! House-blend coffee, cold-brew coffee, and bubble tea also. We offer a variety of frostings and toppings to tickle your taste buds! Also offering call-ahead orders and special occasions orders. Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tues.-Fri., 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. & Sun., Closed Mon. AE, D, MC, V. T&G

Taste of the Month

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

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We Have The Information

That Matters To Your Family

CO M

A Special Publication of

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February 9th, 2017

Distributed each Thursday at over 400 locations and online at www.CentreCountyGazette.com

Make Thursday YOUR Day (814) 238-5051 • www.CentreCountyGazette.com

T& G

lunch with mimi

Land Lover

Darren Andrew Weimert

ClearWater Conservancy director works to preserve natural environments within a growing area

Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith (left) talks with ClearWater Conservancy executive director Deborah Nardone at Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College.

With 20 years of experience in the field of natural conservation with local, state, and national organizations, Deborah Nardone was named executive director of ClearWater Conservancy in September 2015.

Since her arrival, she has been an integral part of the organization’s mission for land preservation and conservation in Centre County.

In 2016, ClearWater embarked on a project to conserve Meyer Dairy and Everhart farms and was awarded a $100,000 Centre Inspires grant by Centre Foundation to initiate the 2017 Centred Outdoors Challenge, a family-friendly fitness challenge to promote exploration at eight Centre County destinations, including Mount Nittany, The Arboretum at Penn State, Spring Creek Canyon Trail, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, the Barrens to Bald Eagle Wildlife Corridor/Scotia Game Lands, Black Moshannon and Bald Eagle state parks, the Penns Creek Canyon Corridor, and Talleyrand Park.

ClearWater also will partner with Mount Nittany Health System and Centre Moves to launch the Prescription PaRx program, where physicians will write prescriptions for time outdoors at the eight destinations.

Born and raised in Wilkes Barre, Nardone earned bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and political science from Juniata College and a master’s degree in environmental pollution control from Penn State. Right after college, she founded the Juniata Clean Water Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Juniata watershed.

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She has worked for local, state, and national organizations, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area, Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, and the Sierra Club. She lives in Port Matilda with her husband, Jason Little, and their son, Jonah, 9.

Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down with Nardone at Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College to discuss the projects that ClearWater Conservancy has planned for 2017 and how the community can help preserve the natural beauty of this area.

Mimi: You come from my home territory of Wilkes Barre. I’m interested in why you chose Juniata College?

Deborah: I fell in love with it the moment I stepped foot on the campus.

Mimi: Did you look at Penn State?

Deborah: I did look at Penn State.

As a matter of fact, my parents were driving me to Juniata College on Route 26, which went down College Avenue at that time. As we were driving down College Avenue, my mom saw the Allen Street Grill and saw the campus and said, “Are you sure you don’t want to go here?” My mom fell in love with Penn State. I was a good student, but I wasn’t a great student. I was on the Juniata College campus for maybe five minutes and noticed every professor knew every student walking down the sidewalk, and the students greeted one another by name. It was very familial and small.

Mimi: But you came to Penn State for your advanced degree and you got stuck here.

Deborah: I did, and my mom was very happy. I fell in love with Central Pennsylvania instantly, which is another reason why I chose Juniata.

Beautiful forested ridges, really healthy water quality, opportunities to go fishing, hiking, and biking. Growing up in coal country, like you did, my mountains were culm banks (mounds of waste coal), sparse with white birch

trees, and the streams were orange. So moving someplace like this was so drop-dead gorgeous!

Mimi: Now you’re really on the brink of some historic stuff happening at ClearWater. Explain the grant that you received from Centre Foundation.

Deborah: The grant through Centre Foundation, through its Centre Inspires grant program, is to fund an innovative project called Centred Outdoors and Prescription PaRx. It’s an opportunity for us to get people outside and fall in love with their own backyard through having physicians write scripts for spending time outside and getting schoolchildren out through family fitness challenges. We know that spending time outside is good for mental health and wellness. We also know it’s good for the family unit and for conservation. We want people to hike up to the top of Mount Nittany or hike along the Spring Creek Canyon and realize there are beautiful places in our own backyard worth conserving. ClearWater and all of our partners will make it so we can guide people outside on adventures throughout all of 2017.

Mimi: How are you going to manage all the details that go along with executing this? Is there a place where people can go to sign up?

Deborah: There will be. We’re in the process

of developing a main information page called CentredOutdoors.org. We are in partnership with a lot of other nonprofits in the region, including Mount Nittany Health System, Mount Nittany Conservancy, Penns Valley Conservation Association, and Penn State Sustainability Institute, as one core working team putting together the destinations we’ll visit and helping us host all of these outings. ClearWater also has a program called Adventures in Conservation where once a month we take our members on experiential learning trips. Sometimes these trips sell out within an hour on our Web site. We’ve found that people want to explore but they’re not quite comfortable doing it on their own sometimes. For a family of four to pick up and explore the Spring Creek Canyon, it might not be as comfortable as it would be if there was a naturalist or a historian who will guide and walk with them along the Spring Creek Canyon and tell them about it. Then they might come back and visit again and again.

