Take a trip that’s filled with world-class festivals, record-breaking sporting events, outdoor adventure and meals made from food harvested in nearby fields. Welcome to Happy Valley, where there is something for everyone!

The community is invited to Open Coworking hours from noon to 4 p.m. with a kick-off party from 4 to 6 p.m. on February 8 at its new location at 221 West High Street, #1300, Bellefonte, PA 16823. Come join the party to learn more about SpringBoard with cocktails and snacks by The Cakeshop by Tati and Gourmet Girl.

The Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center is lucky to have Judy Karaky as its General Manager. For more than 20 years, Karaky has guided others through the spirit of hospitality, and helped to make the Penn Stater a welcoming place for visitors. She was the inaugural recipient of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau’s “Excellence in Service, Food & Beverage” award, presented at a special ceremony this past November.

By all measures, The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau has expectations that 2023 will be a banner year for sports, leisure and business visitation to Happy Valley.

I’ve been an avid Penn Stater all my life, so when I became a student, I had a bucket list as long as my arm. In the last four years, I’ve gotten to check a lot off of that list, but there was still so much to do.

UNIVERSITY PARK (Thursday, Jan. 5) — Singers from Penn State, local high schools and a historically Black university will celebrate the influence and inspiration of human-rights champion Martin Luther King Jr. The event, “A Choral Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” will be at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Since 1988, the Centre County Historical Society (CCHS) has annually recognized individuals and organizations for their outstanding work in preserving and interpreting Centre County history. Historic preservation and advocacy projects from around the county will be featured on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Match Factory in Bellefonte, home of the American Philatelic Society. Light refreshments will be available.

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.

R. Thomas Berner is co-author of “We Had Ink in Our Blood,” a retrospective on newspapers in Central Pennsylvania, but to be fair, he carries a good bit of Pennsylvania dirt in those veins too. He can trace his Pennsylvania roots back to 1733, and his Happy Valley ties to college days in 1968. After a stint in New Mexico, he says he and his wife moved back, gladly. Here’s why.