Inside: Securing the schools • Sustainability in Centre County
Town&Gown MAY 2013
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Reflections
Shaver’s Creek inspires perspectives on nature and place
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36
Features
45
28 / Securing the Schools After the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, local school administrators continue to work toward making their buildings safer • by Amy King
36 / Home of the Future? Sustainability Institute’s MorningStar Solar Home shows it’s possible to live well and energy efficiently • by Savita Iyer
66 / Natural Reflections Through a long-term project, Shaver’s Creek — with the help of any and all visitors — looks to gather a creative history of itself, and see how a century of time has affected and will affect it • by Jennifer Babulsky
Special Section 45 / Sustainability in Centre County As look at how the movement toward living more efficiently has grown locally, and helpful hints on what you can do On the Cover: Part of a journal entry written by author David Gessner, who visited Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center in June 2012 and contributed to the center’s Long-Term Ecological Reflections Project.
Town&Gown is published monthly by Barash Publications, 403 South Allen Street, State College, PA 16801. Advertising is subject to approval of the publisher. COPYRIGHT 2013 by Barash Media. All rights reserved. Send address changes to Town&Gown, Box 77, State College, PA 16804. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any process except with written authorization from Town&Gown or its publisher. Phone: 800-326-9584, 814-238-5051. FAX: 814-238-3415. Printed by Gazette Printers, Indiana, PA. 20,000 copies published this month, available FREE in retail stores, restaurants, hotels and motels & travel depots. SUBSCRIPTIONS and SINGLE COPIES: $45/1yr; current issue by 1st-class mail, $10; back copy, $15 mailed, $12 picked up at the T&G office. www.townandgown.com
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95
Town&Gown May
A State College & Penn State tradition since 1966.
Publisher Rob Schmidt Founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith Editorial Director David Pencek Creative Director/Photographer John Hovenstine Operations Manager/Assistant Editor Vilma Shu Danz Graphic Designer/Photographer Darren Weimert Graphic Designer Amy Schmalz Account Executives Kathy George, Debbie Markel
Departments
Business Manager Aimee Aiello
8 Letter From The Editor
Advertising Coordinator Bikem Oskin
10 Starting Off 20 On Center: Cirque Éloize ’s Cirkopolis 22 Health & Wellness: When it comes to recovering from a stroke, “fast” action is needed at the onset of symptoms
Administrative Assistant Gigi Rudella Distribution Handy Delivery, Tom Neff
80 This Month on WPSU
Senior Editorial Consultant Witt Yeagley
82 Penn State Diary: School’s try at a “trimester calendar” lasted more than 20 years
Intern Sarah Olah (Editorial)
85 What’s Happening 92 From the Vine: Unique red wines 95 Taste of the Month/Dining Out: Gigi’s
To contact us: Mail: 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801 Phone: (814) 238-5051, (800) 326-9584 Fax: (814) 238-3415
109 Lunch with Mimi: Scot and Irene Chambers
dpenc@barashmedia.com (Editorial) rschmidt@barashmedia.com (Advertising)
114 Guide to Advertisers
We welcome letters to the editor that include a phone number for verification.
115 State College Photo Club’s Winning Photos
Back issues of Town&Gown are available on microfilm at Penn State’s Pattee Library.
116 Snapshot: Diane Krentzman
www.townandgown.com 6 - Town&Gown May 2013
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letter from the editor
Have an Experience! Take time to enjoy and learn about some of region’s unique places and people Even if you’re a lifelong resident of a town or city, one would guess there are people you haven’t met and places you haven’t visited. That can especially be true for people who live in a region such as this one — with a transient population, and the innovative and entrepreneurial minds who live here. Each month, Town&Gown spotlights some of the special people and places of this region. You have read about them on the pages of this magazine. Now, Town&Gown is inviting you to “experience” some of them with our new series, Experience Town and Gown. As I wrote a little about it last month, we’re inviting you to explore and tour unique places in Centre County, sit in on a discussion of an issue or topic that concerns our area, and many other possibilities. And, mainly, just have some fun and maybe learn something new! The first Experience event is Saturday, May 18. Town&Gown is inviting you on a tour of the MorningStar Solar Home at Penn State’s Sustainability Experience Center. In 2007, Penn State students and faculty designed and built the home for the Solar Decathlon. You can read about the home in Savita Iyer’s story “Home of the Future?” Then, on May 18, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., take a tour and come see the home for yourself. Hopefully, by also seeing some of these special places or meeting some special people,
we can gain an even greater appreciation for living here. I know I certainly have in the more than seven years I’ve held this position at Town&Gown. This job has allowed me to become more familiar with and gain a greater knowledge of the people, places, and events of our communities in Centre County. And, therefore, I’ve had a greater appreciation and love of this place. A sincere Thank You goes to the staff at Penn State’s Sustainability Institute for helping us organize the MorningStar Solar Home tour. On the same day as Town&Gown’s Experience event, the institute also is showcasing a number of advanced-technology prototype and production vehicles that will be competing in the 21st Century Automotive Challenge. The event, also at the Sustainability Experience Center, is free and open to the public. See page 43 for more information. If you have ideas for an Experience event, feel free to e-mail me at dpenc@barashmedia.com. And whether you come to these events or not, we encourage you to still get out and experience, as much as possible, all the great things happening here — you may meet some new people or learn some new things!
David Pencek Editorial Director dpenc@barashmedia.com
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starting off
What’s Penn State Athletic Communications
New
Centre Gives returns Centre Foundation is bringing back its Centre Gives fundraiser May 22. The event will run from 6 a.m. May 22 to 6 p.m. May 23, when donors can go to centregives.org to donate to a number of local nonprofits. Last year’s inaugural Centre Gives fundraiser raised about $525,000 for 74 Centre County nonprofits. Similar to last year, Centre Foundation will provide $100,000 in matching funds, and additional money in the form of prizes.
Sue Paterno
The Lady Lions welcomed 620 breast-cancer survivors to this year’s Pink Zone game.
Pink Zone efforts earn recognition The Penn State Lady Lions have been recognized as the 2013 Play 4Kay Division I winner for their efforts in the national effort to raise breast-cancer awareness and raise funds in the fight against breast cancer. The 2013 Pink Zone at Penn State was held on February 24, and 14,173 fans attended. The Lady Lions welcomed 620 breast-cancer survivors. The fundraising total will be announced in the coming months. In 2012, the Lady Lions donated a record $203,000 to breast-cancer causes. The Play 4Kay initiative is a national fundraising effort in memory of former North Carolina State head coach Kay Yow, who was first diagnosed with the disease in 1987 and battled it until she passed away in 2009.
YMCA becomes Partner in Prevention The YMCA of Centre County was recently recognized for being the first YMCA in the United States to train more than 90 percent of its employees in Stewards of Children, giving the organization the distinction of being the first YMCA in the United States to become a Partner in Prevention. A Partner in Prevention is an organization or business that has committed the time and effort to educate themselves on how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Stewards of Children is a more than two-hour workshop that emphasizes child safety as an adult’s responsibility. The YMCA of Centre County completed trainings for its more than 300 employees. Going forward, it will be a requirement for all YMCA staff and volunteers to be trained in Stewards of Children program. The YMCA of Centre County’s goal is to train 5,800 community members in the program. For more information, contact Cameron Frantz at (814) 237-7717 or cfrantz@ymcaofcentrecounty.org. T&G
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People in the
Community
Council, Inc. … She is an inspiration to many. … Her warmth, organizational skills, and commitment to adult literacy inspire us to work faithfully. We are honored to know her.” The tribute event starts at 6 p.m. at Celebration Hall. Tickets are $50.
Norm Lathbury
Ruth Kistler
On May 23, Mid-State Literacy Council will hold a toast and tribute to founder Ruth Kistler, who, at 88, continues to volunteer regularly for MSLC. Kistler founded MSLC in 1971. Her first student was a mother of three young children who had an unsupportive husband and was unable to drive. Kistler took the woman for a drive and tutored her in her car. The woman learned to read well enough to apply for a driver’s license. Since then, the council has helped thousands of adults learn to read. Executive director Amy Wilson says, “With warmth and perseverance, Ruth Kistler led adult-literacy services in the Centre Region by establishing and building Mid-State Literacy
Norm Lathbury of Centre Hall was named the winner of American Farmland Trust’s Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Local Heroes Award. The award recognizes “outstanding efforts to protect farmland, promote environmentally sound farming practices, and keep farmers on the land.” As the Agricultural Land Preservation coordinator for Centre County and cofounder and executive director of the Centre County Farmland Trust, Lathbury secured more than $2 million for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements, which help to protect more than 4,000 acres of Centre County farmland. He also assisted local townships in establishing agricultural security areas that enrolled more than 500 farms. “Being a part of a program and process that provides and protects the food, fiber, and agricultural lifestyle for future generations is and has been a great honor,” Lathbury said in a press release. Bill Keough, chairman of the Centre County Agricultural Land board, said, “Norm Lathbury’s contribution to the agricultural industry’s future in Centre County will serve many generations to come.”
Talent Winners
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The third annual Happy Valley’s Got Talent show benefitting Tides, a support program for grieving children, took place in April. Acts competed in four age categories. The winners were: Roman Sheridan of State College (vocals, Future Fame Division); Kaylee Corl of Rebersburg (acoustic guitar and vocals, Rising Stars Division); Curtis Ishler and Matt Greer of Bellefonte (vocals and guitar, Prime Time Division); and Kim Filko and Shea Winton of State College (dance, Local Legends Division). T&G
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Q&A
with Vince and Beth Smith, foster parents with Centre County Children & Youth Services By Sarah Harteis Vince and Beth Smith of Spring Mills are one local couple who, as foster parents, have been opening up their home to children in need for more than four years. The Smiths, along with their four daughters (ranging in age from 2 to 17), have made a family commitment to welcome these children with love and acceptance. Since July 2009, the Smiths’ home has welcomed five children who had been in the foster-care system. Vince and Beth took time to share with Town&Gown their passion for what they do and what their experience has been like. T&G: What was your initial motivation for wanting to become foster parents? Vince: We talked before we were even married about becoming foster parents someday. We’ve been married for 18 years now, so 15 years into it we finally decided it was the right time for us. Beth: As a teacher, my eyes were opened up to the children around us. My heart broke for one little boy in my class, and I knew there were so many other kids out there that needed to be embraced with love and structure. I went home that day and said, “I’m ready.” We then talked to the girls about it, since it is a family decision, and we wanted their support as well.
T&G: What are some challenges you’ve experienced along the journey? Vince: Just the extra activity of having another child in the home. Having four girls right now keeps us busy on top of having full-time jobs (Vince is a pastor at State College Christian Church and Beth is a teacher at Nittany Christian School) but there’s also the challenge of working with biological parents. You have to work through the emotion, and remember the goal is to support and encourage family unity. That way, when and if they go home, we are able to maintain a long-term relationship with them. T&G: What do you enjoy most about being foster parents? Beth: It’s such a joy to watch our girls sacrifice on behalf of kids that have come into our home. It’s great to see them think outside of themselves and learn what love really is. One other thing is that a lot of the times these kids are so hurt and have developed trust issues. To see them learn to accept love is really rewarding. T&G: In what ways do you help these children cope with the temporary loss of their biological families? Vince: A lot of patience and consistency and just developing that trusting relationship. It takes a long time — it’s not a week or two. Beth: One of our kids took five or six months before he started to settle into the family. You just have to be patient and committed. T&G: What advice do you have for those out there who are contemplating becoming foster parents? Vince: It’s not for the faint at heart. There are too many kids tossed around. We’ve talked to a number of adults who were in foster care and were in 13 to 18 different homes during childhood. At the time they felt like “throwaway kids.” Beth: You just have to commit to persevere in love even when everything’s not going well. They need to be in this for the long run because we don’t want them to go from foster home to foster home. T&G
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Looking Back Centre County history through the pages of Town&Gown MAY
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1984 Penn State made a return to holding a “stand-alone summer session” in 1984. The history of summer sessions was featured in the story “Penn State Summer Sessions: A Place in the Sun.” Robert G. Bernreuter, who taught psychology in summer sessions from 1931 to 1955, said, “For many Pennsylvania teachers, summer sessions at Penn State offered an opportunity for teachers to attain permanent teacher certification and get out of their small communities and cut loose. There was camaraderie among the staff and teachers coming to the summer sessions that was really something special.”
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1995 “We Are Lion Country” looked at what was then called Centre County Lion Country Convention and Visitors Bureau, which started in 1963. Even in the mid1990s, people didn’t always connect “Lion Country” with Centre County. Executive director Betsey Howell described receiving a phone call from a man who asked if the bureau would be interested in purchasing horse meat for the lions. He was from Georgia and thought he was calling Lion Country Safari in Florida. 2004 “All Roads Lead to State College” described what commuting was like on Centre County highways and byways. Based on the 2000 census, more than 13,000 people commuted to work in Centre County from outside the county. Diane Cowan described her 45-minute commute from her home in Lewistown to her job at the University Area Joint Authority. “I’ve never really minded it,” she said. “Fortunately for me, it’s all four-lane, basically.” T&G
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{victory} defined Former Gettysburg College basketball player Cory Weissman, a 1000-point scorer in high school, knows one thing for certain—a stroke can sideline any one at any time. Just after his freshman season, Cory suffered a devastating stroke caused by an undetected malformation in his brain. Through life-saving procedures and extensive rehabilitation, Cory returned to the court the final game of his senior year to beat the odds…and score the point of his life. It’s why we’re here. visit PennstateHersHey.org/cory or scan tHe Qr code to watcH cory’s remarkable story.
Cory Weissman, Gettysburg College graduate
PennStateHershey.org/cory U.Ed. MED 13-8257 CNI
This Month On townandgown.com • In 5 Questions, Joe Hughes, PGA general manager and head golf professional for Penn State Golf Courses, talks about some of the top courses he’s played on and the changes he has seen to the sport. • Blogs on sports, entertainment, and more. • A special recipe for Gigi’s Pink Mojito. • Order copies of Town&Gown’s Penn State sports annuals. Joe Hughes Anthony Clarvoe
And visit our Facebook site for the latest happenings and opportunities to win free tickets to concerts and events! And follow us on Twitter at TownGown1.
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on center
Circus City Montreal’s Cirque Éloize leaps into fanciful urban universe in Cirkopolis By John Mark Rafacz
Once upon a time the circus was, in large measure, about lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my, how things have changed. In its new production Cirkopolis, coming to Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium September 27, Montreal’s Cirque Éloize certainly wants to leave audiences yearning to run away with the circus. But in this form of contemporary circus, the company forgoes traditional animal tricks in favor of an extraordinary mix of physical feats, music, dance, and theater. Inspired by the visual world of comic books, Cirque Éloize (serk El-waz) leaps into an industrial yet fanciful universe brimming with imagery and audio-visual innovation. Co-commissioned by the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, Cirkopolis unfolds in the heart of an imposing city in which giant gears and dark portals symbolize the crushing lack of individuality. Bathed in the music of an original score and surrounded by projected video, a cast of 12 acrobats and multidisciplinary artists rage against monotony, reinvent themselves, and dare the limits of the factory city in which they’re bound. Fantasy provokes reality, and the fog of anonymity lifts to reveal bursts of color. “Cirkopolis was imagined as a crossroads between imagination and reality, between individuality and community, between limits and possibilities,” says Jeannot Painchaud, Cirque Éloize artistic director and codirector of Cirkopolis. “The show is driven by the poetic impulse of life, the physical prowess of the circus, and the humor, at once serious and lighthearted. Cirkopolis is all about letting go and allowing yourself to be borne aloft by hope.” The show features a number of circus disciplines, including contortion, trapeze, Cyr wheel, Diabolo, straps, Spanish web, hand-tohand, balancing, Chinese pole, German wheel, teeterboard, and group acrobatics.
Cirque Eloize’s Cirkopolis will be part of the Center of the Performing Arts at Penn State’s 2013-14 season when it comes to Eisenhower Auditorium September 27.
The Center for the Performing Arts is giving the public the opportunity to help commission Cirkopolis. A commissioning investment of $250 provides a variety of benefits, including an investor-only presale for Cirkopolis tickets and an invitation for two to a party with the show’s performers and creative team. “I had the opportunity to see the first presentation of Cirkopolis for an invited audience of friends and family in Montreal,” says George Trudeau, director of the Center for the Performing Arts. “The atmosphere was electric as the performers gave their all for an audience that fully understood the difficulty in both conceiving and performing such an innovative work.” Painchaud cofounded the company in 1993. A native of Québec, he has worked in the circus arts for more than a quarter century. This marks Cirque Éloize’s fourth appearance at Eisenhower. The company’s most recent performance at Penn State was in February 2011’s iD. T&G Learn more about Cirque Éloize, Cirkopolis, and how you can become a commissioning investor at www.cpa.psu.edu/cirkoplis.Tickets for Cirkopolis and other 2013-14 Center for the Performing Arts presentations go on sale to Center for the Performing Arts members June 10, and the general public August 12. Visit www.cpa.psu.edu or phone (814) 863-0255 for information. John Mark Rafacz is the editorial manager of the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State.
