Will Centre County’s summer festivals like Arts Fest finally go on in 2022? Here’s the latest
Rick Bryant finds himself fielding a lot of questions these days on the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, better known simply as “Arts Fest.”
Just last week, the festival’s executive director was even approached at a car wash and asked the question he’s heard countless times the last few months: Is Arts Fest planning to return this summer? And, finally, he was able to tell the stranger what he’s waited the last two years to say: Yes — Arts Fest is back.
For the first time since 2019, before words like “COVID” and “pandemic” became part of the everyday vocabulary, five of Centre County’s main summer festivals are all set to return this year, including:
- Central PA 4th Fest (State College): July 4
- Heritage Days (Philipsburg): July 12-17
- Arts Fest (downtown State College): July 13-17
- People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts (Centre Hall): July 14-17
- Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair (Centre Hall): Aug. 19-27
Attendees might notice some changes here or there. But, based on scheduled events, it’ll be the closest summer to “normalcy” since 2019.
The historic 148-year-old Grange Fair made its return last year, and 4th Fest — known for its usually large firework display — held a scaled-down event in 2021. But, for the other three, 2022 will serve as their long-awaited homecoming.
“I think people really want this,” Bryant said. “A lot of people have asked me about it — I mean, someone asked me about it at the car wash — so a lot of people were hopeful about it.”
According to Bryant, longtime festivalgoers might notice some minor differences — but, overall, this summer’s Arts Fest will look and feel just like past years. Some vendors, such as the strudel shop, will have to be replaced because of the owners retiring. And some of the usual artists might choose not to take the trip this year, or have also retired themselves.
But Arts Fest always chooses about 300 artists to take part in the sidewalk sale. And that’s no different in 2022, which will still see those artists receive their acceptances in mid-March. The main difference might be from behind the scenes, as the number of artists who applied for those limited spots declined by about 20%, per Bryant, from 800.
Officials at People’s Choice Festival and Heritage Days — which both feature music, crafts and food — are even prepared for bigger crowds. People’s Choice announced in December it is relocating 8 miles east, from the grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg to the larger grounds of Grange Park in Centre Hall. (The festival has more than tripled in size since its humble beginnings 28 years ago.) At Heritage Days, chairman Jim Pollock acknowledged the celebration wouldn’t get any smaller in honor of Philipsburg’s 225th anniversary.
Heritage Days still plans to host one of central Pennsylvania’s largest parades on a Saturday, with at least 16 bands drawing from multiple states, with a fireworks display later that night. The usual Sunday car show will not take place — another group is planning for a car show the week before — so Pollock plans to announce a different, “family-oriented” event as early as this week.
Heritage Days’ theme this year is, “Rich history, prosperous future.”
“We’ve been dealt with some setbacks,” Pollock added. “But this town always cleans itself up, dusts itself off and goes for Round 2.”
The bookends of the summer festivals — Grange Fair and 4th Fest — also provide unique offerings for Centre County residents and beyond. Grange Fair, which bills itself as “the only remaining tenting fair in the nation,” has already announced many of its musical acts on the grandstand, including “The Voice” runner-up Jake Worthington; Diamond Rio, an American country band; Jacob Tolliver, a country rock “self-taught piano prodigy;” Bruce Springsteen tribute band Bruce in the USA, and country singer Mark Wills.
Last summer, 4th Fest organizers said they planned to have a “full return” in 2022. When asked recently if that remained the case — if surrounding events like a 4K race, live music, vendors, etc. — would return, president of the board of directors Kurt Weibel told the CDT that more details would be released in mid-April. He did confirm, however, that the fireworks display would likely be larger than typical years.
Last year, the July festivals faced difficult decisions regarding the pandemic. Because these fests are planned months in advance, and because many uncertainties had remained with the COVID vaccine rollout and how quickly cases would decline, local organizers largely erred on the side of caution by canceling in advance.
COVID-19 may still not be over but, with widely available vaccines and declining cases of the omicron variant, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that the U.S. should start inching back toward normalcy. A warm season filled with those festival staples — and others like Boalsburg’s Memorial Day events and fire company carnival, State College Pride (June 11), and Way Fruit Farms’ 2nd Annual Art in the Orchard (July 14-16) — are now poised to make this Centre County’s “most normal” summer in three years.
And, for many, the festivals’ return is as welcome as it is overdue.