Mimi: Perhaps the hardest thing is your recent announcement about the Meyer and Everhart farms. How did you pull that one off?

Deborah: ClearWater Conservancy is focused

MR. SMITH’S BOWL OF NOTES Family Concert: Sunday, February 26, 2017, 4:00pm Bellefonte Area High School Theatre Mark Ballora, Actor Ann Keller Young Soloist Competition Winner For more information visit www.nvs.org or call 814-231-8224

A program for the entire family featuring a piece for actor and orchestra, plus the winner of our annual young soloist competition

SMITH: Mr. Smith’s Bowl of Notes REMAINDER OF PROGRAM TBA

Tickets: Adults - $10 Students - $5 2017 February T&G - 85

ClearWater Conservancy looks to identify and protect “what makes people love this place we call Home.”

on identifying and protecting what makes people love this place we call Home. We just celebrated 36 years of history, which have been pretty incredible.

The next 35 years puts us at 2051. When I start asking people in the community what they want this place to look like in 2051, what makes you love this place and stay here, it’s always the farmland, beautiful landscapes, forested ridges, trout-filled waters — and we know that’s what people desire, yet we’re in a community that’s growing. It’s becoming a city. ClearWater’s proactive strategy is looking at ways we can conserve the places we love most, protect the water and air quality so we can have a healthy environment while this place grows.

Over the last couple years, we’ve had discussions with the State College Borough Water Authority about how we protect our drinking water and protecting some of the lands in closest proximity to their wellheads. Their wellheads are where they pull the drinking water for the town, essentially.

They’ve identified a handful of properties that were

86 - T&G February 2017

most important to protect.

They’re right outside of the growth boundary. We talked to a number of landowners, including the Meyer family and the Everhart family, and know that they wanted conservation to remain one of their most important priorities. The Meyer family wants to farm. They want to keep the dairy going.

They’re an icon in this community. I mean who doesn’t love to go to Meyer Dairy and get milk in glass bottles and ice cream? And yes, the opportunity of someone offering them millions of dollars for their property is very possible — so this was a win-win for us and the community.

We are paying them to put the conservation easement on their property. They retain ownership and have the ability then to continue farming.

Joe Meyer, he’s 93, in his back office said to me, “We’ve had a lot of people approach us about our land over the years, but we think this is a solution the community can stand behind.” So they’re committed to keeping the dairy there.

Mimi: Who will they pass the dairy onto? Does he have children?

Deborah: He does. Joe and his son, Denny, manage the Meyer Dairy Partnership. They manage that property together and decided that conservation is their priority. So we’ll be putting conservation easements on large parcels of the land at Meyer Dairy, but not all of it. We will be purchasing the Everhart Farm, putting a conservation easement on it, which reduces the

value of the land since it removes the rights for development. The Meyer Diary Partnership will then purchase the Everhart Farm.

Mimi: That is a win-win!

Deborah: Yes. And they can retire and do whatever they plan to do.

Mimi: And who led the negotiation?

Deborah: ClearWater’s wonderful staff, board, and I have led the discussions with the families and municipalities. The State College Borough Water Authority has been a huge partner, as well.

Mimi: That’s one of the very unique parts of the greater State College area — the capacity for government, private society, concerned and caring organizations, and the university — it’s a team of people who care not just for their own special interests but also for the long-term interest of the area.

Deborah: That is why I wanted to work at ClearWater Conservancy. My board and our community are filled with people who love this place and are forward-thinking enough to figure out how to grow smartly. It’s not fighting over land-use decisions that have already been made. It’s about making sure a farmer can still be a farmer, making sure the water sources are protected, and that the

Nardone became executive director of ClearWater Conservancy in 2015.

community retains ownership of the most beautiful landscapes in this entire valley. If you’re standing on the steps of the [State College] Friends School and you’re looking out at that gorgeous landscape, that’s the land we’re trying to protect.

Mimi: Gorgeous is the word. There are many others that will give it a run for its money, particularly as you go out farther. I’m sitting here fascinated by the memory of when I interviewed Jennifer Shuey, who had the job you now have.

2017 February T&G - 87

It tickles my warm bone that two smart women, somewhat understated women, have been keys to what has happened at ClearWater Conservancy.