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Race Against the Clock When it comes to recovering from a stroke, “fast” action is needed at the onset of symptoms If there is one word t h at me d ic a l e x p e r t s w ant t o imp r e s s u p o n the general public during national Stroke Awareness Month it’s “fast.” Not only does it serve as a reminder to act quickly when faced with the possible onset of a stroke, but also as a helpful acronym for what symptoms to look for and what to do when you see them: Face drooping, Dr. Pete Roy (left), neurologist, and Dr. Theodore Ziff, medical director of the Arm weakness, Speech emergency department at Mount Nittany Medical Center, talk via Mount Nittany’s difficulty, and Time to TeleStroke machine with Kathy Morrison, MSN, RN, CNRN, stroke program manager, Penn State Hershey Medical Center. call 911. According to the American Stroke Center to seek areas for improvement in the level of Association, about 795,000 Americans each care given to stroke patients. For the past year and year suffer new or recurrent strokes, and it is a half, the team has been involved in a voluntary the fourth-leading cause of death nationally. certification process through the Joint Commission Typically viewed as a disease affecting the to become Primary Stroke Center certified. elderly, recent studies show an increase of Offering both primary- and comprehensive-level strokes among young adults under the age of certification, the Joint Commission is the national 55. While this may be attributed to heightened governing body that accredits and certifies more awareness of the disease and its symptoms, than 20,000 health-care organizations and programs studies also show that high cholesterol, in the United States. obesity, and smoking were common in young Each level of certification, both primary and adult stroke patients. comprehensive, comes with a certain set of criteria Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and guidelines. General standards for disease-specific and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood certification as determined by the Joint Commission vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is include program management, clinical-information either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, management, delivering or facilitating care, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it supporting self-management, and measuring and needs, so that part of the brain and its cells die. And improving performance. More specifically, Primary the more time that passes following a blockage, the Stroke Center Certification includes such indicators more severe the impact to the brain and its ability to as the time it takes for Emergency Medical Services function. As most doctors will tell you, “time is brain.” to get a patient to the hospital after the onset of Efficiency in dealing with the aftermath of a stroke symptoms, and emergency-department protocols could mean the difference between a full recovery involved in the evaluation and treatment of a patient. or living with debilitating neural and physical Pete Roy, MD, neurologist, Mount Nittany impairments for life. This is what has motivated Physician Group, has been heavily involved in doctors and nurses within neurology and the the certification process and describes it as an “allemergency department at Mount Nittany Medical hands-on-deck” approach. 22 - Town&Gown May 2013
Darren Weimert
By Lori Wilson
Contributed photo
“It has taken a lot of hard work among all members of our staff, including nurses, doctors, emergency department, radiology, administration, EMS — all these people are working together to help create the parameters that allow us to achieve primary certification,” he says. “Stroke certification is part of our mission, and that mission is that we exist to provide better health. It’s all part of the overall picture of caring for the community.” Part of the Primary Stroke Center Certification is the implementation of the TeleStroke program. Roy and Jennifer Vance, a registered nurse and stroke coordinator at Mount Nittany Medical Center, are part of the team working with the technology, which also includes physicians and nurses at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Housed in the emergency department, the TeleStroke machine is an Internet-based system that is used for emergent neurology consultations. Primarily, it is used by nurses in the emergency department for stroke-patient consults. Equipped with a monitor, it allows doctors at Mount Nittany Medical Center to evaluate patients face-to-face with physicians at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. “TeleStroke is a nurse-driven technology, in that if our nursing staff sees a patient that they feel may be having a stroke, they can grab the cart and get it ready for a consult,” says Vance. “When our physicians wish to proceed with a TeleStroke consult, our staff makes a phone call to Hershey and we can have a neurologist on the screen within eight to 10 minutes.” Physicians at Penn State Hershey Medical Center carry headsets and laptops equipped with 4G wireless cards that allow them to access the Internet wherever they may be. As soon as a nurse at Mount Nittany Medical Center prepares for a consultation, even if an official evaluation doesn’t take place, Penn State Hershey Medical Center physicians are notified through their pagers that the TeleStroke machine is in use. This alerts them to be ready if, based upon the
Marianne Hazel (right) with her father, Joseph, who suffered a stroke.
doctor’s assessment, further evaluation or procedures are required. “Doctors on-call can be out seeing patients, or out living their lives, and they will get the heads-up that the TeleStroke machine is in use by nurses or doctors at Mount Nittany,” Vance describes. The timeliness and ease-of-access associated with the machine only helps to further enhance the level of care given to stroke patients. The less time required in evaluating and treating the patient, the better the outcome. “The TeleStroke program is a catalyst for showing the full range of care we are able to give our patients,” says Roy. “Patients can get a consult, while benefttting from the expertise of physicians here and experts at Hershey. It’s a nice tool to
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evaluate and treat patients. Through TeleStroke, the ER doctor has instant access to a neurosurgeon who deals frequently with stroke, and they can develop a more efficient plan of action.” Mount Nittany Medical Center also benefits from a close relationship with HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Center in Pleasant Gap. Earning Disease-Specific Care Certification from the Joint Commission, in addition to Joint Commission accreditation, HealthSouth works with Mount Nittany Medical Center to ensure all stroke patients are evaluated by a physical or occupational therapist, and set up for treatment or ongoing care. As an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, HealthSouth is able to offer patients in the area an acute level of care not typically found in other facilities offering rehabilitation services, such as nursing homes or assisted-living centers. “Collaborative relationships like these are important to ensuring safe transitions of care for our patients,” says Richard Allatt, MD, FRCPC, medical director, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital. “Stroke rehabilitation is essential to supporting improved patient outcomes and reducing the burden of care for our community.” Marianne Hazel, of Bellefonte, experienced
HealthSouth’s care firsthand after her father, Joseph Hazel, suffered a stroke. With her father also being an Alzheimer’s patient, it was important for Hazel that her father’s treatment be consistent and routine. She says it also helped that HealthSouth was able to offer a personal level of care. “Following his stroke, Dad experienced speech difficulties, lost a great deal of cognitive abilities, was unable to perform daily living activities, and was extremely weak, needing a wheelchair,” she recalls. Following his hospital stay, Hazel’s father was moved to HealthSouth, where rehabilitation experts worked with him to help him regain his strength. Through physical therapy, he was able to walk short distances using a walker. With occupational therapy, he resumed some small muscle control and gained back some of his cognitive ability. “HealthSouth provided just the right balance, with a sense of humor, encouraging him and pushing him to begin his therapy,” Marianne Hazel says. “It touched my heart to watch them work with my dad and to treat him just like he was their dad.” In addition to the consistency of care, HealthSouth, which has a Stroke Support Group that meets at 4 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month, also worked with Hazel following her father’s treatment to help prepare
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her to be his full-time caregiver. “I received valuable resources and utilized HealthSouth’s informational sessions,” she says. “I truly believe that HealthSouth’s rehabilitation was the foundation for my dad’s continual improvement. We have such gratitude for the staff, as they have made such a difference in our lives.” While timeliness in the delivery of treatment by a medical expert is crucial in stroke-patient care, much of the initial responsibility rests upon the patient’s ability to identify and quickly react to symptoms. As part of their ongoing effort to educate the community, and in honor of Stroke Awareness Month, Mount Nittany Medical and HealthSouth will offer a special presentation on May 21 featuring Dr. Roy titled “Time Loss = Brain Loss: How to Recognize and Act on Signs of a Stroke Quickly.” The goal of the event is to raise awareness of the disease and to instill in the community the importance of being able to identify symptoms and react quickly. “Community health education is part of our mission at HealthSouth,” says Susan Hartman, CEO, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital. “Not only do we partner with Mount
Nittany Health on the treatment of patients following a stroke, it is critical that we work together to increase awareness of stroke prevention. This event gives us a unique opportunity to partner with Dr. Roy to demonstrate that commitment and to share new treatment options and technologies available to stroke survivors.” Not only do programs like this help full-time stroke-patient caregivers such as Marianne Hazel, who plans to attend the workshop, but also those who are unfamiliar with the disease. “We can’t help people if they have problems and don’t tell anyone,” Roy says. “We rely on people to call 911 and seek help.” T&G For more information on “Time Loss = Brain Loss: How to Recognize and Act on Signs of a Stroke Quickly,” visit www.mountnittany.org/events. The event is 6 p.m. May 21 in Mount Nittany Medical Center’s Galen and Nancy Dreibelbis Auditorium. For more information on HealthSouth’s Stroke Support Group, call Caroline Salva-Romera at (814) 359-3421. Lori Wilson is a freelance writer in State College, and works in marketing for the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
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Blue Spring Park • 8:30 a.m.: Start “Run for Fun” Main & Church Streets • 8-11 a.m.: Pies accepted for 28th Annual Pie Contest • 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: Sidewalk Sales; Crafts & Food; Plant Sale (Garden Club at UCC Church) • 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Village Shops open 11-11:30 a.m.: Organ Recital at UCC Church. Organist Ryan Ditmer on the 1861 Durner Tracker organ Main Stage on The Diamond • 10:30-11:30 a.m.: State College High School Jazz Band • 12-1 p.m.: Little German Band • 12:30 p.m.: Maypole Dance featuring the Central PA Dance Theatre • 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Nightcrawlers • 2:30-3 p.m.: State College Community Theatre presents selections from the 2012 Summer Season • 3-4 p.m.: Pure Cane Sugar Boalsburg Heritage Museum (304 East Main Street) •10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Guided tours; featured exhibit (free) •10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Hot Pretzels - Beehive Oven
•1 p.m.: Memorial Day Essay Contest winners announced •2-4 p.m.: Dan and Galla Boal Mansion Museum (300 Old Boalsburg Road) • 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Guided tours Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum; Civil War Encampments - 148th PA Volunteer Infantry and Hampton’s Legion Artillery; Dominion Science Center — interactive science exhibits for all ages; craft demonstrations and sales; food, drink, and dessert booths, including Amish pretzels and whole hog BBQ sandwiches. • 9 a.m.: Cannonade by Hampton’s Legion Artillery • 9:30 a.m.: Civil War brass music by Coburn Brass • 10:30 a.m.: Live Civil War battle — 148th PA Volunteer Infantry vs. Hampton’s Legion Artillery • 11 a.m.: Patriotic brass music by Bellefonte Community Band • 12:15 p.m.: Original music by Christopher Kent, singer/songwriter • 1:15 p.m.: Boal Awards for Education, Historic Preservation, and Community Service • 1:30 p.m.: Live Civil War battle — 148th PA Volunteer Infantry vs. Hampton’s Legion Artillery • 2 p.m.: OverheaD • 3 p.m.: Gina Ricci, rock singer, with Chris Lee, piano • 3:30 p.m.: OverheaD • 4:30 p.m.: Gina Ricci, rock singer, with Chris Lee, piano • 5 p.m.: Cannonade by Hampton’s Legion Artillery
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Securing the Schools
After the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, local school administrators continue to work toward making their buildings safer
By Amy King 28 - Town&Gown May 2013
When tragedy inflicted by gunfire struck five months ago at an elementary school in the once relatively unknown town of Newtown, Connecticut, our nation was rocked. I watched the news that night with overflowing tears, clutching the hand of my husband as we reciprocally searched for the strength and support we needed. From what I could glean from coverage of the event, before the heartrending incident, Newtown had a bit of an ethereal atmosphere about it — much as we residents think about our towns and communities here, much as others think of where they choose to live — in small places or communities within larger cities. Over the past two decades, we’ve had the horrors of 9/11 and, more recently, at the Boston Marathon, and the shootings of innocents at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and in Tucson, Arizona, and calamities in places of worship with people in their temples or churches, the places they likely thought of as most sacred — and most safe. But the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School — this perverse invasion of a place with children in an environment they presumably adored — felt different. I experienced emotions that I hadn’t undergone during other times of national loss — too many in recent years to want to recall them all. Perhaps this time it was simply more personal for me — a mother of three and a teacher. Life is a gift, but it’s also a risk. When I kiss my children goodbye in the morning, when my husband puts them on the bus, certainly there are no guarantees. My confidence is strong, however, in knowing they are being cared for in a loving climate, one that wants to see them thrive. I need to believe, to be assured, that positive choices are made on behalf of my children. These choices are determined by a variety of people, many who are school administrators — individuals whose job requires them, in a hard-pressed manner, to make countless decisions every day. Working with school safety, though crucial, is hard. It is demanding and highly emotional, an arduous process. After speaking with superintendents of school districts in Centre County, my convictions are enforced that the schools here are looking to improve
upon safety measures, strengthen in-place drills, and educate staff and students alike, all the while keeping an encouraging atmosphere most conducive for learning for children of all ages. This is a complex task, to say the least. While there is not a perfect, foolproof system, this is an issue that is being addressed. To be affirming after such a negative situation as the shootings in Newtown is not easy, but Brian Griffith, superintendent of Penns Valley Area School District, looks to be constructive. “The positive that I’ve seen [in the aftermath of Newtown] is the increased conversation and efforts with first responders and law enforcement. There’s a motivation to talk more, and that’s a good thing,” he says. “How can we look to help those who need it? If we have concerns, we need to address them, not sweep them under the rug.” He stresses the importance of being prepared because, realistically, a shooting can happen here. It can happen anywhere. “Our efforts are to have our students be as safe as they possibly can be within our limitations. The nature of a free society is that you have risks. We need to mitigate risk without compromising the freedoms we do have,” he says. “We need to be thoughtful and prudent in what we do looking at security measures. Our community has a role to play in the protection of our students.” One way schools are looking to augment security measures is by incorporating full-time safety officers into their buildings, a trend that is being seen more and more on the national level. Jeffrey Miles, superintendent of Bald Eagle Area School District, is quick to point out the advantage of having a school safety and prevention coordinator. “He has a great rapport with the kids,” he says, “and that open line of communication is important.” Likewise, Dr. Cheryl Potteiger, superintendent of Bellefonte Area School District, praises their full-time schoolresource officer. “Even though he is stationed out of the high school, officer Jason Brower looks to build relationships with all students across all buildings,” she says. In addition to standard protocol already in
29 - Town&Gown May 2013
place, other safety approaches that schools are employing include installing security cameras, requiring picture identification for anyone entering a school building in any capacity, and a mandatory locking of classroom doors at all times throughout the day (although not all schools in this region have adopted this practice, many have). With increased security presence in school buildings, another avenue being examined throughout districts, both locally and nationally, is quite logical — continuing education. Dr. Bob O’Donnell, superintendent of State College Area School District, expresses his heartfelt gratitude to those who surround him with knowledge, ideas, and support — basic collaboration. “Educating our staff includes improving our relationships with the people who know a lot more about this issue than we do. Our relationships with our local first responders — which involve police, fire safety, county emergency workers — continue to improve,” he says. “After Newtown, our three local police chiefs met with me and helped [identify] what we’re doing well and what some of our needs are in the district. Penn State has knowledge of school safety, and they’ve been part of our improvement efforts.
We’ve had an increase in police presence outside and inside all of our schools, and they each have their own accountability set up. The community needs to know that our police departments have made this happen because their presence not only helps everybody feel more comfortable but also increases the amount of dialogue between us, parents, students, the police. Our education is ongoing.” Drawing on outside resources is indeed an avenue that State College community is afforded because of its close ties with Penn State. The University Police and Public Safety Units handle security at large venues such as Beaver Stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center, as well as dealing with campus and student-security issues. Penn State has gained valuable insight from other institutions in utilizing technologies (such as text-messaging systems) and preparedness training to maintain safer higher-education learning environments. Steve Shelow, assistant vice president for Police and Public Safety at Penn State, tells of just some of the ways Penn State is looking to stay on top of safety issues. “We regularly attend conferences, classes, and seminars,” he says. “We are wellequipped and trained properly.”
30 - Town&Gown May 2013
He also expresses the importance of mutual respect between law enforcement and schools. “We truly have a model relationship between University Park and State College police. We need to rely on one another, and we do. We find levels of support with each other,” he says. Responsibilities should not reside solely with school personnel — they need to include the students and their families as well. For example, in January, Bellefonte Area School District hosted an evening dedicated to informing families about its current safety procedures. “We had crisis responders from the county attend this presentation to answer any questions families may have had,” Potteiger explains. “We videotaped the discussion and televised it on our Web site, in addition to having over 100 people in attendance.” Parental involvement and finding that key balance are vital factors to working together in furthering many issues in the schools. “Parents need to stay connected as part of their children’s education, and they can actually help improve safety,” Griffith says. “It’s the very small percentage that we need to protect against. Instead, we should be looking for ways to bring the good community folks into the schools. Our community has a role to play in the protection of our students.” O’Donnell agrees. “What I don’t want us to do is forget that the relationship between a parent and a child is one of the most critical relationships for us [the educators] in developing that child,” he states. Though seemingly obvious, Miles tells how running drills is one way to continually educate faculty and staff as well as students. “Weaknesses become apparent
[when drills are run], and that’s why we practice. I think our students are well-versed on what to do in an emergency, but you can never be too prepared,” he says. “We’re looking to make our efforts habitual. We need to make sure safety is at the forefront of what we’re doing.” After Newtown, intruder lockdown drills have become more commonplace, much as fire-drill practices. Mardi McDonough, a sixth-grade teacher at Park Forest Middle School in State College, notes the importance of these practices. “Although it’s horrible why we’re addressing it now, it’s necessary. It [a lockdown drill] forces us to address the issue head-on with our students,” she says. “I try to equate it to a fire drill. Just as we’re ready for that [a fire in the school], we also need to be ready for this [an intruder in the building]. It’s important to me to desensitize my students’ fears in case of a lockdown.” McDonough also knows the importance of these issues from a parent’s perspective. She has one daughter who attends State High and another who is in middle school. “In addressing these kinds of issues with my daughters, I am trying to help them understand that we can’t control what other people choose to do,”
31 - Town&Gown May 2013
she says. “I want to empower them so that they are aware of their surroundings and paying attention when something seems wrong or unsafe. Maybe then, they’ll have a chance to find an out or protect themselves in a traumatic situation.” Although all schools are different, both in their setups and the manners in which they are run, there is one constant — teachers need to know their clearly defined roles in case of an emergency. And they do. Without hesitation, Potteiger replies, “Yes, absolutely, my teachers know what to do in case of an emergency. There might be some tensions, but they know what is expected of them.” Training students to be confidently aware that they have the means to report any violent or potentially violent circumstances also is part of this educational process. Schools utilize a variety of methods for students to report any uncomfortable situations, including anonymous tip lines and confidential “comment” boxes. While all of these methods are certainly of relevance, it has been found that building positive relationships, whether with a teacher, a
nurse, a guidance counselor, or a schoolresource officer, and encouraging honest and clear communication, seems to be the most prominent way to get through to students. “I believe the schools in Centre County have that close-knit identity, and most of our kids feel comfortable going to an adult in the event of a problem,” Miles says. “But one of the things that Bald Eagle has done, long before I got here, was address the need for students to be involved in some sort of extracurricular activity. Get them around a positive group of people, and you’ll see positive results.” Similarly, Bellefonte Area School District looks to engage students to alleviate any consternation they may be feeling, regardless of the situation, and to promote student togetherness. “This year we formed a group of students to discuss safety, even before the incident at Sandy Hook,” Potteiger explains. “These high school students travel around and talk to other kids about making good choices, not being afraid to report if something is not right.” This sense of togetherness is important in
32 - Town&Gown May 2013
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making students feel as though they are part of an encompassing community within their respective schools. This perception of unity transcends the local elementary, middle, and high schools; it also includes Penn State University. Earlier this spring, Penn State World Campus partnered with the Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte Area, Philipsburg-Osceola Area, State College Area, and Penns Valley Area school districts to present information about working collaboratively to raise community awareness regarding school safety. The keynote speaker was John-Michael Keyes, representing the I Love U Guys Foundation. The organization was founded after Keyes’s daughter, Emily, was shot and killed during a hostage situation at Platte Canyon High School, located in Bailey, Colorado, in 2006. According to its Web site, the foundation “was created to restore and protect the joy of youth through educational programs and positive actions in collaboration with families, schools, communities, organizations, and government entities.” The message that Keyes supplies is quite
basic — life doesn’t always have a happy ending. In the aftermath of a crisis, you can make decisions and choose your response. His choice, along with his family’s, was to release anger and use his experience for good. That’s a choice many continue to work toward post-Newtown. As school administrators continue to look for ways to protect their students, teachers, and staff, parents continue to have faith that their children will be safe. “Fortunately or unfortunately, the day-to-day [since Newtown] hasn’t changed for me or the girls,” McDonough says. “Lots of things are still very much in our control, and other things are not. I don’t want them, or me, to live in fear of something that is out of our hands.” T&G For more information on the I Love U Guys Foundation, visit www.iloveuguys.org. Amy King is a contributor to Town&Gown, and teaches preschool at Grace Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten. She lives in State College with her husband and three children.
