Competitive athletes Maure Irwin-Furmanek and Bob Furmanek have raced across the country. Here’s why training for a triathlon in their own backyard — and finishing on the 50-yard line of Beaver Stadium — is especially meaningful to them.

From a competitive pool of nationwide applicants, the Safe Routes Partnership has selected Downtown Bellefonte Inc. to join Safe Routes to Parks Pennsylvania Activating Communities, a technical assistance program focused on improving safe and equitable local park access.

State College is close to three iconic trails and trail systems: Mount Nittany, Colyer Lake, and Shingletown Gap. Each offers their own level of challenge and different strokes of beauty, including shorelines, vistas and rugged state forest.

One of the most magical things about Happy Valley is the abundance of opportunities to enjoy every season. Even better, there is a big variety of fun and affordable activities that are perfect for families with kids of all ages.

When Tanya Campbell was a little girl, her grandmother walked her dogs on Charcoal Flats, a trail in Shingletown. Tanya, her mother, and her daughter also enjoyed hiking along this same trail. The trail, just past Pine Grove Mills near the small town of Shingletown, is known for its series of four charcoal flats — large, circular flat areas where logs would be piled and allowed to smolder to create and one that was used to make iron ore. Or, in the words of little girl Tanya, it’s a place that is “rocky and awesome.”

Volunteers are needed for the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley this summer.

The IRONMAN HAPPY VALLEY triathlon is set for July 2, 2023, and IRONMAN asks for the support of the community to pitch in to help. More than 1,200 volunteers will be needed leading up to race day. Individuals and groups are encouraged to sign up to volunteer.

It’s no surprise State College was named one of the 2022 Top 100 Best Places to Live by

Livability.com, and in top communities on Niche. Here are just a few of the positive attributes that local residents love about their hometown.

Many of us dream of wandering in the kind of charming, provincial communities we see on holiday cards at this time of year, but one needn’t travel overseas to London, Brussels, or Paris to make that vision a reality. While the “wilds” aspect of the PA Wilds gets much of the focus in our modern tourism industries, the storied towns that comprise the PA Wilds are just as worthy of a visit, offering guests the chance to unplug, reset and experience the holidays in places that welcome strangers and foster a genuine sense of community during the time of year that we crave it most.

My wife (Karen) and I are reaching our late-60s, but we’re thankful that our abilities and health still allow us to hike all but the longest and most treacherous trails. We recently visited Centre County, which has some of the best hiking trails for every skill set. Some pathways lead through flat marshes and fields, where visitors may view a wide variety of flora and fauna. Others lead up and down steep mountains, covered with lush forestation.