Do you think that’s part of our DNA? Deborah: I think women have this remarkable ability to be kind and gracious, to go at any approach with clarity, focus, ease, and grace. We’re about finding solutions, and that’s really at the heart of what ClearWater is about. It’s about convening community conversations and finding proactive solutions. Jen left some really huge shoes at ClearWater. I actually had the honor of working with Jen in the late 1990s. I was working in Huntingdon, establishing a group called the Juniata Clean Water Partnership, doing river conservation on the Juniata River, while Jen was doing work here conserving Spring Creek. I’ve always had such remarkable respect for her work and approach. She left ClearWater so much better than she found it.

Mimi: She established its historic path in her quiet, persistent fashion. Now she’s transferred that to the Arts Festival and First Night. She really is having a remarkable impact on their growth.

Deborah: She also helped develop and build an endowment at ClearWater Conservancy.

Mimi: How big is your endowment?

Deborah: It’s about $1.4 million, so it’s enough for us to fund at least one full-time person. As a land trust, we’re required to be here forever.

We have conservation easements on 17 pieces of land. We are required by the IRS to monitor and review those properties every single year, so there’s a really big requirement as a land trust to make sure we’re here in perpetuity, just like our conservation easements will be here in perpetuity.

Mimi: When you think of ClearWater Conservancy you have to think of Don Hamer.

Deborah: Absolutely. Don is such an important person to ClearWater’s history.

He and Jen Shuey were instrumental to thinking about nontraditional approaches to 88 - T&G February 2017

Last fall, ClearWater Conservancy received a grant through Centre Foundation’s Centre Inspires program.

conservation. He was adamant that we have many different sectors to our board. Don and Jen, their love of the environment here and their ability to create conversations with the community really set the stage for where we are now and the organization we are today. Don, before his passing, left a gift to ClearWater Conservancy for strategic land conservation. I mentioned the 50/50 split that we’re looking at for the Everhart/Meyer project. A big part of the community portion that’s coming was given by the Hamer Foundation. So even though he’s not here with us, he’s with us forever by funding strategic land conservation and by leaving dollars that help fund our endowment. The Spring Creek Canyon is another example of Don’s legacy. Every place you visit in this region has probably been touched by Don in some way.

Mimi: That’s a nice way to end this interview because he had a lifetime interest in preservation and conservation. While you’ve got a big job ahead of you, I personally want to urge everyone reading this to dig in a little.

Deborah: You can find us at clearwaterconservancy.org and all the details will be there.

Mimi: Thank you for joining me and continued good luck and progress in doing what is partly God’s work, really. Thank you for all you do!

Deborah: Thank you! T&G

2017 February T&G - 89

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Artist of the Month

The Pursuit of a Dream Jennifer Trost’s road to becoming an opera singer was filled with sacrifices and determination

By Tine Liu To pursue her dream of being a professional opera singer, Jennifer Trost sold everything she owned — twice.

Taking those chances paid off for Trost, who, besides being an opera singer, is an associate professor of music at Penn State, where she teaches voice lessons and song- and opera-literature courses. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music education at Albion College and her master’s degree in performance at Michigan State.

While Trost, a soprano for most of her career but now a mezzo-soprano, is retired from being a full-time opera singer, she performs occasionally, including a performance this month of Beethoven’s Slippers during the Palmer Museum of Art’s The Art of Music series February 15. The piece, written by Judith Cloud, was written specifically for Trost and had its world premiere in November at Northern Arizona University.

Because a classical voice doesn’t fully develop until a singer reaches his/her late twenties, Trost worked as a secretary for almost seven years before she was accepted into the DMA program at University of Southern California with emphasis on opera.

While she knew becoming a professional opera singer would be extremely difficult and the opera industry is highly competitive, she didn’t let those fear and doubts beat her.

“Too many people run away from their dreams, but I never let go of mine — and I didn’t want to live my life wondering ‘what if.’ So I went for it,” she continues.

90 - T&G February 2017

Above, Trost performing the role of Funfte Magd in Elektra. Below left, Trost in one of her favorite roles as Tatiana in Eugene Onegin.

At the age of 28, she sold all of her belongings and went to Germany for an audition with nothing but two suitcases and a passport. After attempting for about three months, she wasn’t offered any jobs, so she came back to the United States. At the age of 30, she gave up her day job as a secretary and started to put all her time and energy into opera singing. Two years later, at the age of 32, she again sold everything she had, saved enough money, and went to Germany for an audition.

This time, she got a job.

“I’m not an unrealistic person. I gave myself a deadline. If I couldn’t make a living being a full-time opera singer by the age of 32, I intended to give it up and settle down,” she says.

“And I made it at the last moment of my timetable at the age of 32.

That was amazing!”

When she started her career in

Darren Andrew Weimert

Germany in 1991, the first thing she bought was a piano. She slept on the floor of her apartment for weeks before she earned enough money to buy her second item, a bed.