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34 - Town&Gown May 2013
Future
The Sustainability Institute’s MorningStar Solar Home shows it’s possible to live well and energy efficiently By Savita Iyer
36 - Town&Gown May 2013
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The empty milk bottles stacked up neatly along a wall in the MorningStar Solar Home right off Porter Road are not there for decoration. Although they look rather attractive where they are, the glass bottles, like many features in this beautifully designed modular solar home, have a purpose: They’re to be filled with water on a sunny day and placed in cunningly crafted racks on a movable thermal blind that covers the south wall of the house. “Water is a source of mass, and when the bottles are full, they retain the heat that comes in through the window, allowing it to emanate into the room at night when the thermal blinds are lowered,” explains David Riley, associate professor in Penn State’s department of architectural engineering. In 2007, he led a team of students and faculty that designed and built the MorningStar Solar Home in the Solar Decathlon competition. The bottles are an example of the effortless way in which heat can be harnessed from the sun. But Riley also thinks it’s great that “everyone loves the idea of a wall lined with glass milk bottles,” since the MorningStar home — which more than 800 students put together over two years for the Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC — is as much a testament to fine design, keen engineering, aesthetics, and marketability as it is to energy efficiency and the almost limitless potential of leveraging the natural power of the sun. It is a showcase, Riley says, for the idea that a sustainably ecofriendly home also can be beautiful and pleasing to the eye, and it was designed “so that people would come in and say, ‘Wow, I can live here!’ ” Indeed, the MorningStar Home, which is part of Penn State’s Sustainability Institute,
has everything an occupant could desire: a state-of-the-art kitchen fitted with modern appliances; a bedroom-cum-living room that’s neatly sectioned in two by a moveable unit that doubles as a nifty display cabinet; closet space and a bathroom that can rival any you’d find in a four-star hotel and then some, since “we worked with the solar engineer to run heat tubes through the walls of the shower and we put in a timer that you can set, so if you want to The MorningStar Home was built in 2007 for the Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC.
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A net-zero home, the MorningStar Home produces as much energy, if not more, than it consumes.
get up at 6 a.m. and take a shower, it will be like climbing into a cocoon,” Riley says. The walls and roof of the house are insulated with polyurethane foam, while the floor is heated with underground hot water tubes so that
The house was designed “so that people would come in and say, ‘ Wow, I can live here!’ ” year-round, in the heat of summer and in the dead cold of winter, the MorningStar Home — which is net zero, producing as much as energy, if not more, than it consumes — is always at a comfortable temperature. “The climate here is very good for passivesolar technologies, so the house has really big windows in order to take advantage of the free heat we get from the winter sun,” Riley says. “And at night when there’s no sun, you can bring down thermal blinds to insulate the window and not waste the heat that’s in the house.” In the summer, an adjustable screen shades a window to keep the heat at bay without cutting
out the light, and the slate floor of the house — made of shingles from a barn in Carlisle — keeps things cool. Conversely, that same slate floor, by virtue of its mass, helps to trap heat in the winter and keep the house cozy and warm. And all of that for far less than it costs to heat and cool a house with conventional heating. The MorningStar Solar Home represents an important step in Penn State’s advancing leadership in energy solutions for the future. And, although on one level it is a complex and intricate endeavor, Riley insists that the MorningStar Home — or at any rate, some of the elements that have gone into its construction and design — creates a vision for twenty-firstcentury home building that is relevant to communities of all cultures, climates, and incomes, and it is easy enough to replicate on the same scale or on a smaller or larger one with sound planning, vision, and foresight. He emphasizes the fact that the “heart and brains” of the house — the wiring and mechanics that leverage the energy produced by the solar panels on the roof and that make things work — are all prefabricated, thereby making construction much easier.
38 - Town&Gown May 2013
“The idea was that you build that part of the house in a factory, then bring it to the site and build around it with locally sourced materials that you don’t need to ship long distances,” Riley says. Since the Decathlon and the home’s return to Penn State, the MorningStar Home has attracted many visitors and piqued the interest of people in the community who are interested in either building new homes or incorporating elements of solar design and technology into existing homes, and who are increasingly requesting the services of companies such as Envinity, a State College-based solar-engineering firm. The company (which also has a design team) has been installing solar panels and solar hot-water-heating systems in area homes since 2007, and David Gantz, a renewable-energy specialist at the firm, says he’s seen increased interest from the community in exploring energy efficiency, particularly given the escalation in the price of
The state-of-the-art kitchen features many modern appliances.
The living room has empty milk bottles that are used to harness heat from the sun.
heating oil and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, when many people realized just how inefficient their energy systems really were. “We perform a thorough energy audit on a home, and from there, identify what kind of improvements could be made to reduce costs and make it more energy efficient,” Gantz says. “We’re then able to show people that perhaps they don’t need such a large heating system, for example, or that the kind of water heater they’re using might not be needed if the house were more energy efficient. We want to quantify the amount of energy that’s being used in a house, and look to first replace peoples’ current systems with less expensive mechanicals, and, after that, to remove fossil fuels and go with renewables instead.”
39 - Town&Gown May 2013
Envinity, like other solar-engineering firms, works to foster a proactive rather than a reactive approach to energy efficiency, Gantz says. Most people are likely to rush out and buy the first water heater they can lay their hands on if theirs breaks down. Gantz encourages them to think ahead of time and lay the foundations for energy efficiency before a crisis occurs in their home, since installing a solar water heater ahead of time can prove to be a lot more cost- and energy-effective in the long run. But careful planning and optimal engineering are never going to be an end unto themselves, and even the most energy-efficient home can be redundant if it’s not used properly. Which is why Riley believes that behavior is Riley led of the essence when it the team of comes to sustainability. students and Educating people not faculty who only on how to build an designed energy-efficient or a netand built the zero home, but also how MorningStar Solar Home. to use those homes in an
40 - Town&Gown May 2013
The home’s floor is heated with underground hot water tubes, so that year-round it is always a comfortable temperature.
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optimal manner in order to ensure that they remain, well, energy efficient and net-zero, is paramount.
“So having an occupant take the time to do things like adjust the blinds for the sunlight and shift their dishwashing and showering to the end of the day is very important and a key to the performance of the house.” “An occupant is an integral part of the homeenergy system as the performance of the house will depend on their behavior,” Riley says. “The solar thermal collector can make hot water for the end of the day, for instance, which is when it’s free, so if the occupant of the house were to use hot water in the morning, they’d be using electricity to make that hot water. So having an occupant take the time to do things like adjust the blinds for the sunlight and shift their dishwashing and showering to the end of the day is very important and a key to the performance of the house.”
Inside: Bike riding in Happy Valley • College of Arts & Architecture celebrates 50th anniversary
Inside: Securing the schools • Sustainability in Centre County
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The key to a successful energy-efficient home rests upon shifting individuals’ value systems with respect to their energy usage. To that end, Riley says, the MorningStar Home is not an exercise in solar advocacy, but rather an education tool and a prototype that people can learn from. The house is just one element of a sustainable ecosystem (there is a wind turbine on the premises, and in 2011, Chevrolet donated a Volt in support of the Sustainability Institute’s ongoing research in new transportation technology) that is designed to demonstrate the overall efficiency of green technologies and engineering, and to guide and inform people as they explore the many possibilities available in this exciting area of innovative home design and engineering. T&G Savita Iyer is a freelance journalist who moved with her family to State College in August. She has worked as a full-time business journalist in New York, and, as a freelancer, has reported from both Europe and Asia. Her features on a variety of topics have appeared in many publications, including Business Week, Vogue (Mumbai, India edition), and on CNN.com.
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Experience Town and Gown! with Town&Gown magazine
Experience — the MorningStar Solar Home
with Town&Gown magazine Town&Gown invites you to take a tour of the MorningStar Solar Home (just off Porter Road besides Medlar Field at Lubrano Park) anytime between
10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, May 18! Come “experience” this unique home that Penn State students and staff constructed. Parking available in the tailgating lots in front of the home. Also that day, at the Sustainability Experience Center, Penn State will showcase a number of advanced-technology prototype and production vehicles that will be competing in the 21st Century Automotive Challenge. The event is free and open to the public. Visitors will have a chance to see custom electricconversion vehicles as well as the Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Model S, Mini E, and many more!
So join Town&Gown and get ready to learn more about why this region is so special! Town&Gown’s Experience Town and Gown series is where we invite you to come with us to tour unique locations, discuss important issues, and just have an experience with some of the people and places that make the Happy Valley region and the rest of Centre County unique!
Sustainability in Centre County As look at how the movement toward living more efficiently has grown locally, and helpful hints on what you can do 45 - Town&Gown May 2013
A Sustainable Future
Towns, schools, businesses, and individuals continue to look for ways to help their local communities prosper while creating a cleaner environment By Rebekka Coakley Bicycling to work every day since 1976, Penn State’s Paul Ruskin has accumulated more than 18,000 miles of petroleum-free transportation. Sustainability has been on his mind since he was in high school, when he researched the depth of lunar soil using infrared photography, and launched rockets in high school with his friends. “I realized the atmosphere of Earth is just like a coating of saran wrap — it’s a tiny coat that can be filled with pollutants,” the communications/ public-affairs coordinator for Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant says. “Every car on the road is an experiment in terraforming, emitting exhaust gases that will change the atmosphere.” So Ruskin rides his bike from his Houserville home when the weather isn’t too treacherous. He also inspired the student initiative Friday Night Lights Out when he himself began turning off unnecessary campus lighting as an undergraduate and continued to do so when he returned to his alma mater as an employee. He has helped Penn State reduce its carbon footprint and has personally turned off more than 5 million lights on campus. “To me, sustainability means thinking about the future and using the resources we have today wisely, so that our grandchildren can actually have a future,” he says. A lot of people have been thinking about sustainability recently. Penn State launched its Sustainability Institute and www.sustainability.psu.edu
Planting your own garden is one way for someone to be more sustainable.
in February. The Borough of State College began its manager’s committee on sustainability in 2010. And, in general, an increasing number of people are trying to live their lives — whether by what they drive (or don’t drive), what they eat, or how they live in their homes — more efficiently. In this special section, Town&Gown looks at sustainability from the aspects of energy use in a home, remodeling or building a home, food, and transportation. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site, sustainability is based on the principle that “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.” When it comes to State College, the borough describes sustainability on its Web site as “using best practices to create lasting environment, economic, community, and organizational vitality as part of State College’s overall mission to enhance the quality of life by fostering a safe, vibrant, diverse, and sustainable community; by providing quality, innovative, cost-effective services; and by allocating resources efficiently with professionalism, integrity, transparency, and accountability.” The Penn State Sustainability Strategic Plan defines sustainability as “the simultaneous pursuit of human health and happiness, environmental
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quality, and economic well being for current and future generations.” Penn State President Rodney Erickson has called sustainability “the major theme of the twenty-first century” with the university “already establishing itself as a leader.” As a student, Ruskin was involved with environmental initiatives. Having studied astronomy in high school and earth sciences at Penn State, he knew how vast the universe was and how delicate, he concluded, the planet Earth is in comparison. When he worked for American Forces Radio and Television Services, he did programming about sustainability but called it ecology back then. He would play rock music, and mixed in environmental awareness.
“No one stopped me, they couldn’t really figure out what I was doing,” he says about broadcasting in Alaska, Texas, and Spain. And when he started working at Penn State in 1976, he drew a fivemile circle around Old Main on a map and told his real estate agent his house had to be in the circle, so he could bike to work. He estimates bicycling to work has allowed him to put $100,000 dollars extra into his retirement. Even when he is driving, he’s still mindful of the resources he uses — he drives a 2010 Toyota Prius, which he says is absolutely wonderful; it averages about 50 miles per gallon, though Ruskin has found he can get 62 miles to the gallon on highways. He’s glad to see that Penn State has become more aware of sustainability. In 1970, students
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Sustainable Institute director Denice Wardrop says the institute has “the great honor of molding a more sustainable future.”
participated in the first Earth Day by being outside, playing Frisbee on the HUB lawn, and celebrating nature. Ruskin says Senator Gaylord Nelson, a democrat from Wisconsin, founded the day to mobilize the nation in support of conservation and to fight air and water pollution. Ruskin says he’s happy to work for an institution that takes sustainability as seriously as he always has. Penn State’s Sustainability Institute integrated the university’s Center for Sustainability and the Campus Sustainability Office. Besides the institute, Penn State also has its Institutes of Energy and the Environment, along with numerous student clubs and organizations focused on sustainability. When Penn State made the announcement about the Sustainability Institute, director Denice Wardrop said, “We stand at the gate of the sustainability challenge. This institute has the opportunity, the responsibility, and the great honor of molding a sustainable future. Tania Slawecki, former director of Penn State’s Center for Sustainability, and her husband, Gene Bazan, who helped create the center and who has taught at three universities, run Neo-Terra, an organization in Central Pennsylvania that teaches the community how to live in a more healthful and regenerative way. They’ve been gradually retrofitting their older home to be more sustainable, relying more on solar energy. They have a green
roof and a grey water-treatment system integrated within a bioshelter, and they collect rainwater, grow their own food, and store their surplus. The couple take the practices they’ve learned during their careers to develop more sustainable lifestyles for themselves and their clients. “Some people say sustainability is a balance of the economy, the environment, and society, but which do we need the most? The environment,” Slawecki says. In April 2010, State College borough manager Tom Fountaine established the manager’s committee on sustainability. It’s described as “an action-based employee task force to increase collaboration between municipal departments on issues regarding the economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and community resilience of State College Borough.” The committee is charged with developing a borough-wide sustainable action plan. The plan would include providing training and outreach to borough staff for the development, adoption, and implementation of sustainable practices; identifying and implementing best practices in sustainable operations (specifically in the areas of resource conservation, transportation, pollution prevention, public health protection, and community and economic development); providing ongoing evaluation of sustainable programs; and more. The borough recently set up a refuse- and organics-collection program that began in April. The new organics recycling program is the first community-wide program east of the Mississippi to include food-scrap collection. The borough cites some of the benefits of the program to be a reduction in the amount of waste sent to the landfill — and the organic waste can be recycled into products such as compost and mulch. State College resident and certified green real estate agent Scot Chambers has been thinking about sustainability for most of his life — he grew up in a green family. He says losing his mother to
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cancer, seeing the world’s climate change, and being aware of how wasteful most people are sparked something in him. He defined sustainability as the ability to endure — thinking long-term about the impact we make on the planet. When he decided to leave teaching to become a real estate agent, he realized he could combine his passion for sustainability with his new career to help people make sustainable changes on an individual level. In real estate, he can help his clients live healthy, economical, and in eco-friendly homes. He recommends to his clients to have energy audits done in their homes, whether they are buying or selling. Energy auditors look at homes with infrared tools to find leaks in insulation, where airflow goes, and they break down how homeowners
can increase energy efficiency. Chambers’s wife, Charlene, an eco-consultant, can find homeowners simple and valuable ways to save money on electricity and water consumption, improve air quality, and reduce waste. She and Scot, and many others involved with sustainability, are about just trying to pass on the information they have to people, and hoping they can grow a more sustainable future in their communities. Slawecki says, “Gandhi said, ‘Become the change you want to see.’ That’s why we do this work — people will find us and ask for help when they’re ready.” Rebekka Coakley lives in Bellefonte, is a freelance writer, and works for Penn State.
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Housing
From materials used outside to furniture inside, building and furnishing a more sustainable home is an investment in time and money By Sarah Olah Sustainability is simplicity when it comes to the home. Tom Meade, president of Room Doctor Furniture Company in State College, says sustainability is trying to make things as simple as possible. “The closer you get to nature, the closer you get to purity, the closer you get to chemicalfree, the closer you get to sustainability,” he says. Room Doctor Furniture Company makes its furniture such as beds, futons, and bookshelves with southern yellow pine wood, which Meade says is the fastest-growing renewable resource in North America. The wood can be recycled and reworked into different shapes and sizes, and is biodegradable and energy efficient. Room Doctor also has organic, natural mattresses that are chemical-free, which is important because toxin and chemicals can make people sick. If there are toxins in a mattress, a person will be breathing them in while they sleep. Meade says an organic mattress purifies your sleep, and that “healthy living begins with healthy sleeping.” “As a store — company as a whole — we are trying to bring that model to the consumer,” he says regarding sustainability. Sustainability’s first step is education. People have to be aware of it and begin to ask ques-
tions to make sure they are taking the most sustainable, healthy steps for themselves and their families. While simple updates to a home may help the environment and your health every day, the next level of becoming more energy efficient is renovating, remodeling, or building new. This is a more thorough process and may cost more money initially, but the return on investment may be greater in the long run. Ken Bachman, president and owner of Bachman Homes, says green building is a technique of smart building. “You consider the impact of the materials to the environment, as well as an efficient way to build homes to reduce waste and make a more efficient home,” he says. Bachman Homes is a certified green builder using the “best techniques for energy efficiency and environmental concerns,” according to Bachman. One of the things you should address are the openings in your home. You want to look at the passage of air from inside to outside, and vice versa. However, Bachman says you do not want to make the home “too tight.” You want fresh air to circulate. Further, you need to control the airflow. If you are in the process of building a new home, Scot Chambers, green realtor with Keller Williams Advantage Realty, suggests finding a designer or a builder familiar with green or sustainable principles. The orientation of your house can make a big difference. He says when it comes to homes locally, walls facing the south will get more sun than walls facing north. Building houses with windows on the southern side will increase solar heating. Also, stone walls will absorb heat and radiate it during the winter. Another thing to consider is building your house deeper in the ground. It will be steadier and won’t use as much energy.
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Dan Wise, certified green builder and accredited verifier for the National Green Building Standard, verifies how “green” a home is through a test. The emerald rating is the highest rating of green one can receive, with gold, silver, and bronze next. Wise says the NGBS is designed for residential living, and that it is affordable. The test basically sees how energy efficient a house is from the building of it to the appliances that eventu-
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ally are used in it. The bronze rating is basic sustainability and does not require much extra from the homeowner, while the emerald standard of sustainability is performance based. Gold and silver ratings are in between these two standards. Some requirements may include utilizing a heat pump, solar energy, etc.
“Everyone wants to save the environment, but no one wants to spend money.” There are a few components to sustainability.
