Under the baobab: Community-defining events return to Centre County
We’re back.
In the time of the Buck Moon, the largest of the year, summer begins to peek through. Like the deer we begin to regrow our antlers. Sitting back we blow breath on past embers, hoping to rekindle dying flames. We have much to remember and some painful unpleasantries to forget — a nagging pandemic that refuses to end has killed over a million of our fellow citizens. We live through political transitions that seem incapable of transitioning, wars, economic turmoil and social unrest. But our hope like succulent strawberries ripens on the vine. Our tried and true rituals return after years of absence.
Since 1967 folks have gathered and strolled through the streets of downtown State College for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. After a few years absence the festival has happily returned. Arts Fest was expected to attract over 100,000 people from nearly every state and many countries abroad. In addition to the hundreds of artists exhibiting their works, there were live theater and musical performances including Happy Valley Improv, Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop, Hot Styles Dance Company, Central Dance Studio, The Quasi Quintet, The Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, Keystone Big Band, Eric Farmer, Revamped, Kinsey Sicks, Kristi Jean and her Ne-er Do Wells, Jim Colbert, Caledonia, Rampart Street Ramblers, Deb Callahan, Essence II, Frog Holler, Ramalama, State College Municipal Band, Molly Ryan, Doug Irwin and Brian Cleary, the Skoal Brothers, Across the Pond, Anchor and Arrow, the Bellefonte Community Band, Riff and many others.
Some Penn State alums took the opportunity to return home. Rachel Hunter and Rob Campbell from PSU School of Theatre class of 2000 premiered an adaptation of a Greek play designed as PTSD healing for returning vets.
Since 1993 the People’s Choice Festival has been a popular destination for locals and tourists. This year the festival changed venues, moving to the Grange Fair exhibition area. There were booths for over 150 artists, and food service vendors with performances through Sunday by local musicians like Chris Bell, Miss Melanie, Pure Cane Sugar, Eric Farmer, Keystone Society of Swing, The Dave Wilson Quartet and many other groups.
Philipsburg Heritage Days celebrated its 25th anniversary and the 225th anniversary of the founding of the town with a parade, a watermelon eating contest, a performance of “Cinderella” by the YMCA Youth Theatre, musical groups including: the Gill Street Band, Hair Force One and Killing Time.
The African American Heritage Festival for 2022 will return to Altoona at the Railroaders Memorial Museum next weekend, July 23-24 . There will be fun, vendors, educational activities, entertainment and more. First held in Altoona in 1994, the festival’s purpose is to document the social and cultural history of the African American community in Blair County.
Summer continues to blossom outside of Happy Valley. We were fortunate to visit New York to see the Public Theatre’s production of “Richard III.”
We saw a brilliant performance by Danai Gurira, who most fans remember as the fierce General Okoye in the film “Black Panther” or the warrior in “The Walking Dead.” She was, quite frankly, the best Richard I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot including Denzel Washington, Kevin Kline, Laurence Olivier and Ian McKellen. We were privileged to be ferried with her back to her car after the show. We had a chance to chat and get autographs. Though exhausted having left it all on the stage, she was cordial and friendly.
My friend from “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” Sharon Washington, did an admirable job playing Queen Margaret. She had played Anne opposite Denzel back in the ‘90s. Robert O’Hara’s directing was brilliant. He re-created a world as we know it on the Delacorte stage. Actors were hearing impaired, wheelchair bound and challenged with cerebral palsy. Actors on the stage have finally begun to resemble their diverse audiences.