She spent four years as a leading soprano with the Wuppertal Opera and nine years as a soprano soloist at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

“My ancestors were from Germany. It’s nice to spend some years there and experience the culture. It was quite difficult to be fluent in German, though,” she says, because she had studied German in college for only a year.

During her career, she has performed in multiple countries. She sang as a guest artist at the Komische Oper Berlin, the National Theater in Mannheim, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Italy, the Palais Garnier in Paris, the Hollywood Bowl, the Casals Festical in Puerto Rico, etc.

Some of her favorite roles include the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Elettra in Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Tatiana in

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

With all her success as a singer, it may be hard to believe that Trost started out as a biology major student in college. She initially chose science because there were not many women scientists back then and being a biologist would be considered a stable career for most people.

“But the question was: What do I want to be doing when I am 50 years old? Do I want to be all by myself in some laboratory or do I want to be interacting with people and exploring the extraverted side of my personality,” she says. “My family was really supportive. They came to see me perform many times in Germany.

But for a very long time they had huge concerns about my decision.”

Another one of the sacrifices Trost has made while pursuing her passion is that she doesn’t have a family. Being a female opera singer who travels all the time makes it incredibly hard to have a stable family life.

“But in some ways I consider my students to be my children,” she says, “though I don’t live through them.

They are the ones to whom I can pass on my skills and experiences, which is great.”

Her care for her students has been recognized. Last year, she received the 2016 College of Arts and Architecture Award for Excellence in Advising and Mentoring.

“It’s a wonderful life, but full of sacrifices.

I guess if I didn’t give up my security as a secretary, I wouldn’t have made it,” she says. “I want to test myself, fill my life with adventures. I had to follow my heart, and, until this day, I have no regrets about my decisions.” T&G Jennifer Trost performs Beethoven’s Slippers February 15 at the Palmer Museum of Art. She’ll perform with Svetlana Rodionova (piano), Alma Bulibekova (violin), Fabio Saggin (viola), and Mirna Lazic (cello), with Assaf Benraf conducting. For more information, visit palmermuseum.psu.edu.

2017 February T&G - 91

Darren Andrew Weimert

T& G

snapshot

Natural Acts of Kindness Thon director continues his passion for charitable work

By Tine Liu Working for charities has always been one of Austin Sommerer’s biggest passions. Part of that comes from his parents, who have been involved in an organization called Oceans of Love, a nonprofit group in Ocean County, New Jersey, dedicated to helping children with cancer and their families.

Part of his passion also comes from his own experiences. In 2012, Sommerer’s hometown of Toms River, New Jersey, was hit by Hurricane Sandy.

“It was incredible seeing people helping each other and rebuild what’s ruined by the hurricane,” says Sommerer, a senior at Penn State who is majoring in business marketing. “Human strength is stronger than I thought, and that touched my heart so deeply.”

Sommerer’s passion to do good led him to become involved with Thon during his freshman year at Penn State. He joined the public relations committee and has stayed involved with Thon during his entire student career. This year, he’s executive director for Thon 2017, which is February 17-19 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

“It is always incredibly amazing to me when people work together for a good cause. And being a part of that is something I feel proud of,” he says. “My dad will come to Thon weekend this year. … It will be his first time coming to it.”

Last year, Sommerer was entertainment director for Thon, and he says he learned a great deal from that experience.

“When I was the entertainment director, I saw a lot of things that we could’ve done better,” he says. “For example, the way deliverables were collected should be much more efficient. The way we collect and organize our paperwork is very unorganized. … Nobody thought about changing it just because it’s ‘tradition.’

“I want to have a bigger impact. … A big part of my responsibilities is to maintain good communication with our stockholders, large donors, university officials, and our Thon families — they have a lot more knowledge about Thon than I do, so it is extremely crucial to maintain and promote these relationships. That experience is going to help me 92 - T&G February 2017

Austin Sommerer

stimulate more relationships and more growth for the future.”

Another responsibility for Sommerer has been to start phasing out canning trips because of safety concerns. In recent years, two students died in car crashes while on canning trips. Sommerer and others with Thon have looked for more sustainable and innovative areas for fund-raising, including social media.

When asked about his most memorable experience with Thon, Sommerer’s eyes fill up a little as he talks about a little girl he met last summer.

“I met this little girl at Penn State Children’s Hospital,” he says. “She was undergoing treatment at the time and lost all of her hair. She kept strong about it, but I could still tell that it was difficult for her. But this past week, I saw her again. Her hair grew back. She was running around as if none of that horrible experience ever happened.

That’s the moment when it all clicked.

I always knew what we do was worth everything!” T&G For more information about Thon or to donate, visit thon.org.

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