The main ones are the site of the build, indoorair quality and water quality, tightness of the home, and maintenance. For those thinking about building, the first place to start is the planning process. You should plan with your builder and be up front about how sustainable you want to be. You can talk about the home as well as the appliances you want to be able to use inside your home. From there, you can begin planning and estimating costs and tradeoffs. “Everyone wants to save the environment, but no one wants to spend money,” Wise says. He adds there are many benefits to going green. He says the resell value of a home will go up and it may sell quicker. There also are
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tax-credit incentives as well as nonmonetary benefits and health benefits. He says it also is nice just knowing your house is sustainable and provides better air quality for your family. “There needs to be an acceptance and willingness every day to build to green standards,” Wise says. Certified homes usually sell 9 to 10 percent more on the resale of a home than noncertified homes. Chambers encourages people to really look at the greening process and sustainability movement more closely. He says it improves all aspects of your life, including housing. Technological improvements do come along, but they are not developing so quickly that your investments and improvements will
be outdated. How quickly you update your home tends to depend on your financial situation and how important it is to you to have the “latest and greatest,” according to Chambers. With renovations and remodeling it is usually a five- to 10-year investment before you start getting money back on it. Remodeling costs more money, so it will take longer to get the money back in return. However, these types of renovations are not things you have to keep updating once you make the switch — they will keep for a while. “It really is what I call a win-win-win situation,” Chambers says. “It will save you money, improve your immediate environment, and it helps generate a healthier community.”
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Energy
Even little changes can help your home become more efficient and energy sustainable By Sarah Olah Whether you’re looking for the newest improvements or just want to update to stick with the times, anyone can make their home more energy efficient and sustainable. Keeping up with the latest and greatest doesn’t have to mean starting fresh. Simple home updates can keep your wallet as green as the environment. If you’re hesitant or worried it will be a huge financial investment, making even little improvements or changes can still have positive impacts. Scot Chambers, green realtor for Keller Williams Realty, says the best way for people to become more energy efficient in their homes is to start small. Starting with the little changes will make you more likely to do bigger changes down the road, he says. Retrofitting is a good starting point. Basically, it is keeping your home the same, but increasing energy efficiency through simple updates. This includes switching your everyday appliances to energy-efficient items such as light bulbs, water pumps, showerheads, etc. Brian Henderson is manager of residential energy services for Envinity, a State Collegebased company that integrates green design, construction, and energy for residential and commercial clients. He says “do-it-yourself” retrofitting is a good way to get started in terms of being more energy efficient. He suggests converting your lighting to CFL or LED
light bulbs as well as making sure your appliances are Energy Star rated. Another way to be energy efficient is to maintain your equipment. If they are serviced regularly, your appliances will run longer and be more efficient. Controlling your thermostat setting also can save you money and energy. Putting your appliances on a power strip and then switching them all off when not in use is another way to save. Even unplugging appliances not on a strip will save energy and money. These are no-cost or low-cost ways to garner savings. Even something as simple as keeping the blinds closed in the summer and open in the winter will help — with solar energy. These actions don’t cost a lot of money, but you will see the impact they have on your life. Henderson says after the do-it-yourself updates in your home, the next step is the energy audit. When you get to this point, you are investing more money, so you will need to call in the professionals for more information. The energy audit tests your home’s efficiency. After the test you will have a better understanding of how your house works and what you can do to improve it.
An infrared thermalimaging system is used during a home energy audit.
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Henderson says after the audit, professionals can address comfort concerns and bring down your cost of living. The audit finds what needs to be fixed in order to make a home more comfortable and more energy efficient. The audit puts a lot of focus on the “building envelope,” which is essentially the walls,
“We want to reduce consumption and supplement it with the best equipment.” windows, and doors — “the shell of the house,” according to Henderson. However, that is not its only focus. It analyzes the home as a whole. From the audit, the professionals are able to see what is best for a customer. They supply a customer individual information on their home. The most important aspect to the audit is that it helps educate consumers. Henderson says it makes the consumer “empowered” to make the right decisions for their home. It gives the consumer the opportunity to gather information and make plans for their home. When it comes to upgrading a home to become more energy efficient, there is an initial cost that may be more expensive than equipment that doesn’t help reduce energy. However, in the energy-efficiency industry, you can expect a return on the investment, meaning you may spend more money upfront, but eventually your investment will save you money. Henderson sees the return on investment as a “blessing,” saying it is unique to the energy industry and that you wouldn’t ask about future
savings with almost any other purchase. He adds that the ultimate goal is, “We want to reduce consumption and supplement it with the best equipment.” Chambers says it is taking time for people to invest in sustainability because “we weren’t raised to think in terms of energy efficiency.” He says historically we have been a “land of plenty.” It took a while for us to learn that water and air have limitations. “We need to change the way we’re doing things,” he says. “People have adopted the wasteful lifestyle because of societal expectations. With a sustainable approach, you can still maintain a way of life, but save money and improve life for you and the community around you.”
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Experience Town and Gown! with Town&Gown magazine
Experience — the MorningStar Solar Home
with Town&Gown magazine Town&Gown invites you to take a tour of the MorningStar Solar Home (just off Porter Road besides Medlar Field at Lubrano Park) anytime between
10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, May 18! Come “experience” this unique home that Penn State students and staff constructed. Parking available in the tailgating lots in front of the home. Also that day, at the Sustainability Experience Center, Penn State will showcase a number of advanced-technology prototype and production vehicles that will be competing in the 21st Century Automotive Challenge. The event is free and open to the public. Visitors will have a chance to see custom electric-conversion vehicles as well as the Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Model S, Mini E, and many more!
So join Town&Gown and get ready to learn more about why this region is so special! Town&Gown’s Experience Town and Gown series is where we invite you to come with us to tour unique locations, discuss important issues, and just have an experience with some of the people and places that make the Happy Valley region and the rest of Centre County unique!
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Food
Farmers, community come together to help local movement By Sarah Olah Home gardening, participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), or just buying locally can take the guesswork out of where your food comes from — and help you live more sustainably. With home gardening you literally have total control over what you grow and how it grows. You will have some obstacles to face such as seasons and figuring out your own pattern, but this is definitely an option. CleanWater Conservancy started an initiative called Garden Starters, which came from the sustainability initiative of the Spring Creek Watershed Association. It began about four years ago as an idea to get people in the community together to promote sustainability in a broad sense. Garden Starters teaches community members how to grow their own gardens through workshops, and from there they encourage people to take what they learned and put it to use at their own homes. They teach how to water, deal with pests, attract butterflies, and maintain a garden. Bill Sharp, local sustainability advocate who was involved in starting Garden Starters, says home gardening is “something of flavor” and “permanence.” He says the benefits of eating locally or from your home garden are taste, freshness, and nutrition. It’s something that keeps people outdoors, keeps children involved, and it’s something you can share. He calls home gardening a “gift to give.”
Garden Starters teaches community members how to grow their own gardens.
Through gardening, he says you are in “constant touch with nature and growing plants.” Barbara Fisher also helped start Garden Starters and says gardening is an opportunity to be connected to the earth. She also says it leads to community connections, and it’s an opportunity for learning. “It’s a constant, exciting chase for new solutions,” she says on gardening and planting new things. Gardening doesn’t have to mean in your backyard or patio, either. You can grow food anywhere, if you do it properly. Little Earth is a new company with the goal of teaching people how to grow a garden in small spaces. Tom Meade, president of the new company, says he wants to help people grow food “creatively in small spaces,” such as vertical gardens. Little Earth “lays the seed” for residents to do more in their own homes. He says Little Earth is bringing sustainable food production to the home. “The goal is to help people with their own health and help them become more sustainable in their own home,” he says. Central Pennsylvania has a large food-growing
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movement, but more of the population needs to be educated, according to Meade, in order to make the initiative even more successful. He says people need to be more understanding of the importance of food to their own health as well as to support their local food producers. “You have to make a daily choice,” Meade says. “Will it help me and my family? Will it help the economy?” One way some individuals and families are helping is by joining one of several local CSAs. In the CSA, the members of the community support local farmers by buying food from them in advance. In some cases the food is mailed out and delivered or members can pick up the food
at the farm or a designated location. Tait Farms Foods on US Route 322 is a local farm that has a CSA program, Community Harvest — people can purchase individual or family shares. Owner Kim Tait explains sustainable farming as low-input, compost, and crop rotation among other things that factor into organic foods. She says sustainable means that you continue to do something. “You try to have practices that work in harmony with nature, and the goal is always to give back more than you take,” she says. The goal may not always be possible, but that is what they aim for to keep the soil healthy and fertile. She says a CSA connects people to local
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eating and seasonal eating. It becomes a part of peoples’ lives to eat fresh from the farm. It also is educational in terms of knowing what you’re eating and what grows in Central Pennsylvania at different times during the year. “There’s something important about the relationship where a group of people support a farmer, and in return he supports that group of people,” Tait says. Laura Zaino, farm manager of Greenmoore
Gardens in State College, says a benefit to a CSA is it keeps your food local. This way you know where your food is coming from, and the food also tends to last longer and be better quality. She says there should be an awareness and
focus on food and who supplies it. Bob Ricketts, owner of Fasta & Ravioli, Co., supplies some local restaurants with his pasta as well as having people make purchases at his shops in State College and Pleasant Gap. Since he opened Fasta & Ravioli three years ago, he started working with local farmers’ markets. He keeps a relationship with seven of the local markets, and says, because of his relationship with certain farmers, some of them grow specific products for him. “It’s cool knowing where your food comes from,” he says. He says everyone in the famers’ market purchases locally and that they all use each other’s products, which sustains a local economy. He
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says more restaurants are turning to seasonal menus so they can make dishes based on the food farmers have at the time. The days of having the same menu over and over are no longer the norm. Friends & Farmers, a new food cooperative in State College, is trying to grow its name and purpose of supporting local food producers. The idea — from community members — started as a way to help sustain or grow the community in positive ways. The common and recurring idea was a food cooperative. A food cooperative is like a grocery store, but the community has a huge say in terms of what goes on the shelves. Sarah Potter, president of
Friends & Farmers, says it gives people a unique setting as well as a voice in the project. The food is grown locally and sold locally to keep everything within the community. The fresh products then provide for the people in the community. “There’s a lot of ways to get connected,” Potter says. “It’s just reaching out.” Currently, they do not have a location, but it is part of the process. They are still garnering interest from the community and are working to gain more members. “State College already has a very healthy, local food community,” Potter says. “It can only get better from here.”
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Transportation Buses and bikes help region grow more toward sustainable means of moving around
CATA’s buses run on clean compressed natural gas.
By Sarah Olah Carpooling, walking, bike riding, taking the bus — these are some of the ways one can help the environment in terms of energy efficiency in transportation. The Centre County community is increasing its efforts to make the area an environmentally sound community when it comes to getting people from point A to point B. Bike lanes are in use, students walk to class, and buses offer routes from various stops in Centre County. The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) has several options for those looking to help the environment and their wallets. CATABUS system provides transportation around campus and downtown State College, and its 20 community routes serve different areas in State College and neighboring towns, including Bellefonte, Pleasant Gap, and Stormstown. CATA also has CATACOMMUTE, which offers a family of commuter services such as RideShare, a vanpool program, and Guaranteed Ride Home. The RideShare database provides a carpoolmatching service, wherein commuters are matched with other commuters with similar travel habits and preferences. Jacqueline Sheader, CATA marketing manager, says the RideShare database works very much like an online dating service, only in this case it’s for commuters. CATA matches people based on their schedules, preferences (such as
smoking or nonsmoking), and locations. The commuters take it from there. The vanpool program works a little differently and tries to match seven to 12 commuters who share the same or close destinations. CATA provides a van to the group and covers the cost of gas, insurance, and maintenance. The driver is a volunteer and people in the vanpool share the cost each month. The cost of the vanpool is determined by CATA and depends on where the commuters are traveling to and from, how often the van operates, and how many commuters are registered to the vanpool. Sheader says there are currently 33 vans in service right now, and CATA is working on several more as it assists SCI-Cresson and the Philipsburg branch of South Hills School of Technology with transportation solutions as result of their closings. This year, the Area Transportation Authority of North Central Pennsylvania (ATA) began a regional commuter bus service, the Clearfield-
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W. Hutton/Penn State
Penn State and State College are considered a Bicycle Friendly University and a Bicycle Friendly Community, respectively.
Centre Connector, that links Clearfield, Philipsburg, and State College. CATA’s 66 buses all run on clean compressed natural gas. It was the first transit agency on the East Coast to operate on alternative fuels, according to Sheader. She says transportation efficiency is important to CATA, and the company had wanted to reduce energy dependence. She says it is CATA’s responsibility to work with these efforts. “It’s the number one and biggest thing we can do for our community beyond providing an excellent transportation system,” she says. More people seem to be doing their own “little parts.” Lydia Vandenbergh, facultyand-staff program coordinator of Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant, says a good place for people to start is by looking at patterns in their daily lives. You can start by looking at where you need to go and then look at Penn State transportation Web sites and CATA’s Web site and see how you can take advantage of what’s offered. She says it is really easy to get around using
the bus services, which are free on campus, and by using bicycles, which is good for your health and for the environment. Joyce Eveleth, environmental AmeriCorps member for State College Borough, says energy efficiency in terms of transportation will help reduce gas use, improve health, and save money. State College is considered a Bicycle Friendly Community and Penn State a Bicycle Friendly University, according to the League of American Bicyclists. State College also has a Bicycle Ambassador Program in the hopes of getting people out of their cars and onto their bikes. The goal of the program is to teach bicycle safety and education in the community. Eveleth says about 3 percent of people who live in the borough bike to work, which she says it is a pretty good number of people. Even if you bike only three months of the year, it helps the environment. She also says biking to work can make you happier and more effective at work. The borough will continue to work with the Centre Region to make it an even friendlier bicycle community. Vandenbergh says the little things add up when trying to be more environmentally friendly. She says other ways to help the environment, if you can’t carpool or bike ride to work, include unloading heavy things from your car, making sure your tires are properly inflated, and driving less aggressively. She says she’s seen people be more and more energy efficient and that the motivation and willingness are there for people to improve. She sees adults on bikes with child carriers on the back, which she says is great exercise and a model of sustainable behavior for their children to see. “It’s great to see how people are innovative,” Vandenbergh says. “I’ve seen wonderful cases of people thinking outside the box.”
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Grilling season is finally here...
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Captain Reception, Thursday, May 30 Individual tickets availalble
17th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament Friday, May 31, 2013 Penn State Blue and White Golf Courses • One of the top golf events of the season in Pennsylvania • More than 350 golfers participate annually • Great participation gifts and competition prizes • All the food you can eat on and off the course • Penn State coaches, former athletes and celebrities from across the sports world • Morning and Afternoon tee times available • Signature event for Penn State Coaches vs. Cancer organization which has raised more than $1.9 million to fight cancer.
www.cvcpennstate.org Visit our website to download tournament and sponsorship forms and be a part of helping CVC to raise over $2 million this year!
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R
Reflections Through a long-term project, Shaver’s Creek — with the help of any and all visitors — looks to gather a creative history of itself, and see how a century of time has affected and will affect it By Jennifer Babulsky Photos by John Hovenstine A stressful day washes away like the bubbling water in Shaver’s Creek, immediately drawing a person’s attention to the surrounding breathtaking nature. One might pull out a camera and take some pictures to remember the moment. Others might take out a journal and start writing his or her thoughts, or sketch the beauty around them. All are reactions staff and supporters of Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center in Petersburg hope people have as part of the center’s Long-Term Ecological Reflections Project, which seeks to record what happens at eight locations in and around the environmental center over a century through the creative lenses of authors and artists from a variety of disciplines. “I think the project encourages all people to spend reflective time in the landscape to just sit and ponder and try to deepen the understanding of place,” says Doug Wentzel, program director and naturalist at Shaver’s Creek. “And it is open to all. You don’t need to know the names of the trees to write about the trees, although it might just get you to want to know more about the trees. Each contributor has their own unique observations to share with the current community, as well as with readers 50 or 100-plus years in the future.” By clicking on the project’s link on shaverscreek.org, people can learn about the eight sites, as well as read reflections from various people, including Ian Marshall, who conceived the idea of the project. After attending a conference and hearing someone from Oregon State University talk about a similar venture at H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon, Marshall thought Shaver’s Creek would be the perfect location for the same type of project. So, in early 2006, Marshall submitted his proposal and the project was underway. However, it took until August 2012 to add the project and collected essays to the center’s redesigned Web site. 67 - Town&Gown May 2013
The Rudy Sawmill site is the second site on the hike. The sawmill operated here in the mid-1800s.
“It’s really in the early stages of the word getting out, but I think we’ve got a fantastic start,” says Marshall, professor of English and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona and coordinator of Penn State Altoona’s environmental-studies program. “Eventually I would hope that we’d have more disciplines represented so people can see, for instance, the different ways that, say, an environmental historian, a biologist, photographer, and literary ecocritic look at the same place. And of course in time we will all get a chance to watch how the landscape changes over time.” Marshall was given the task of choosing the individual sites, trying to get variety in terms of topography while also making all the sites accessible in a single afternoon’s hike. Put on your hiking boots and start your journey at the Twin Bridges area within the small grove of Eastern hemlocks beside the two wooden bridges over the creek for which the environmental center is named. Then hike to the second site, the old Rudy Sawmill site on the east side of Shaver’s Creek, along the Sawmill Trail between Twin Bridges and the intersection with Scare Pond Road. The Rudy family operated the sawmill in the mid-1800s, and now all that remains are
Wentzel believes the Long-Term Ecological Reflections Project will encourage people to spend reflective time in the landscape — and deepen the understanding of place.
