NEVER A DULL MOMENT
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4/20/2010
I lived in State College, PA all my life untill 2006 when we finally moved south where it was warmer. State College itself is a fun place to be when it comes to football games,the arts festival and the famous Grange Fair at the end of August. Spring slowly warms up, but the planting season isn't until the end of May (I hated waiting that long to plant flowers). The public school system is currently tied up in politics, however, there are a lot of good private schools in the area.
I think religion is still a touchy subject, after the 1989 riots the local churches got together and had what they called "bless the fest" b/c it was the last night of the arts festival. We served over 2000 hotdogs one evening and it was appreciated by most. If you really want to be entertained and stay out of trouble that night, just sit on the wall on College Avenue and watch the people,it's FREE. The new I99 road has caused a lot of heartache and bitterness, it seems they are taking over the beautiful vast fields that were used for pastures, farms. The houses they build now are HUGE!!! PSU football is the ultimate event from September - November. Although people are determined to get rid of JoePa you still have the Nittany Lion and the Blue Band and they really put on a great show AFTER the game is over. July 4th at the stadium is also a big deal, most people (the ones that think ahead) take their chairs up in the AM and place them on the sidewalk along the backside of the stadium, no one has been known to walk off with the chairs. Take your car and drop it off too, so you don't have to walk forever. After the fireworks to rush to your car, you'll be waiting in long lines to get out...have a snack ready! Overall the people of State College are very nice/friendly/helpful. The best grocery store would be Wegmans, b/c of the large selection of groceries,takeout,eat-in choices. It may be pricey for some but the atmosphere is well worth it. Traffic can be frustrating at times,there are plenty of back roads available, but its still a lot of traffic. ALWAYS do your shopping early in the week for football weekends, and expect long lines during any PSU event, if you MUST go out, do it while the game is going on and get home quickly if the team is losing. A special warning to non-PSU fans....as fans we are SERIOUS a/b our football! Some are even known to bleed BLUE & wHITE! There's also plenty of skiing, horseback riding and other local events happening.
JUST HAVE FUN!
Holly | Hollymead, VA