The fourth annual Centre Film Festival will feature some of the most important and talked about films of the year.

It’s Homecoming week, and there are festivities from Monday, October 17 until kickoff on Saturday. From Allen Street Jam to Best of Penn State (BOPS) Homecoming Carnival, you don’t want to miss the fun. Here’s what is in store!

Ellen Braun’s hospitality story started with a detour. “I graduated from Penn State in 1984 with a degree in English and quickly realized that I was so shy and introverted that I wasn’t emotionally prepared for any of the career paths I’d dreamed of,” she said. So, to overcome it, she got what she calls “assertiveness training” — a job at The All American Rathskeller. The job turned out to be a crash course, not only in confidence, but also in her career path.

Mount Nittany Winery is a family farm winery nestled in the side of Mount Nittany. The winery produces exceptional, locally-produced wine from their 65-acre mountainside setting that’s just minutes from State College. With breathtaking views across Penns Valley to the Tussey Mountain Range, you’ll find the perfect setting for gatherings with family and friends. This fall, try one of their wine and food pairings to make your visit even more memorable.

Joe Belle and the rest of the Clean Team is the reason that you and I get to enjoy a beautiful downtown State College. But he wants to get one thing straight: “We aren’t grouchy garbagemen — we’re pretty cool guys. So stop and talk to us! Everyone on my team is involved in artistic endeavors in the community after work — I am a musician, Damian Cabrera is an artist, and Michael David is into juggling. We’re anything but grouchy.”

Thirty years ago, Lance Shaner and his brother Fred were looking for a new home for their progressive hospitality business. They explored Atlanta, Durham, Chapel Hill and Austin, but it was Happy Valley that caught their eye. “It was hard to beat the quality of life that we saw here,” Lance said.

Prior to joining the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County (CBICC) as President and CEO in September of 2021, Greg Scott spent 25 years leading large-scale business operations for major universities.

Third-year Penn State student Hunter Porcano is studying Biological Engineering with a focus in Food and Bioprocessing. This year, a love for kombucha, a spontaneous Instagram message and a job as a brewer assistant has changed the course of her career.

Forty years ago, Greg Woodman spent his tuition money to print Penn State T-shirts to sell at tailgates. It was a move that wasn’t very popular with his parents, but it paid off, big time.