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The hike for the reflections project starts at the Twin Bridges.
rock piles of the original mill foundation and the millrace, or sluiceway, from upstream. The third site is a chestnut plantation at the corner of Scare Pond and Hammond roads, approximately half a mile up the hill above Stone Valley Recreation Area’s main lodge. Walk to the fourth site, affectionately named the “dark cliffy spot,” situated along the Woods Route Trail downstream of the Lake Perez dam and a few hundred feet upstream along an unnamed tributary of Shaver’s Creek. It is found among a grove of Eastern hemlocks near a tall section of exposed bedrock along the stream. The fifth site is Bluebird Meadow, at the height of land along the Bluebird Trail. This field is perpetually in various stages of early successional habitat depending on how many years have elapsed since the most recent clearing efforts. Head over to Lake Perez, which serves as the sixth site. The seventh site is situated in the amphitheater of the
environmental center’s popular Raptor Center, with the eight-site hike ending with a three-mile circumambulation of Lake Perez, on what is called the Lake Trail. Marshall and Schuylkill Havenbased natural-history author and researcher Scott Weidensaul submitted the first reflections essays in 2006. Author David Gessner visited the environmental center in June 2012 to contribute to the project, and center staff is working on inviting other artists for this summer and fall. The staff also is building an endowment fund for the arts — currently known as Arts Endowment at Shaver’s Creek — to fund art-related initiatives undertaken at the environmental center. Wentzel says anyone can contribute to the endowment, and future goals include expanding the project into visual arts and creating a reflections garden to serve as an on-site introduction to the project. Weidensaul says he “jumped at the chance” to contribute to the project. “I think a lot about history — human, biological, ecological — and the ways the landscape has changed with time,” he says. “The notion of a hundred-year series of ecological reflections appealed to that sense of time and change, and the chance to think and write about part of the central Appalachians was appealing since I love this part of the world more than any other place. There was also a degree of excitement being just the second person to tackle the reflections process there and to have a chance to pick one of the spots that would be part of the cycle for the subsequent 99 years.” While Marshall chose all the sites, he offered Weidensaul the chance to choose another spot, but he ended up selecting the top of Bluebird Trail, just as Marshall had. Reflecting on the Twin Bridges site in 2006, Weidensaul wrote: “Through the center of this vest-pocket meadow rises a line of dead hemlocks. From the
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Marshall submitted the proposal for the reflections project in 2006 and was one of two people to submit the first essays.
sagging, skeletal branch of one, a flycatcher launches itself to snag a bug, both bird and prey leaving an afterimage of blurred sunlight on my retina as they intersect and merge. The bird perches, green-gray, anonymous. An alder flycatcher, or its look-alike cousin, the willow? No way to say which species, since the bird isn’t singing, no fitz-bew or ree-be-o to declare its allegiance to one branch of the family tree or the other. Those dead hemlocks are the key to unlocking the recent history of this place. Hemlocks love little streams like this one, the cool, acidic soil that they further steep with their tannic needles, while darkening its banks with diffuse, deep-sea-green shadows through which only a few, confused sunbeams penetrate.” The same year, Marshall reflected on Lake Perez, among other sites. He wrote: “And my goodness, it sure feels good to walk, or to skate, to be in the world as a physical being, to look at the sheer variety of what there is to see from the lake — the stretch of the horizon, the curves of my skate strides carved into black ice. And to hear my skates rumble and sizzle across hard ice, and to pause and hear apparent silence at first,
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and then a snatch or two of what the trees are saying to the breeze. And then to skate again, feel wind against my face and then to realize that it’s not the air moving, it’s me.” In 2007, Katherine Myers wrote of Rudy Sawmill: “What makes the sound of flowing water so comforting? Is it the biological need we have for fresh water? I like to think that it is the sound-blocking quality of the white noise that streams produce. The sound makes us feel that for a little while we can relax in our own safe little bubble, removed from the loud noises and bangs of the world.” Reflection contributors do not have to be professional writers or naturalists. Perhaps a young child will sit and color a picture of the birds of prey he or she sees in the Raptor Center. Maybe someone just hiking along might jot down a few words about how the luscious greenery at Bluebird Meadow makes him or her think of spring days long gone. All are important reflections and can be helpful in chronicling life at and around the nature center, Wentzel says. “I like the idea of having published authors and Penn State faculty visit and explore our
place to add to the growing reputation of our center, to meet with them and learn, and to see the familiar landscape through new eyes and experiences,” he says. “I also like the opportunity to add to the stories of our place and share these stories with students, members, visitors, and staff, and to have the potential to create a project that spans a century, and perhaps will help future staff conserve the landscape in changing times.” Weidensaul sees endless potential in the project. “Those of us who have been fortunate enough to participate in the reflections project are observing this place from countless angles and perspectives, one visit at a time, and as the observations and insights accumulate, we’ll be writing a cumulative biography of that valley,” he says. “I think anything that draws people into a landscape, especially one they know well or think they do, and allows them to see it in a new light is always good, and that is exactly what the ecological-reflections project can do.” T&G Jennifer Babulsky is a freelance writer based in State College, and associate editor of the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO DON LEITZELL! J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. is proud to announce the selection of Mr. Donald Leitzell, CFP®, President of Diversified Asset Planners in State College, Pennsylvania as the honored recipient of the 2012 J.W. Cole Financial Inc. “Advisor of the Year” award. Mr. Leitzell has diligently served central Pennsylvania investors since 1987 and serves as a role model for other Financial Planners desiring to improve the services they provide to their clients. Through his contributions to the J.W. Cole Financial Advisory Council, Mr. Leitzell has been the driving catalyst behind several improvement projects launched by J.W. Cole Financial designed to improve the experience of the Financial Planner and their clients.
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• The Advisor did not pay a fee to be considered for the J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. “Advisor of the Year award. • The “Advisor of the Year” award is not indicative of the Advisor's future performance. Working with the “Advisor of the Year” is not a guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee the selected Advisor will be awarded this accomplishment by J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. in the future. • The inclusion of the Advisor as the “Advisor of the Year” award should not be construed as an endorsement of the Advisor's investment management skills by J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. or any of its affiliates. • The Advisor may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may or may not manage their client's assets. • The “Advisor of the Year” selection committee is not acting in the capacity of an Investment Adviser and therefore the reference to this award should not be considered financial advice. • J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. has approximately 240 Advisors eligible for consideration of the award and only one Advisor per year is selected. • For more information on the methodology behind the selection committee's nominations, please contact the Chief Compliance Officer at J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. at (814) 935-6776.
Mother’s Day Gift Guide
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Special Mother’s Day Pricing For New Members: 50% off her first general membership package. Call 814-238-4677 - www.kinetik-fitness.com
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how difficult it is to be a healthy mom in today’s stressfilled world. As a women-owned, small business we always treat our Moms, Grandmothers, Daughters, Wives, Aunts, Sisters (and every guest) to an unexpectedly delightful experience, whether for a simple 15-minute brow wax or if they visit for a 6-hour, fullday package of treatments. Moms love our Hungarian Facials, our Massages and our Manis & Pedis. Instantly Buy EsSpa Gift Cards Online and Feel Better & Look Great! BTW - Every Tuesday is Mother’s Day at EsSpa when all Ladies will get 50% Off Select Services. For Details call 814-380-9772 or visit ESSPA.biz
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Ready
for More!
Town&Gown’s 2013 Penn State Football Annual! Following a special 2012 season, the Penn State football team is preparing for what promises to be an exciting 2013 campaign. You can join others from the Nittany Nation in getting ready for the season by ordering Town&Gown’s 2013 Penn State Football Annual ! Once again, the Annual brings together some of the best football writers from across the state in bringing you the most comprehensive preview magazine for Penn State football. You’ll find predictions in-depth features, interviews, and analysis. Starting June 1, you can order your copy online at www.townandgown.com. This year’s Annual is scheduled to hit newsstands and for delivery in mid-July.
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2013 Schedule August 31....... vs. Syracuse (at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ) September 7 ........................................................... EASTERN MICHIGAN September 14 .............................. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA September 21 .......................................................................... KENT STATE October 5 ......................................................................................at Indiana October 12 ..................................................................................MICHIGAN October 26 ...............................................................................at Ohio State November 2 .................................................................................... ILLINOIS November 9 ............................................................................at Minnesota November 16 ...................................................................................PURDUE November 23 ............................................................................ NEBRASKA November 30 ..........................................................................at Wisconsin
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Cameron Cameron’s mother of Mill Hall experienced sudden pain and weight gain late in her pregnancy. Doctors discovered the issue was not with her but with her baby. Cameron was born with non-immune hydrops fetalis.The condition caused him to retain fluid and weigh more than 10 pounds at birth. Chest tubes were used to drain the fluid and after a five-week stay in the NICU, a smaller and healthier Cameron was able to go home. The warmer bed that Cameron was cared for in for the first few weeks of his life and monitoring and special equipment were funded with Children’s Miracle Network donations.
Brooke
Georgia
Sophia
On her way to a parade during a thunderstorm, a tree branch crashed on top of the car in which Brooke and her mother were riding injuring them both. Brooke of Boalsburg suf fered fractures to her neck and spine, a concussion and had numbness in her right arm. She underwent orthopedic spine surgery to overcome the injuries. Gifts to Children’s Miracle Network help purchase equipment in the pediatric trauma department and provide funding for the department’s injury prevention programs.
Georgia of Lewistown was struck by a car traveling in excess of 55 mph. She was thrown nearly 30 feet into a utility pole. She suffered a pelvic fracture, two fractures in her left femur, a laceration on her forehead and a slightly collapsed lung. After overcoming internal bleeding, she underwent surgery to repair her pelvis and femur. She is now walking unassisted after the life-threatening accident. Children’s Miracle Network has helped fund a Child Life Specialist for pediatric orthopedics, enabling the department to offer many more services to patients.
Sophia and her twin sister Olivia were born two months premature. Four days after their delivery, doctors noticed that Sophia of State College had a heart murmur. Echocardiograms showed holes between the top and bottom chambers of the heart and a left ventricle that was too small. After a few procedures, including open-heart surgery, Sophia is doing very well. Along with some of the special equipment used during Sophia’s surgeries, echocardiogram machines and the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital heart catherization laboratory were purchased with Children’s Miracle Network funds.
Contact Annie Foytack at 814-360-2936 or golfformiracles@gmail.com or www.statecollegehomesales.com for more information
ThisMonth on
GREAT PERFORMANCES: Paul Taylor Dance Company in Paris Friday, May 3, at 9 p.m.
At an age when most artists’ best work is behind them, modern dance pioneer Paul Taylor continues to win acclaim for the vibrancy, relevance, and power of his recent dances, as well as his classics. Recorded during the Taylor Company’s 2012 performances at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris, Great Performances presents two of Taylor’s enduring masterworks: Brandenburgs, first performed in 1988 to music from Bach’s Brandenburg concertos #3 and #6; and his 2008 ballet Beloved Renegade, set to Francis Poulenc’s Gloria and inspired by the life and work of poet Walt Whitman.
CONSTITUTION USA Premieres Tuesday, May 7, at 9 p.m.
Breathing new life into the traditional civics lesson, Peter Sagal (host of NPR’s Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me) travels across the country on a Harley-Davidson to find out where the US Constitution lives, how it works, and how it doesn’t; how it unites us as a nation and how it has nearly torn us apart. Sagal introduces some major constitutional debates today and talks with ordinary Americans and leading constitutional experts about what the Constitution actually says and what it means, the dramatic historical events and crises that have defined it, and why all this matters. The month-long series coincides with the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution. U.Ed. OUT 13-0452/13-PSPB-TV-0016
wpsu.org
P E N N S TAT E P U B L I C M E D I A
For additional program information visit wpsu.org
AMERICAN MASTERS Mel Brooks: Make a Noise Monday, May 20, at 9 p.m.
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise profiles the larger-than-life, yet very private comedy giant. He has never authorized a biography and has requested that his friends not talk about him, making his participation in this American Masters film a genuine first. Features new interviews with Brooks, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Cloris Leachman, Carl Reiner, and Joan Rivers.
NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT Sunday, May 26, at 8 p.m.
On the eve of Memorial Day, join cohosts Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) and Gary Sinise (CSI: “One of the holiday’s New York) best TV traditions.” for a night of —USA Today remembrance, featuring an all-star lineup performing with the National Symphony Orchestra. The 24th annual broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert airs live from the West Lawn of the US Capitol before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, and to our troops around the world on the American Forces Network.
M AY
penn state diary
Coming to Terms with the Term System Penn State University Archives
School’s try at a “trimester calendar” lasted more than 20 years By Lee Stout
My Penn State career began in the summer of 1965. It was my first exposure to that now-curious relic, the term-system calendar, which lasted from 1961 to 1983. I didn’t realize then how unusual it was. Today, I regularly meet alums who experienced terms 40 years ago, but can’t quite remember exactly what it was. Some call it a “quarter system,” others a “trimester calendar.” It may seem like arcane academic trivia, but the system was a mental pattern for me, even after semesters returned. By definition, the term system was an academic year of four 10-week terms named for the seasons. In this term system, a three-credit course had three 75-minute periods a week. Students earned “semester credits,” meaning 10-week courses provided as many total classroom hours as a traditional 15-week semester. But students typically took from 10 to 13 credits a term, thus focusing on fewer courses than in a semester. The rationale for this innovation came from President Eric A. Walker. When he assumed the presidency in 1956, the Cold War was heating up. Both sides had nuclear weapons and long-range missiles — a strategic stalemate. The East-West contention would last another 35 years, but it was a scientific achievement that really got everyone’s attention. On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched a small sphere called “Sputnik” into Earth’s orbit. Meanwhile, America’s rockets exploding on the launch pad were painful reminders that we were behind in this race. As much as anything else, Sputnik resulted in more government funding to higher education for what we today call STEM education. Walker had been dean of the College of Engineering and Penn State’s first vice president for research in 1956. The coming wave of babyboom students portended dramatic enrollment increases. Government funding was expanding and new buildings were in the planning stages,
Eric A. Walker (right) was responsible for implementing the term-system academic calendar in 1961. John W. Oswald (left), ended it in 1983, returning Penn State to the semester system.
but Walker needed to demonstrate that the school was doing all it could with what it had. The idea of a massive campus, largely dormant through the summer, seemed inefficient to him. Furthermore, he believed modern students should get through college more quickly to become part of this new sci-tech workforce. If year-round classes were the solution, the existing idyllic summer session must change. Less than a third of current students attended, so summer term had to provide the same range of courses as the rest of the year. Students could then finish in three years, and the number of graduates could annually increase by 25 percent. Between 1956 and 1961, possible calendar changes were debated. Studies revealed there was no discernible educational advantage between the various options, and
82 - Town&Gown May 2013
the faculty senate concluded it was an administrative decision. Walker assigned C.O. Williams, former dean of admissions and registrar, to design a replacement. The result: term system was implemented in the fall of 1961. Faculty and students seemed almost equally divided over the change. But only 7 percent of students in 1960 said they planned to attend in the summer, and summer enrollments never did equal those of the other terms. The plan also had tradeoffs. Four-week breaks after the summer and fall terms were very attractive, but fall term began at the end of September, and spring term concluded around June 10 — both out of sync with most other schools and the summer job market for students. Holidays and exams also were major problems. Initially there were no classes on Thanksgiving Day, but they resumed on the Friday and Saturday after. Worse, there were no final-examination days provided for — finals were supposed to be given the last day of class. By 1963, a three-day finals period was added, and by 1971, classes ended at noon on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and didn’t resume until Monday. In fall of 1972, the calendar shifted and fall classes began two weeks earlier, which meant spring term concluded at the end of May. But this resulted in a winter term that pleased no one — two weeks of classes in December, a twoweek holiday break, and then eight more weeks. At this point, President John Oswald, who had succeeded Walker in 1970, began to talk about a return to traditional semesters. However, most faculty and students were used to the term system and resisted change, despite the winter-break fiasco. Once again, studies showed no significant educational difference, and through the 1974-to-1982 period, debates gradually gave way to determination. An early-semester system starting before Labor Day was instituted in the fall of 1983. I had been an undergrad and graduate student, as well as an instructor for four years, under the term system. Like almost all faculty, I switched to three 50-minute classes a week. But it just didn’t seem to work for me — I thought in 75-minute chunks. Fortunately, I could adjust by moving to two 75-minute classes a week. The educational outcomes for my students were unchanged, but, at least, my world made sense again. T&G
Get to know...
Lee Stout is Librarian Emeritus, Special Collections for Penn State. 83 - Town&Gown May 2013
www.psu.bncollege.com 814-863-0205
COMING TO Bryce Jordan Center
May 2 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band 7:30 p.m. 3-5 Penn State Commencement 8 p.m. Fri. 9 a.m., noon, 3, & 6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m., 1:30, & 4:30 p.m. Sun.
Suspended Contemplation: Drawings and Watercolors by Leon Kelly May 21–August 11, 2013
24-27 Happy Volley Club Championships TBA
Coming Attractions
June
FREE ADMISSION Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and some holidays For more information, please call 814-865-7672. Above: Leon Kelly, Sheet of sketches, c. 1925–30, ink, graphite, and watercolor on paper. Gift of Drs. Albert M. and Lorraine H. Kligman, 2011.66. The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
Proud to be the Palmer Museum of Art’s Major Corporate Sponsor
30 Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell 7:30 p.m.
Compiled by Sarah Harteis
May
what’s happening
3 Penn State 4 holds its commencement ceremonies May 3-5.
Deadline for submitting events for the July issue is May 31.
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Violinist Clara Lyon performs with Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra during its “Mozart’s Violin” concert in Esber Recital Hall.
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State College Community Theatre opens its season with Born Yesterday in its new home in the State Theatre. The show runs through May 25.
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Bellefonte holds its annual Big Spring Festival in Talleyrand Park.
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The birthplace of Memorial Day, Boalsburg, hosts its annual activities for the holiday, May 25-27.
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Memorial Day.
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Coaches vs. Cancer’s annual golf tournament returns to the Penn State Blue and White Courses.
Announcements of general interest to residents of the State College area may be mailed to Town&Gown, Box 77, State College, PA 16804-0077; faxed to (814) 238-3415; or e-mailed to dpenc@barashmedia.com. Photos are welcome. 85 - Town&Gown May 2013
Academics Ongoing-3 – Penn State, final exams. 3-5 – Penn State, commencement. 13 – Penn State, first six-week session begins. 27 – State College Area School District, K-12, no school, Memorial Day.
Children & Families 4 – Free Comic Book Day with Jarod!, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 2 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 4, 11, 18 – Stories Alive!, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.
Classes & Lectures 1 – Friends’ Richard Koontz Memorial Lecture: “The War of 1812, A Naval Perspective, Part 2,” PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 7:30 p.m., www.pamilmuseum.org. 7 – Central PA Civil War Round Table: “The Life of Stonewall," PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 7 p.m., 861-0770. 7, 21 – “A Joint Venture,” a free class on hip and knee replacements, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 11 a.m. May 7, 7 p.m. May 21, 278-4810. 9 – “Trends in College Admissions: What Parents, and Grandparents Should Know,” Village Heights, S.C., 3:30 p.m., 237-7230. 21 – Introduction to the Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 7 p.m., fertility.appreciation@gmail.com.
Club Events 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 – S.C. Sunrise Rotary Club mtg., Hotel State College, S.C., 7:15 a.m., kfragola@psualum.com. 2 – 148th PA Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Group mtg., Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, S.C., 7:30 p.m., 861-0770. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – S.C. Downtown Rotary mtg., Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, S.C., noon, http://centrecounty.org/rotary/club/. 8 – Women’s Welcome Club of S.C., Oakwood Presbyterian Church, S.C., 7 p.m., www.womenswelcomeclub.org. 14 – Women’s Mid Day Connection Luncheon, Mountain View Country Club, Boalsburg, 11:45 a.m., 355-7615.
Community Associations & Development 9 – CBICC Business After Hours hosted by Tussey Mountain, 331 Bear Meadow Road, Boalsburg, 5:30 p.m., 234-1829 or www.cbicc.org. 9 – Centre County TRIAD meeting: “How Community Help Centre Can Help You,” Centre LifeLink EMS, S.C., 10 a.m., 237-8932 or 237-3130.
21 – Spring Creek Watershed Association mtg., Patton Township Mun. Bldg., 7:30 a.m., www.springcreekwatershed.org. 23 – CBICC Business After Hours hosted by the State College Spikes, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, S.C., 5:30 p.m., 234-1829 or www.cbicc.org. 29 – CBICC Business Before Hours: Tips for Going Green, Hoag’s Catering/Celebration Hall, S.C., 8 a.m., 234-1829 or www.cbicc.org.
Exhibits Ongoing-May 5 – Drawn to Paint: The Art of Jerome Witkin, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu. Ongoing-May 5 – Varied and Untried: Early Twentieth-Century American Paintings from the James and Barbara Palmer Collection, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu. Ongoing-May 19 – Lit with Piercing Glances: Linocuts by James Mullen, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu. Ongoing-Dec. 22 – A Common Canvas: Pennsylvania’s Post Office Murals, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 1-4 p.m. Wed., Fri., & Sun. 1-31 – For the Love of Trees, Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County, Bellefonte, 1-4:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., www.bellefontemuseum.org. 1-July 31 – Water Ways: Paintings by Alice Kelsey and Jeanne McKinney, Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County, Bellefonte, 1-4:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., www.bellefontemuseum.org. 10-12 Potter’s Guild Exhibition and Sale, Art Alliance of Central PA, Lemont, 7-9 p.m. Fri., 10-4 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 21-August 11 – Suspended Contemplation: Drawings and Watercolors by Leon Kelly, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu. 28-August 25 – La Manière Anglaise: Mezzotints from the Permanent Collection, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.
Health Care For schedule of blood drives visit www.cccredcross.org or www.givelife.org. 3 – Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Mount Nittany Dining Room at the Inn at Brookline, S.C., 1 p.m., 234-3141. 6 – Breast Cancer Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 5:30 p.m., 231-7005. 8 – Fertility Issues and Loss Support Group, Choices (2214 N. Atherton St.), S.C., 6:30 p.m., www.heartofcpa.org.
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“The Balloonist" is part of the exhibit Suspended Contemplation: Drawings and Watercolors by Leon Kelly that opens May 21 at the Palmer Museum of Art.
9 – The Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6 p.m., 231-7095. 14 – Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Mount Nittany Dining Room at the Inn at Brookline, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 234-3141. 14 – Brain Injury Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, S.C., 7 p.m., 359-3421. 16 – Better Breathers Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 2 p.m., 359-3421. 16 – The free “Parents-to-Be: The HEIR & Parents Hospital Tour for Expectant Parents,” Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 231-3132. 19 – Ostomy Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 2 p.m., 231-3132. 20 – Cancer Survivor Support Group, Centre County United Way, S.C., 11:30 a.m., www.cancersurvive.org. 21 – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Outpatient Entrance, Pleasant Gap, 6 p.m., 359-3421. 26 – Neuropathy Support Group of Central PA, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 2 p.m., 380-5081. 27 – Heart Failure Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 4 p.m., 359-3421. 28 – Stroke Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 4 p.m., 359-3421.
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Music 2 – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, BJC, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu. 4 – Hexagon, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 5 – Alex & The Kaleidoscope Band, State Theatre, S.C., 3 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 7 – Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra presents “Mozart’s Violin,” Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 7:30 p.m., centreorchestra.com 11 – Acoustic Brew Concert: Greg Trooper, Center for Well Being, Lemont, 7:30 p.m., www.acousticbrew.org. 11 – August Room, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 11 – Music at the Boal Mansion, 163 Boal Estate Drive, Boalsburg, 7 p.m., 466-6210. 12 – State College Municipal Band presents Mother’s Day Concert, State College Area High School South Auditorium, S.C., 3 p.m., 238-8187. 19 – Violist Heidi von Bernewitz with Rob Nairn, double bass, and Svetlana Rodionova, piano, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County, S.C., 3 p.m., 237-7605 or www.uufcc.com.
Special Events 3-4 – Birding Cup, Shaver’s Creek, Petersburg, shaverscreek.org.
3, 10, 17, 24, 31 – Downtown State College Farmers’ Market, Locus Lane, S.C., 11:30 a.m. 4 – Adult Health & Lifestyle Expo, Nittany Mall, S.C., 10 a.m., 238-8038. 4 – Central PA Native Plant Festival, Shaver’s Creek, Petersburg, 10 a.m., shaverscreek.org. 4 – American Cancer Society’s Race Day Soiree, 131 Blackberry Lane, Boalsburg, 4:30 p.m., 234-1023. 4-5 – Central PA Orchid Society Show, Snider Ag Arena, PSU, 1 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m. Sun. 7 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, Boalsburg Fire Hall, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., www.boalsburgfarmersmarket.com. 7 – Foster Care Awareness Blue Ribbon Ceremony, Centre County Courthouse, Bellefonte, 12:15 p.m., 355-3807. 7, 14, 21, 28 – Downtown State College Tuesday Farmers’ Market, Locus Lane, S.C., 11:30 a.m. 9, 16, 23, 30 – Coffee Tastings, Starbucks, 141 S. Garner St., S.C., 5 p.m., 238-0516. 10 – Palmer Museum of Art Gala 2013: Modern Mania: Immerse Yourself in the Avant Gard, Nittany Lion Inn Ballroom, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 863-9182. 11 – Lemont Plant Sale, Lemont Village Green, Lemont, 9 a.m., www.lemontvillage.org. 11 – Plant Celebration and Sale, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 9 a.m., www.centrecountyhistory.org.
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11 – State College Walk to Cure Diabetes, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 11 a.m. 11-14 – Annual Used Book Sale, Snider Agricultural Arena, PSU, 9 a.m., www.aauwstatecollege.org. 11, 18, 25 – North Atherton State College Farmers’ Market, Home Depot Parking Lot, S.C., 10 a.m. 12 – Fast Cars for Fast Dogs to Benefit Nittany Greyhounds, Home Depot, S.C., noon, www.nittanygreys.org or 933-6981. 13 – On the Fly PA Flyfisher’s Tournament, Evergreen Farms, Spruce Creek, 6:30 a.m., www.ccysb.com. 14, 21, 28 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., www.boalsburgfarmersmarket.com. 17 – Presbyterian Homes Foundation Golf Outing, Iron Masters Country Club, Roaring Spring, 9 a.m., www.presbyterianseniorliving.org. 17 – Central PA Regional Career Fair, Penn Stater Conference Center & Hotel, S.C., 2 p.m., 865-5131. 18 – Master Gardeners of Centre County’s Garden Fair & Plant Sale, Ag Progress Days Site, Pennsylvania Furnace, 9 a.m., 777-8411. 19 – Big Spring Festival, Talleyrand Park, Bellefonte, www.victorianbellefonte.com. 19 – A Celebration of Service: Honoring Pennsylvania Veterans, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 12:30 p.m., www.pamilmuseum.org. 21 – Free Community Stroke Awareness Event, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 234-6727.
23 – Children’s Miracle Network Golf Tournament, Penn State Blue and White Courses, PSU, 360-2936. 25-27 – A Day in Towne — Memorial Day Celebration, Boalsburg, www.boalsburgvillage.com. 31 – Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament, Penn State Blue and White Courses, PSU, www.cvcpennstate.org. 31-June 2 – Nittany Antique Machinery Association Spring Show, Penn’s Cave, Centre Hall, www.nittanyantique.org.
Sports For tickets to Penn State sporting events, visit www.gopsusports.com or call 865-5555. For area high school sporting events, call your local high school. 3 – Jim Thorpe Open, track & field, PSU Outdoor Track, PSU, all day. 3-5 – PSU/Minnesota, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:05 p.m. Fri., 2:05 p.m. Sat., & 1:05 p.m. Sun. 4-6 – PSU/Nebraska, softball, Beard Field, PSU, 2 p.m. Fri., 1 p.m. Sat. & Sun. 16-18 – PSU/Michigan State, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:05 p.m. Fri., 2:05 p.m. Sat., & 1:05 p.m. Sun. 24-27 – Happy Volley Club Championships, PSU, www.gopsusports.com.
BuyHereLiveHere.com 89 - Town&Gown May 2013
Theater
Ballet Theatre of State College’s Spring Gala will be performed May 10-11 at the State Theatre.
2 – Searching for Sugar Man, State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 7 – Singing Onstage presents Smile, StateTheatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 10-11 – Ballet Theatre of State College’s Spring Gala, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m. Fri., 3 & 7 p.m. Sat., www.thestatetheatre.org. 17-18, 24-25 – State College Community Theatre presents Born Yesterday, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., www.thestatetheatre.org. 18-19 – Singing Onstage presents The Little Mermaid, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m. Sat., 3 & 7:30 p.m. Sun., www.thestatetheatre.org. 19 – Greats at the State Film Series: The Philadelphia Story, State Theatre, S.C., 2 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 22 – Singing Onstage presents Godspell JR., State Theatre, S.C., 7:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 23 – National Theatre Live presents This House, The State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org. 25 – Letters From Home: The Andrew Sisters Tribute Show, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 3 p.m., www.pamilmuseum.org. T&G
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26 GALLONS: Terrance Lindquist 18 GALLONS: Robert Byers 1 GALLON: Douglas Kozak, Michael Lindeman, Robert Linko, Molly Mallin, Jennifer Marshall, Beverly Masullo, Jeff Mease, Sarah Miles, Craig Miller, Alexander Mulfinger, Kathy Neary, Robert Ohs, Robert Packer, Kimberly Pagett, Estelle Parizek, Mary Park, David Rakes, Scott Rawson, Christopher Reed, Robert Reese, William Reese, Maria Regan, Casey Robinson, Sharon Rovansek, Connie Salvanish, Heather Scott, Randall Seely, Elise Settanni, Tara Shaffer, Nicole Smith, Lori Stein, Jonathan Stoltzfus, Alex Thoms, Georgetta Walker, Corey Walstrom, Vickey Warshaw, Richard Washic, Emily Weaver, Susan Winarchick, Elaine Winger, Patricia Woomer THIS AD IS SPONSORED BY
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HEXAGON SATURDAY, MAY 4 | 8PM
FAMILY CONCERT WITH ALEX AND THE KALEIDOSCOPE BAND SUNDAY, MAY 5 | 3PM
SINGING ONSTAGE PRESENTS: SMILE TUESDAY, MAY 7 | 7:30PM
BALLET THEATRE OF STATE COLLEGE SPRING GALA FRIDAY, MAY 10 | 7PM
STATE COLLEGE COMMUNITY THEATRE PRESENTS: BORN YESTERDAY FRIDAY, MAY 17 | 8PM SATURDAY, MAY 18 | 2PM AND 8PM FRIDAY, MAY 24 | 8PM SATURDAY, MAY 25 | 2PM AND 8PM
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from the vine
And Now for Something Completely Different Take advantage of opportunities to try less common red wines By Lucy Rogers
It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 different grape varieties used to make wine in the world. Ten thousand. How many can you name? How many have you tasted? Everyone knows Merlot, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio — but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Italy alone boasts more than 350 wine grapes with “authorized” status, plus another 500 other documented varieties, yet Americans have probably tasted only a dozen or so of the different wines produced in Italy. And while this is attributable to the fact that we can drink only what is exported to the US, it does demonstrate just how many different wines are produced. When you look at the industry in Spain, however, a slightly different picture emerges: 400 varieties are planted across the country, but 80 percent of the country’s wines are made from only 20
grape varieties. Many of the more obscure grapes are made into local wines for local consumers, never seeing the store shelves — at least not those in the local American wine store. So it can be a challenge to find a truly obscure wine without traveling abroad. Yet oenophiles the world over, while having their favorites, are often looking for either the next new thing, or the next interesting thing, or perhaps just something different. And in spite of the decidedly limited selections that may be available to the American market, there are plenty of opportunities to try something off the beaten path right here in Central Pennsylvania. Our panel tried a number of these less common varietal red wines to get a sense of their identities. Those we tasted were not all that obscure, but were certainly not among the top six sellers of the American wine-drinking market. With a few exceptions, these wines are typically used for blending because they have qualities or attributes that complement another grape’s weaknesses, whether it be color, structure, acidity, fruit, body, or tannin. Usually deemed to not have enough distinction to stand on their own, these grapes bottled as varietal wines are not as abundant on the shelves. We started with Cinsault (pronounced SANso), a grape commonly used as “filler” for blended wines, particularly from France’s Southern Cotes du Rhone region. (France has more acreage planted to Cinsault than it does Cabernet Sauvignon). A high-yielding grape, it often tends to be over-cropped and indistinct. Yet when the grape is properly managed, it produces flavorful wines with penetrating aromas and soft tannins, making it quite easy to drink. We tasted a California Cinsault from L. Preston in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, that was light bodied and had a beautiful nose of cinnamon, spice, and subtle clove, with cinnamon and hints of watermelon on the palate, and cranberry on the finish. It was elegant and lovely, and made us wonder if there were other Cinsaults out there that could compare to this wine. Our next wine, Mourvedre, (pronounced mooVAY-druh) also is a common blending grape in the Rhone Valley, and is most often found blended with Grenache and Syrah. Many blends from the Southern Rhone contain those three grapes, as do many complex wines known as “GSM” hailing
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from Australia. (Mouvedre is called Monastrell in Spain, and Mataro in Australia). Mourvedre boosts color and tannin in many blends while offering moderate acidity and alcohol, as well as earthy, spicy aromas. In Spain, it is not uncommon to find Monastrell as a single varietal wine, and we tasted the 2007 Juan Gil Monastrell from Jumilla. It was an interesting, mediumbodied wine with anise in the nose and flavors of mentholatum, mace, and black pepper and with decent tannic structure. We also tried the Preston 2008 Mourvedre from Dry Creek Valley that was a completely different style of wine than the Juan Gil. The Preston, with a bit of iron and vanilla in the nose, also had a bit of vanilla bean on the palate as well as rich fruit and notes of cocoa. It was well-balanced with its perfect acidity and rich body, and demonstrated again how the same grape grown in different parts of the world and managed differently can produce profoundly different wines. Cabernet Franc, one of the five grapes used in Bordeaux to make its famous red wines, is known for its more herbal and vegetal characteristics, particularly when compared to its offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon. Softer in tannin and lighter in color than Cab Sauv, it also tends to be more aromatic with a spicier bouquet, with plums and violet notes as well. While it is not entirely uncommon to find single varietal bottlings of Cabernet Franc, most of those offered are from the Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur regions of France’s Loire Valley, where it is one of the few red grapes grown in that area. New York’s Finger Lakes region also has had some success with the grape, and there are producers in California as well. The one we tried was the Robert Sinskey 2007 Cabernet Franc Vandal Vineyard, Carneros of Napa Valley, which we thought was not particularly typical of the grape. It was a bit one-notish with prunes and strawberry jam, perhaps even a bit of overripe fruit. The tannins were soft but present, and there were hints of vanilla, but the herbal characteristics were lacking. The Thumbprint Cellars 2009 Cabernet Franc, Ramazotti Vineyard, Alexander Valley, was more typical in its profile, with a nose of herbs and tomato, some nice upfront fruit but plenty of acid in the finish. Petit Verdot, another of the red Bordeaux grapes, is most often used to bring dense fruit,
color, powerful flavors, and heavy tannins to a blend. It is said a little Petit Verdot goes a long way, as it is rare to find a blend that uses more than 6 percent of the grape in its blend outside Bordeaux, and too much of it can produce wines that seem heavy and coarse. While Australia has the largest total acreage of Petit Verdot, there are increased plantings in California and Chile. When planted in the right climate and managed properly, the grape can produce quite powerful wines that taste of leather and blackberry, and oak aging can bring out coconut, sweet wood, smoke, toast, and/or tar. Because the grape is particularly affected by terroir and climate conditions, it is difficult to isolate a universal flavor profile as a varietal wine. We tasted the Deen de Bertol 2007 Petit Verdot New South Wales Australia, which offered a bright cherry and raisin nose, with sour cherry and mineral flavors as well as nutmeg, licorice, and unripe raspberry on the palate. Clearly, there are more wines than it is possible to go into in one magazine column. But some of the others you may want to investigate include Carmenère, the relatively newly rediscovered “lost grape of Bordeaux” that is enjoying a resurgence in Chile; Barbera, one of the famous red grapes of the Piedmont region of Italy that is seeing some more production in California; Grenache, which is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world and most famous for the role it plays in the Southern Rhone’s famous red blend, Chateauneuf-de-Pape, but also in Spain’s Rioja region where it is called Garnacha and blended with the Tempranillo grape, it also is widely available as a standalone varietal; Carignan, another Southern Rhone blending grape (called “Cariñena” in Spain, where it originated); Corvina, used in the Veneto region of Italy to make Bardolino and Valpolicella; and Pinotage, found mainly from South Africa, which is the offspring of Cinsault (called Hermitage in South Africa) and Pinot Noir. Most of the wines mentioned here can indeed be found in the local state store. Take a chance on one that sounds interesting, and bring something unique to your palate. T&G Lucy Rogers teaches wine classes and offers private wine tastings through Wines by the Class. She also is the event coordinator for Zola Catering.
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Gigi’s deconstructed bruschetta
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John Hovenstine (5)
Taste of the Month
A Menu for Any Size Appetite From small-plate servings to steaks that take up entire plates, Gigi’s has offerings for everyone By Vilma Shu Danz Originally started by tavern owners in Spain, tapas, or “small plates,” are a variety of appetizers that give diners an opportunity to try several small dishes with big flavors to entice the taste buds. The small offerings are designed to encourage conversation and sharing. It makes for the perfect-sized sampling for beforedinner drinks or a business lunch meeting. The menu at Gigi’s, 2080 Cato Avenue in State College, has a unique selection of small plates, including lobster mac and cheese, trio of scallops, teriyaki-seared filet tenderloins, lump crab cakes, filet-mignon carpaccio, and spinach-crab dip, to name a few.
Opened in June 2012, Gigi’s went under n e w m a n a g e m e n t i n D e c e m b e r. K y l e Emmett, general manager of Hospitality Asset Management Company, which took over Gigi’s, explains, “We wanted a seamless transition, so we kept executive chef Jeremy Naugle and the staff, but made some changes to the menu and pricing. But the overall concept moving forward has remained the same.” Naugle adds, “We kept many of the small plates, but shrunk the original menu down to two pages that change seasonally with a fresh sheet insert that is updated weekly. It has eight items from the signature soup, salad, appetizer, dessert, and a couple entrée options.” With indoor seating for more than 200 guests and additional outdoor spaces, Gigi’s can accommodate small or large groups. The bar area features HDTVs to please every sports fan.
