Shopping for holiday gifts? Come to the Palmer Museum store! Holiday merchandise is 50% off and increasing to 75% off on Tuesday, December 13! Also, check out the soon-to-close exhibits, Looking at Who We Are: The Palmer at Fifty and The Art of Remembering: A Selection of Gifts, before December 18!

Black Friday marks the official start to holiday shopping, and Small Business Saturday, held each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, reminds us to support local businesses by shopping small. On Saturday, November 26, find special promotions and discounts at many businesses in downtown Bellefonte.

On Friday, September 30th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Downtown Bellefonte will be celebrating the second to last Friday in the 'Fonte of the year. Bring your lawn chair and blankets and stop by the Centre County Courthouse to listen to live music by Granma Ben and check out many local vendors.

For sports fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Football returns and with it comes tailgate season. These days, tailgating has moved well beyond the stadium parking lot and into homes everywhere. Here are our best suggestions to easily satisfy an appetite for victory and great food.

For Fritz Smith, president and CEO of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the love for hospitality started at a very early age, in a place fueled by tourism.

“I grew up in Washington, D.C., a place where the two major industries were government and tourism,” he said. “You saw thousands of people visiting the Washington Monument and going in and out of the Smithsonian Museum buildings almost year-round. Something inside me said, “I bet those people are spending a whole lot of money while they are here!”

As summer approaches, there is no better way to cool down and relax in the late afternoon or evening than with a cold, tasty, sweet treat perfect for the whole family. Our ideas are not only super satisfying, they will create a fun family activity with kids, grandkids, or just those young at heart.

State College, PA – Central Pennsylvania Stories, a new anthology of 41 historical articles by local historian Ralph Seeley, has just arrived at Centre Furnace Mansion and is now available to the public. Published for the Centre County Historical Society by Mt. Nittany Press, the book’s varied stories cover Centre County and nearby locales from the 17th through 20th centuries.

Originally published by Suburban Life Magazine in Philadelphia, PA

From Penn State football to outdoor excursions, and from farm-to-table dining to first-rate shopping, Happy Valley offers the perfect backdrop for a memorable getaway.

Various local legends and theories pertain to the origin of the phrase Happy Valley, though nobody can say for sure how it came to be associated with Penn State University and the surrounding communities. Ed Stoddard believes there is a fairly simple reason why the name has stuck, and it begins with the residents who call the region home.

Happy Valley has a dynamic shopping scene, with one-of-a-kind finds to be discovered at shops throughout Centre County. You’ll want to spend a few days to shop them all, starting with these top picks: