I slowly retrieved my gold spinning lure past a small boulder and through a deeper pocket on the small Centre County stream. My retrieve was pleasantly interrupted by a strike from an eager trout. After a brief battle, I brought the colorful trout to my boots and admired its chocolate and cherry spots.

Descendants of the families that lived and worked at Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village are invited back to Curtin on August 13, 2022 to a “Come Home to Curtin” reunion to spend the day enjoying activities and sharing stories and family artifacts handed down from generation to generation.

July 26, 2022 - What a great day for the Bryce Jordan Center and State College, PA. Concert promoter Stuart Green, President of Magic City Productions, would like to thank Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band for one of the fastest sellouts in Bryce Jordan Center history. The demand for tickets was overwhelming and we can't wait until March 18, 2023 when Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band return to State College.

Mike Szczesny, is the Executive Director of Sales for HFL Corporation, and oversees Sleep Inn and the number-one-rated Comfort Suites in the world. He says that his hospitality journey has continued to bring him back to the area, and for him and his family, that’s a very good thing. “All roads have led me to Happy Valley,” he said.

Michael Houser is only 19, but he says that it’s long enough to know exactly what he wants, and where he wants to be. “In the future, I see myself in a sales and management role, either in the hospitality industry or somewhere else that fits me. And I definitely want to stick around Happy Valley, as the overall environment is like no other! The area is amazing with all of the small businesses, local restaurants, and of course, the diverse Penn State student atmosphere.”

Mike Olmstead is the manager of Axemann Brewery, a brewery and tap room located in a revitalized metal factory in Bellefonte. “I’m a people person,” Mike said. “And I try to stay positive in all situations.”

State College born and raised, Aidan Turnage-Barney went to the University of Wyoming for a year before returning to central Pennsylvania to enroll as a recreational management student at Lock Haven University.

Penn State professor Bing Pan is on a mission to expand people’s horizons through the power of travel, and he’s doing it right here in the heart of Pennsylvania. Ask why and he’ll give you both left brained and right brained reasons for living, working and playing in Happy Valley. Short answer: it’s one of the smartest places in the US, and it’s full of energy, creativity and fun.

“What do you do with an 1857 house that can’t be saved?”

It depends on who you ask. If you ask Benjamin Fehl, who moved to the area to go to Penn State and fell in love with Happy Valley, the answer is clear: You make art.

Fehl, who has a background in both art and architecture, bought an 1850s house in Milesburg at an auction in 2004. At first, his vision was to restore the little house that had belonged to Abigail Miles, the niece of the founder of Milesburg. He uncovered bits of history, from a massive stone fireplace to 150-year-old handprints in the plaster.