White chocolate bread pudding
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Salmon Florentine
General manager Kyle Emmett (left) and chef Jeremy Naugle. 97 - Town&Gown May 2013
The new menu paired with the American contemporary décor invites patrons to unwind with a signature martini or a scotch on the rocks in the trendy ultra lounge area, or be seated comfortably in an oversized sofa chair in the dining room to enjoy chefprepared, mouthwatering entrées such as a juicy bone-in ribeye steak or the salmon Florentine. There also are a number of sandwiches, including the smoked brisket slider, smoked ch icken cheesesteak, Gigi’s Reuben, prime-rib French dip, and a house burger, all served with house fried potato chips, or add hand-cut parmesan truffle fries or sweet potato fries for $1.50. Gigi’s pick-two-or-three lunch menu caters to the busy business professional. Choose a sandwich and a salad or a bowl of soup for $8, or have all three for $11. “Gigi’s is thought of as a specialoccasions place, and we are a finedining restaurant, but what we tried to do is price our menu so diners can come
BLT on Texas Toast and tomato-basil bisque
> Featured Selections < here for lunch a couple times a week and get that classic flavor that you expect in an entrée in a sandwich, salad, or soup and be served within 15 minutes,” says Emmett. “In terms of our dinner entrées, we are priced comparable to a lot of the other downtown restaurants, and people can also combine several small plates, so we offer a great quality seasonal menu without hitting that very high price point.” Naugle says, “However, if what you are hungry for is a huge 18-to-20-ounce bone-in ribeye steak that takes up the entire plate, Gigi’s does offer one for $42!” Looking ahead, there are a number of upcoming events in the planning stages at Gigi’s — from Tuesday Cigar Nights to fivecourse wine- and beer-pairing dinners for $55 per person. For more information, check out gigisdining.com. For a special recipe for Gigi’s Pink Mojito, visit www.townandgown.com. T&G
Hours of Operations: Monday-Wednesday: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-midnight Sunday: Noon-10 p.m. Bar is open until 2 a.m. daily Late-night menu available an hour after full menu closes, Thursday-Saturday, until midnight. Happy Hour Monday through Thursday 4 to 6:30 p.m., Friday 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 to11 p.m., with $3, $4, $5 drink and food specials. A la carte brunch available Sundays at noon. Fresh sheet, updated weekly, available at facebook.com/gigisdining or on Twitter: @gigisdining.
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Dining Out Full Course Dining The Autoport, 1405 S. Atherton St., 237-7666, www.theautoport.com. The all new Autoport offers exceptional dining featuring local produce and an extensive wine list. Tapas menu and special events every week. Catering and private events available. Live music. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar. bar bleu, 114. S Garner St., 237-0374, bar-bleu.com. Socializing and sports viewing awaits at bar bleu. Don’t miss a minute of the action on 22 true 1080i HDMI high-definition flat-screen monitors displaying the night’s college and pro matchups. The bar serves up 16 draft beers in addition to crafted cocktails, including the “Fishbowl,” concocted in its own 43-ounce tank! Pub fare featuring authentic Kansas City-style barbecue is smoked daily on-site. AE, D, DC, ID+, MC, V. Full bar. Bella Sicilia, 2782 Earlystown Road, Centre Hall, 364-2176. An Italian kitchen where food is prepared from scratch and with love! Featuring traditional recipes of pasta dishes, calzones, stromboli’s, subs, salads, and extraordinary pizza! Try Bella Sicilia’s stuffed, Sicilian, Chicago, or 16 varieties of thin-crust specialty pies, including seafood pizza with shrimp, clams, calamari, mussels, and margherita sauce! Take-out or enjoy our beautiful dining room, located in the back of our building. Feel free to bring your own beer and wine. Lunch buffet Mon.-Fri. Check us out on Facebook. AE,MC,V,MAC,D. Carnegie House, corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave., 234-2424. An exquisite boutique hotel offering fine dining in a relaxed yet gracious atmosphere. Serving lunch and dinner. Prix Fixe menu and à la carte menu selections now available. AAA Four Diamond Award recipient for lodging and fine dining. Reservations suggested. AE, MC, D, V. Full bar. Cozy Thai Bistro, 232 S. Allen St., 237-0139. A true authentic Thai restaurant offering casual and yet “cozy” family-friendly dining experience. Menu features wide selections of exotic Thai cuisine, both lunch and dinner (take-out available). BYO (wines & beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V.
Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, 1031 E. College Ave., 237-6300, damons.com. Just seconds from Beaver Stadium, locally owned and operated, Damon’s is the premiere place to watch sports and enjoy our extensive menu. Ribs, wings, burgers, steaks, apps, salads, and so much more. AE, D, MAC, MC, V, Full bar. The Deli Restaurant, 113 Hiester St., 237-5710, TheDeliRestaurant.com. Since 1973, The Deli has served up New York-style deli favorites on an American menu offering everything from comfort food to pub favorites, all made from scratch. Soups, breads, sauces, and 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. Down Under Steakhouse at Toftrees, One Country Club Lane, 234-8000, www.toftrees.com. A casual restaurant with unique dining featuring hearty appetizers, delicious entrees, fresh sandwiches and salads in a comfortable scenic atmosphere. Outdoor seating available. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar. Duffy’s Boalsburg Tavern, On the Diamond, Boalsburg, 466-6241. The Boalsburg Tavern offers a fine, intimate setting reminiscent of Colonial times. Dining for all occasions with formal and casual menus, daily dinner features, specials, and plenty of free parking. AE, MC, V. Full bar. Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., 234-9000, www.faccialuna.com. A true neighborhood hangout, famous for authentic New York-style wood-fired pizzas and fresh, homemade It.alian cuisine. Seafood specialties, sumptuous salads, divine desserts, great service, and full bar. Outside seating available. Sorry, reservations not accepted. Dine-in, Take-out. MC/V.
Key
AE ...........................................................American Express CB ..................................................................Carte Blanche D ................................................................ Discover/Novus DC........................................................................Diners Club ID+ ................................................ PSU ID+ card discounts LC ............................................................................ LionCash MAC .......................................................................debit card MC .......................................................................MasterCard V ......................................................................................... Visa .............................................. Handicapped-accessible
To advertise, call Town&Gown account executives Kathy George or Debbie Markel at (814) 238-5051. 100 - Town&Gown May 2013
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We love Fresh Beer & Local Ingredients!
Proudly Serving Our Dedicated, Loyal Customers For 10 Years
Bringing you craft beer and fresh food using local products in a family friendly, casual atmosphere.
Food & Beer TO GO!
Bottles • Cases • Kegs • Growlers NEW! Monday 8-10pm-1/2 price, 1/2 lb burgers!
r Come in fo eer B ft ra C American 13-19 y a week M ve, and try fi samples, 5oz beer for $5.
2235 N. Atherton St. State College 814.867.6886
Galanga, 454 E. College Ave. 237-1718. Another great addition to Cozy Thai Bistro. Galanga by Cozy Thai offers a unique authentic Thai food featuring Northeastern Thai style cuisine. Vegetarian menu selection available. BYO (wines and beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Gamble Mill Restaurant & Microbrewery, 160 Dunlop St., Bellefonte; 355-7764. A true piece of Americana, dine and enjoy our in-house craft beers in a historic mill. Experience bold American flavors by exploring our casual pub menu or fine dining options. Six to seven beers of our craft beers on tap. Brewers Club, Growlers, outdoor seating, large private functions, catering. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Dinner 5-9/10 p.m. Mon.-Sat. “Chalk Board Sunday’s” 4-8 p.m. All credit cards accepted. The Gardens Restaurant at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., Innovation Park, 863-5090. Dining is a treat for breakfast, lunch and dinner in The Gardens Restaurant, where sumptuous buffets and à la carte dining are our specialties. AE, CB, D, DC, MC, V. Full bar, beer.
www.ottospubandbrewery.com
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The Greek, 102 E. Clinton Ave., 308-8822, www.thegreekrestaurant.net. The Greek Restaurant is located behind Original Waffle Shop on North Atherton Street. Visit our Greek tavern and enjoy authentic Greek cuisine. Full service, BYOB. D, MC, V. Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, 1221 E. College Ave. (within the Hilton Garden Inn), 237-4422, www.harrisonsmenu.com. Traditional seasonal favorites prepared extraordinarily. Fusion food, sharing plates, and fresh seafood. Extensive wines-by-the-glass, full bar, moderate prices. Lunch/ Dinner. Exquisite catering. MC, V. Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, where bacon is an herb, 132 W. College Ave., herwigsaus trianbistro.com, 272-0738. Located next to the State Theatre. Austrian Home Cooking. Ranked #1 Ethnic Restaurant 5 years in a row. Eat-in, Take-Out, Catering, Franchising. BYO after 5 p.m., D, MC, V.
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
DINNER
Let Us Do The Cooking For You…
Enjoy Breakfast, Lunch at The Original Waffle Shop and Dinner at The Greek! WEST
NORTH
THE GREEK
1610 W. College Ave. 814-235-1816
1229 N. Atherton St. 814-238-7460
102 E. Clinton Ave. 814-308-8822
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Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 North Atherton St., 237-0375, HiWayPizza.com. The State College tradition for nearly 50 years, nobody does it better than Hi-Way! Offering more than 29 varieties of hand-spun pizzas made from scratch offer an endless combination of toppings. Its vodka “flaky” crust and red stuffed pizzas are simply a must have. Hi-Way’s menu rounds out with pasta dishes, calzones, grinders, salads, and other Italian specialties. Eat-in, Takeout, or Hi-Way delivery. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar. India Pavilion, 222 E. Calder Way, 237-3400. Large selection of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes from northern India. Lunch buffet offered daily. We offer catering for groups and private parties. AE, (call ahead.) D, MC, V. Inferno Brick Oven & Bar, 340 E. College Ave., 237-5718, InfernoBrickOvenBar.com. With a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, Inferno is a place to see and be seen. A full-service bar boasts a unique specialty wine, beer, and cocktail menu. Foodies — Inferno offers a contemporary Neapolitan brick-oven experience featuring a focused menu of artisan pizzas and other modern-Italian plates. Lunch and dinner service transitions into night as a boutique nightclub with dance-floor lighting, club sound system, and the area’s most talented resident DJs. AE, D, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.
Let Us Plan Your Celebration!
Best Quality Food & Service that Allows Our Customers to Truly be Guests at Their Own Party! Specializing in:
• Catering for Home & Office Parties - Great menu options available - Large groups up to 250 people -Full breakfast, lunch & dinner menu packages • In House Banquets & Lunches - Many great packages available • Wedding Receptions - On & off site - Many different wedding packages to suit your needs! - Convenient free parking
Make reservations for your celebration!
814-238-0824 • 2880 Commercial Blvd., State College
www.hoagscatering.com 104 - Town&Gown May 2013
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. Luna 2 Woodgrill & Bar, 2609 E. College Ave., 234-9009, www.luna-2.com. Wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta, wood-grilled BBQ ribs, seafood, burgers, and don’t forget to try the homemade meatloaf! Sumptuous salads and desserts. Full bar service. Outside seating. Sorry, no reservations accepted. Dine-In, Take-out. MC/V. Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 1272 North Atherton St., 234-4273, MariosItalianStateCollege.com. Fresh specialty dishes, pasta, sauces, hand-tossed pizzas, and rotisserie wood-grilled chicken all made from scratch are just a few reasons why Mario’s is authentically Italian! At the heart of it all is a specialty wood-fired pizza oven and rotisserie that imparts rustic flavors that can’t be beat! Mario’s loves wine, honored with six consecutive Wine Spectator awards and a wine list of more than 550 Italian selections. Mario’s even pours 12 rotating specialty bottles on its WineStation® state-of-the-art preservation system. Reservations and Walk-Ins welcome. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.
Good Food Fast The Mt. Nittany Inn, 559 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Centre Hall, 364-9363, mtnittanyinn.com. Perched high above Happy Valley at 1,809 feet, the Mt. Nittany Inn offers homemade soups, steaks, seafood, and pasta. Bar and banquet areas available. AE, CB, D, MAC, MC, V. Full Bar. Otto’s Pub & Brewery, 2235 N. Atherton Street, 867-6886, www.ottospubandbrewery.com. Our new location provides plenty of parking, great ales and lagers, full service bar, signature dishes made with local products in a family-friendly, casual atmosphere. AE, D, DC, LC MC, V, Full bar.
State College’s newest hangout
Try our onsite Smoked Pork Sandwich!
1301 West College Ave. • 814-308-8959 www.westsidestadiumbarandgrill.com
A true neighborhood hangout highly regarded for its popular and authentic New York-style wood-fired pizza and commitment to quality. Award-winning pizza. and Italian cuisine homemade with only the best and freshest ingredients.
We offer wood-fired pizza, fresh homemade pasta, as well as wood-grilled items such as Baby Back BBQ Ribs, homemade meatloaf, various fish and seafood and our soon to be award winning burgers!
www.faccialuna.com
www.luna-2.com
1229 South Atherton St. • State College • 234-9000
2609 E. College Ave. • State College, PA • 234-9009
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The Tavern Restaurant, 220 E. College Ave., 238-6116. A unique gallery-in-a-restaurant preserving PA’s and Penn State’s past. Dinner at The Tavern is a Penn State tradition. Major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Whiskers at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., 865-8580. Casual dining featuring soups, salads, sandwiches and University Creamery ice cream. Major credit cards accepted. Full bar. Zola New World Bistro, 324 W. College Ave., 237-8474. Zola combines comfortable, modern décor with exceptional service. Innovative, creative cuisine from seasonal menus served for lunch and dinner. Extensive award-winning wine list. Jazz and oysters in the bar on Fridays. Catering. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar. HUB Dining, HUB-Robeson Center, on campus, 865-7623. A Penn State tradition open to all! Eleven restaurants stocked with extraordinary variety: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Higher Grounds, HUB Subs, Mixed Greens, Burger King, Panda Express, Piccalilli’s, Sbarro, Sushi by Panda, Wild Cactus, and more! V, MC, LC.
Meyer Dairy, 2390 S. Atherton Street, 2371849. 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! Westside Stadium Bar and Grill, 1301 W. College Ave., 308-8959, www.westsidestadium barandgrill.com. See what all the buzz is about at Westside Stadium. Opened in September 2010, State College’s newest hangout features mouthwatering onsite smoked pork and brisket sandwiches. Watch your favorite sports on 17 HDTVs. Happy Hour 5-7 p.m. Take-out and bottle shop. Outdoor seating available. D, V, MC. Full Bar.
g rin te e Ca bl te la Si i n- va O A
The Very BesT In AusTrIAn home CookIng “Where Bacon is an herb”™ Check out our web site for all our daily specials. Damon’s is your place for NHL Hockey... and make your reservations for our Mother’s Day Buffet.
7 Big Screen in HD • Free WiFi Follow Your Brackets Here
Damon’s Delivers Everyday! Order online at lionmenus.com 1031 East College Ave. 814-237-6300 • damons.com
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Voted #1 Ethnic Restaurant 8 Years in a Row!
AT GRECES! I R P
Try our homemade
BREAD
U n iq u e D in in g Experie nce!
Pre-show Dinner Discounts
Mon-Wed 11:45am-8pm | Thu-Sat 11:45am-9pm
132 W. College Ave. | 814-272-0738
Eat In • Take Out • Catering • Franchising
Specialty Foods Hoag’s Catering/Celebration Hall, 2280 Commercial Blvd., State College, 238-0824, www.hoagscatering.com. Hoag’s Catering specializes in off-site catering, event rentals, and on-site events at Celebration Hall. We do the work, you use the fork — large and small events. T&G
India Pavilion Exotic Indian Cuisine
Open Tuesday thru Sunday Closed Monday Lunch Buffet: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
MEYER DAIRY STORE & ICE CREAM PARLOR MILK • ICE CREAM • EGGS • CHEESE • JUICES POP’S MEXI-HOTS • BAKED GOODS • SANDWICHES ICE CREAM CAKES • & MORE!
Open Daily 8:00 a.m. - 11 p.m. 2390 S. ATHERTON STREET • 237-1849
FINE COUNTRY FOOD & DRINK
222 E. Calder Way 237-3400 www.indiapavilion.net
LOCAL ... SEASONAL ... RUSTIC ... COMFORT
WWW.MTNITTANYINN.COM • 814.364.9363 559 N. PENNSYLVANIA AVE CENTRE HALL, PA BANQUET/MEETING FACILITIES
Dine-in or take-out. Specialty pizzas, pastas, salads, strombolis, calzones, subs, & desserts. Live music the 2nd Sat. of each month.
2782 Earlytown Road, Centre Hall • 364-2176 Dining Room in rear, open 7 days 107 - Town&Gown May 2013
Carry Out Available
lunch with mimi
Green Couple Scot and Charlene Chambers look to connect local communities with sustainable living
Eat WEll!
HealtHy OptiOns fOr a balanced life. HarrisonsMenu.com
1221 E. College Avenue • 814.237.4422 109 - Town&Gown May 2013
John Hovenstine
Longtime State College residents Scot and Charlene Chambers are an active part of the movement in Centre County to raise awareness about sustainable living. Scot is a real estate agent for Keller Williams for the past seven years, and his wife, Charlene, now assists him in the housing business. As a certified green realtor, Scot helps people buy and sell real estate with an emphasis on efficiency. Green real estate properties are ones that have improved operating efficiencies and reduced negative impacts on the environment. There are several ways to conserve Mimi Barash Coppersmith (left) chats with Charlene and natural resources on a property — from Scot Chambers at Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College. solar panels, packed-gravel driveways, insulation, Scot: My whole family, including my grandplumbing that recycles, certain types of floors, and father, Harold Dickson, and my mother, Rae waste reduction. Chambers, were well educated and understood Scot and Charlene have been involved with lothe value of a complete community. They taught cal organizations to help educate the community on me to appreciate not only the natural world but topics related to sustainable living, including ways the man-made world and the dynamic relationresidents can improve and add value to their homes ship that’s there. I reconnected with a wonderthrough energy efficiency. ful woman named Charlene, who I went to high Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Copperschool with, who shares similar thoughts and smith sat down with Scot and Charlene at Harrison’s beliefs. It’s important to give back to your comWine Grill in State College to discuss what people munity and help develop a healthy community. can do to live more ecofriendly lives and where they Mimi: You guys have made that a part of can get more information about sustainable living. your business from the outset. I want to switch Mimi: You’re a couple who devotes a signifito Charlene, who invested in a franchise called cant amount of time to the whole sustainability Green Irene a few years ago. issue in Centre County. How did that start? Charlene: Yes, about four years ago.
Mimi: Tell us a little bit about that. Charlene: Green Irene was started with a young couple in New York City who had small kids and wanted to be able to teach others around the nation to be more healthy and sustainable in their life at home. That’s what attracted me to that business. There are little things that people can do to make a big difference in the world. They don’t have to be large in scale to still have an impact. They can also help people feel they have some control over their own lives. The approach advocated by Green Irene allowed people to do things that would save them money and create a healthier home environment with little expense on their part, and generate immediate results. Mimi: But they ultimately failed in that venture, so tell me what are you doing now? Charlene: I’m helping my husband with his real estate business. As a green realtor, the focus is on sustainable practices and materials that are part of a property, or could be with the right approach to retrofitting and renovation. Mimi: And what is a green realtor? Scot: A green realtor helps people find homes that are more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Mimi Barash Coppersmith Founder of Town&Gown
Mimi: Efficient in what sense? Scot: That would include better heating and cooling systems, water systems, and uses of both the exterior and interior of a property. It involves a variety of factors. Mimi: That doesn’t give off as much waste, impurities, or that sort of thing? Scot: That’s part of it. They’re less expensive to operate as well. They’re also healthier for external environments. They’re better for the community. They’ve actually become increasingly popular around the country. They generally sell for somewhere in the range of 8 to 12 percent more than a comparable house, and they sell faster. People understand the value of it. When people begin to really look at sustainable living, not just in housing but in general, it’s a win-win situation. People can save money and they generate a healthier lifestyle. Mimi: Give me a couple of examples on that second point. Scot: Well, if you’re getting a better heating and cooling system in your house, you’re not having as many particulates floating through the air. You may be using nontoxic paints and cleaners, so you aren’t exposed to as many chemicals.
Women: Why We Compete
Lunch with Mimi Live! Wed., May 29th • 11: 45 am
$30 per Person • The Nittany Lion Inn
Stacy Parks Miller, Centre County District Attorney Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller is the first elected female District Attorney of Centre County. Her office prosecutes 3,000 cases a year. Prior to taking office in 2010, Miller was a shareholder in Centre County’s oldest law firm, Miller Kistler & Campbell. Miller obtained her law degree in 1994 from the Duquesne School of Law and has spent the past 19 years practicing criminal law in both State and Federal Courts. Parks Miller was a former prosecutor and had previously held the position of First Assistant District Attorney in Clearfield County. Stacy Parks Miller is a native of Lewistown, and is a lifelong resident of Central Pennsylvania.
Coquese Washington, Head Coach of Lady Lion Basketball Coquese is finish finishing her sixth season as Lady Lions head coach after guiding the team to the Big Ten regular-season title and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors along the way in 2012 and 2013. She holds a law degree from Notre Dame, played pro ball, assists with the Pink Zone fight against breast cancer, and created Coquese’s Drive for the Centre County Women’s Resource Center.
Colleen Small, Owner and Operator of The UPS Store #5642 Colleen made a dream come true when she opened her store 7 years ago. Since that time she has won several awards through both The UPS Store and through the Chamber of Business and Industry in Centre County. She is passionate about providing exceptional customer service and passes that passion onto her staff. Colleen’s goal is to create a business that makes a difference in the lives of her customers and the community.
Reservations required, please call Amanda Dutrow at Kish Bank 861-4660 ext. 8213. Co-sponsored by Town&Gown & Kish Bank • Proceeds benefit Easter Seals of Central PA 110 - Town&Gown May 2013
Some other areas beyond housing are buying local foods and things that are created here, as well as using public transportation. Mimi: No preservatives. Scot: Absolutely. Better-tasting food, and it’s not generating as much pollution within the bigger scheme of things because we’re not transporting foods all the way around the world. Mimi: Do your colleagues think you’re walking out of step? Scot: There have been people in the profession that are hesitant to embrace that, but that’s changing. There’s been a lot of interest, especially in the northwest, in green housing. We’re beginning to see that here, and that interest and demand is growing. Mimi: Well, you know, in theory it would be a great project for the Centre County Association of Realtors to spread the awareness of greener living. Scot: And they’re getting on board with that. In fact, one of the things that we are working on with the MLS committee is gathering and providing more information about green housing. Mimi: Just how many of your prospects have a consciousness about this green issue? Scot: I would say about 30 to 40 percent of the
people that I work with are interested in these issues. Mimi: That seems high to me. Scot: I’ve been involved with a lot of community organizations that are promoting a sustainable lifestyle, whether it is with food or transportation or energy. I’m sort of “in the chorus,” so the people that are more concerned about these things have more interaction with me. Mimi: What’s the first thing I have to do to have a greener consciousness of what you’re up to? Scot: I think the first thing that people have to understand is that sustainability is a win-winwin situation. Mimi: But how? If you were to give me the one thing I should start with, because, honestly, I don’t spend much time thinking about sustainability. Scot: That’s a good question, but it’s tough to identify only one thing because it affects every part of your life. You can do simple things with your home such as changing aerators and light bulbs. You can reduce your energy, electric, and water bills. Charlene: If that’s not important to you maybe you can change the way you eat your food or your diet to include more local foods and ones that don’t use as much energy to produce and transport.
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Taste of the Month
Mimi: In our community there is a group of people that has done a pretty good job of making us aware of this option, including the restaurant where we’re sitting for this interview. Scot: Absolutely. It’s funny because you talk to a lot of people and they want to see change come to this area. However, when you stop and look at it, State College and Penn State are actually leaders, not only in Pennsylvania but also in the country. We are changing things, taking a more sustainable approach. At the university you have the Sustainability Institute, as well as numerous sustainable initiatives. State College, Penns Valley, Bald Eagle, and Bellefonte all have components of sustainability in their school district. If you talk to Ed Poprik at State College Area School District, they had a list of a dozen different initiatives. State College Borough has a sustainability task force devoted to developing better practices and resources for the community. Mimi: In the development that’s going on around here, such as the huge apartment complexes, is sustainability a part of that planning? Scot: To some extent, yes. Part of sustainability in regards to development is providing resources close to where people live so you don’t have to drive miles to get the things you want or need. When you look at some of the new housing developments, they are increasingly designed in a way that a person can come home and have everything that they need there. We live in Park Forest and we can walk to restaurants, medical services, whatever we need. We’re also seeing in the real estate industry that houses are getting smaller, so they become more efficient. Many of the older houses people are retrofitting or renovating to make them more energy efficient and “greener.” Mimi: Energy efficient is a reality now.
Scot: Absolutely. We are beginning to see people go with geothermal heating systems. You see solar systems coming into play. You see people redoing their current heating systems to ones that are much more efficient, easier to operate, and less polluting. Mimi: I think if I had a commercial real estate developer sitting here next to me that they would argue that they are sustainability conscious to some extent, but perhaps not to the same extent as the avid folks like you. I call that a divide. How do we bring those collective good minds together to achieve a better total end? Scot: Actually I think they are already there in many ways. Sustainable approaches and greenbuilding practices are a bigger part of commercial-building practices. Yet if you look at S&A Homes, they’ve got a whole division promoting what they call their E-homes, which are built on sustainable practices. You see the same thing happening in the Springfield Commons, Wiltree and Timberton and Nittany Glen developments. Actually, many of the more successful examples right now are businesses and corporations that have adopted sustainable practices in their business model and they’ve found that they have been very successful. Mimi: Are they local? Scot: Envinity and Sun Directed are local ones, as well as S&A Homes. Many existing businesses are adopting more sustainable practices. Look at how many restaurants we have in the area now that are going with local foods. So, you’re beginning to see this happen. We are beginning to see these changes in municipal codes and transportation patterns. Mimi: That’s kind of exciting. Scot: That’s what I mean when I say it is a win-win-win situation as we recognize that there are a lot of benefits to sustainability. It actually
Town&Gown’s Monthly Focus on Food
If it’s happening in Happy Valley, it’s in Town&Gown!
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improves the local economy and the broader environment, but there’s been a public perception that this is not true. We did simple things in our house and watched our electric and water bills drop significantly, which freed up more money to spend on other things in this region. Mimi: What did you do? Scot: We put some filters in our faucets, a lowflow showerhead, and some water savers in our toilet. We didn’t change our lifestyle at all. By doing simple changes we saved money, improved the quality of our home environment, and contributed to the greater good. Charlene: It makes you feel good to do things that are going to help the environment and others, as well as saving money for other things we like to do. Mimi: So, what’s the next big project to get more of the people locally to be aware of all of this? Do you have another festival or showcase or something coming up? Scot: Well, we had a Light Step, Right Step Festival last fall, and this fall it will be back again but with a different focus — I think more on water. There are also an increasing number of events around the area focusing on sustainable living Mimi: And you work with students on that? Scot: Yes, in fact in some ways students are leading the charge. Also, State College Borough is hosting the Light Step, Right Step Festival, and they will continue doing that, and that involves a good number of student volunteers. We just finished a sustainable-housing series that had a number of people from the Sustainability Institute involved with that, and we’ve agreed to sit down and look at a series of public-education events. We’re going to be offering more educational opportunities. Mimi: Is there anything that I haven’t asked you that I should?
Charlene: I’m also a seamstress. I’ve been a seamstress for 35 years, and one of the things I do a lot of is helping others to be more sustainable by recycling parts of their wardrobe. Mimi: Wow! Do you do alterations? Charlene: Yes, they are easy to do, save money, and reduce waste. Scot: I would say keep your eyes and ears open for information about sustainability. Mimi: Something’s happening every day. Scot: Well, there’s so much information out there. You can go to the Sustainability Institute’s Web site (www.sustainability.psu.edu). You can go to State College Borough’s Web site (www.statecollegepa.us). They have a sustainability section there. There’s also a site called Neo-Terra (www.neo-terra.org). A local couple has developed an almost completely sustainable home. We are going to be launching a Web site called Sustainable State College to pull a lot of the local information together. What we’ve found is there are a lot of people that are doing things with food, transportation, and different areas of sustainability, but a lot of them don’t communicate. We would like to strengthen the network. There’s a whole list of different things people can do. The interesting thing about sustainability is a lot of the practices actually go back to what your parents and grandparents did with the new spin of new technology on it. We’re finding that the old ways actually are better in a lot of ways. Mimi: Well, this has been very enlightening for me and I’m sure it will be for our readers. I want to thank you both for taking your time to be with us. Charlene: Thank you. Scot: Thank you very much for having us. It was a real pleasure. T&G
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guide to advertisers
ATTRACTIONS, EVENTS, ENTERTAINMENT Bob Perks Fund ..............................24 Bryce Jordan Center .....................93 Center for the Performing Arts ................... Inside Front Cover Coaches Vs. Cancer ......................64 Lunch with Mimi Live ...................110 Palmer Museum of Art ...................84 Penn State Centre Stage ..............87 RE/MAX Children’s Miracle Network..........................................79 Shavers Creek Environmental Center.............................................72 State Theatre....................................91 Toftrees Resort ................................32 AUTOMOTIVE Dix Honda .........................................33 Driscoll Automotive ...... Back Cover Joel Confer BMW ............................16 BANKS, FINANCIAL SERVICES Diversified Asset Planners ...........73 First National Bank Wealth Management ................................15 Frost & Conn ....................................16 Kish Bank ..........................................19 National Penn Bank ......................... 1 Penn State Federal Credit Union ............................................113 State College Federal Credit Union ..............................................25 BELLEFONTE SECTION Confer’s Jewelers ...........................21 Mid State Awning & Patio Company .......................................21 Penn State Federal Credit Union ..............................................21
BOALSBURG A Basket Full ....................................27 Boalsburg Apothecary ..................27 Duffy’s Tavern ..................................27 Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery ............................................26 N’v........................................................27 Natures Calling Lawn Care ..........26 Tait Farm Foods...............................26 BUSINESS, INDUSTRY Blair County Chamber Of Commerce ....................................89 CBICC .................................................44 DINING Autoport .......................................... 106 Bella Sicilia .................................... 107 Cozy Thai Bistro ........................... 104 Damon’s Grill................................. 106 Dantes ............................................. 101 Faccia Luna ................................... 105 Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering ...................................... 109 Herwig’s .......................................... 106 Hoag’s Catering ........................... 104 India Pavilion ................................. 107 Luna 2 ............................................. 105 Meyer Dairy Store & Ice Cream Parlor ........................................... 107 Mount Nittany Inn......................... 107 Otto’s Pub ...................................... 102 PSU Food Services (HUB Dining).............................. 107 Tavern Restaurant............................. 1 The Greek ...................................... 103 Wegmans........................................ 108 Westside Stadium ........................ 105 Zola New World Bistro................ 103 EDUCATION Penn State University ....................78 St. Josephs Catholic Academy ......................................25 The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School ............................................11
LODGING Hospitality Asset Management Company .................................... 102 Penn State Hospitality ..................... 4 MEDICAL HealthSouth/Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital ..........................................24 Mount Nittany Medical Center........................................3, 13 Penn State/Milton Hershey Medical Center ............................17 The Circulatory Center .................... 9 MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE Esspa Kozmetika ............................75 Kinetik Fitness .................................75 SJ Miska Inc .....................................75 PRINTING, COPYING, MEDIA Penn State Public Broadcasting (WPSU)...........................................80 REAL ESTATE, HOUSING Berks Homes....................................90 Chambers, Scot-Keller Williams..........................................72 Kissinger Bigatel & Brower ..........34 Lions Gate Apartments .................71 Perry Wellington Realty............... Inside Back Cover Ring, Nancy-RE/MAX ....................63 Traditions of America ....................... 7 Walker, Larry-Kissinger, Bigatel & Brower............................................70 RETIREMENT SERVICES Foxdale Village ..............................111 Home Instead Senior Care ..........23 Presbyterian Senior Living ............. 8 Village at Penn State........................ 2
SERVICES Centre County Children & Youth Services .........................................14 Centre County United Way ..........35 Centre Elite Gymnastics, Inc ......... 4 Centre For Ethics & Religious Affairs .............................................33 Clean Sweep Professional Cleaning Service.........................40 Goodall & Yurchak..........................70 Handy Delivery ................................88 Hoy Transfer .....................................42 Koch Funeral Home .......................14 McQuaide Blasko ...........................99 P2P Computer Solutions ..............18 Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics .........................................81 Red Cross .........................................90 Rising Spring Meat Company .....63 Roaring Spring Bottle Water........74 Tire Town ...........................................74 SHOPPING, RETAIL Aurum Jewelers & Goldsmiths ....32 Collegiate Pride ...............................34 Giant Food Stores ..........................41 Moyer Jewelers ...............................40 Penn State Bookstore ...................83 Squire Brown’s ................................71 Your Perfect Fit .................................. 4 SUSTAINABILITY IN CENTRE COUNTY Carpet One .......................................55 E.B. Endres Inc ................................60 E&L Supplies ....................................56 Fox Hill Gardens .............................60 Lezzer Lumber Co. .........................49 Mid State Awning & Patio Company .......................................56 Millheim Small Engine ...................52 Pennwood Corporation .................47 Room Doctor ....................................53 Shunk’s Kitchen Inc .......................59 Spectra Wood ..................................58 Tubbies ..............................................56 Wise Construction ..........................51 VISITOR INFORMATION Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau............................................12
114 - Town&Gown May 2013
State College Photo Club’s Winning Photos The State College Photo Club provides photo enthusiasts with the opportunity to share their passion for photography with others and to provide an environment for learning and developing new skills. The club welcomes individuals from amateurs to professionals. One of the club’s activities is to hold a monthly competition. Town&Gown is pleased to present the winning images from the club’s competition. Shown this month are the first-place winners from the judged February meeting competition.
February Meeting First Place: Theme “Candid Portrait” “Cinderella” by Sami Sharkey
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“Our 1-year-old granddaughter was just toddling around and found a seat just her height. I took a burst of photos since she is always in motion, and this one had the least amount of motion. I particularly like the reflection in the glass.”
February Meeting First Place: Open Category
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“Swamp” by Gary Perdue
“I happened by accident on this location on a rainy, misty day that created the perfect photographic atmosphere for the environment. Then the bird flew through to add the perfect accent to the scene. Sometimes you get very, very lucky!”
Due to the personal nature of “Cinderella,” this photo is not for sale. A copy of “Swamp” may be obtained with a $75 contribution to the Salvation Army of Centre County. Contact Captain Charles Niedermeyer at (814) 861-1785 and let him know you would like this image. You can select any size up to 11-inches wide. The State College Photo Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Foxdale Village Auditorium. Guest and new members are welcome.
Visit www.statecollegephotoclub.org for more information about how to join. 115 - Town&Gown May 2013
snapshot
Steps Toward a Cure Chair of the Walk to Cure Diabetes continues to help fight against disease By Sarah Olah
Diane Krentzman learned from an early age to give back. Krentzman, chair of the State College Walk to Cure Diabetes, was raised Jewish, and says it is part of the culture to give back. Even as a little girl, she felt the sense and need to give back by doing something. She started volunteering at a children’s hospital, donating both time and money. She has, since then, always done something, and has been involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for the past 18 years. Type-1 diabetes has hit especially close to home for her and her family. Her mother had juvenile diabetes, and passed away from the disease at the age of 78. Krentzman says she used to carry a candy bar in her purse in case her mother ever needed sugar. She says her mother wasn’t a “typical” diabetic and that she didn’t always take care of herself as well as she could have. “I was always so worried for her,” she says. Krentzman grew up in Bryn Mawr, outside of Philadelphia. She lived there with her mother, father, and younger brother. She went to Penn State in 1967 where she studied French. In the first week of classes, she met her future husband, Steve. He was a senior at the university, and they instantly hit it off. They were married after her sophomore year. Her parents said they would allow it as long as Krentzman graduated. She kept her promise and she and Steve married and stayed in State College. They have two sons who both went to State College Area High School and, after leaving to go to college, have since returned to State College with their families. They both work with their father in the family business, Krentzman Companies. Krentzman never expected her children to come back to State College and says that it is a true gift to her. She loves spending time with her three granddaughters, and another grandchild is on the way. She started the State College Juvenile Diabetes Walk eight years ago with Hayley Weyhe, JDRF Central PA Chapter board member. Weyhe was (and still is) Krentzman’s personal trainer. The two
Diane Krentzman What kind of music do you listen to? “Folk meets bluegrass meets country.” What was the best present you ever received? “It was a video that my family put together for me for my 60th birthday. Everybody from every part of my life is in it. It gives me great joy.” Whom do you admire most? “I have enormous admiration for the people that do medical research.” became very close, and one day Weyhe came in to tell Krentzman her son, who was 2 years old at the time, had been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. The two have worked together ever since, and Krentzman says she loves Weyhe like one of her kids. The board consists of a small group of volunteers who put their hearts into the walk. This year’s walk is May 11 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Last year, Krentzman’s team raised around $8,000, and, as a group, the walk raised around $60,000. Krentzman says she is always overwhelmed by her friends’ generosity to the cause every year. She sends every person who donates a personal “Thank You” card. “This money will go toward an eventual cure,” Krentzman says. “We’re very close.” The walk has given her a purpose and something to feel good about. She says it is a day to celebrate the children and support them and their families. She says, “It makes me feel good about myself — doing something valuable and important.” T&G For more information about the State College Walk to Cure Diabetes, visit http://centralpa.jdrf.org/walk-to-curediabetes/centralpa-state-college-walk-95.
116 - Town&Gown May 2013
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