Under the baobab: Celebrating July 4th, other summer events in Happy Valley
Happy Birthday, America.
July 4th is one of my favorite holidays, not because of where we started with the all-white, slave owning men usually referred to as founders and framers, but because of the democracy we have evolved into through the struggle of women, workers, Black and brown people, immigrants who came to these shores yearning to be free.
The Central PA 4th Fest will celebrate the occasion, as John Adams phrased it, “... solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” Festivities begin with a parade at 11 a.m. and conclude with fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Other Happy Valley happenings
The Penns Woods Musical Festival was created in 1986 to provide something the community did not have at the time — a professional classical summer music festival. This year it was presented in different venues with a spectrum of diverse performances. Festival sponsors Pieter and Lida Ouwehand and Gary and Christina Schell welcomed hundreds of audience members to a weekend of chamber music, jazz, brass and the magic of Shakespeare.
The new format allowed the festival to rethink the experience, reevaluate the purpose and reimagine the future. Supported by the Michael J. and Aimee Rushinko and Gordon and Caroline De Jong, it started the evening of June 20 on the Olsen-Stone with “Jazz on the Terrace” featuring Gilad Hekselman, Dayna Stephens, Mark Ferber and Joshua Davis, director of Jazz Studies at Penn State since 2022.
On June 21 the festival moved to the School of Music’s Recital Hall. “Strings, Sonnets and Shakespeare” was a collaboration with Firefly Rep, directed by Sam Osheroff and David Kersnar and the School of Theatre under the leadership of Kikora Franklin. Firefly Rep reprised part of their Love Hurts premiere at the Arboretum. The second half of the evening was a performance of Dvorak’s “String Quartet No. 12, American,” by the Allegria Ensemble with Sally Minnich, Mark Minnich, Jonathan Roxburgh and Jonathan Dexter. On June 22 the festival moved to the Arboretum to present “Music in the Gardens: Altoona Brass Collective” with music arrangements by Scott Pappal.
And as they have since 2003, thousands of neighbors attended the opening of WingFest at Tussey Mountain, where every Thursday through Aug. 7 is a festival of music and food. After a rain drenched opening two weeks ago, last week featured Pink Talking Fish. One of our most talented local bands, Pure Cane Sugar, kicked off the evening. July 3 will bring Velveeta with JR Mangan Band with Veronica to the mountain.
Thank you to the folks who showed for the premiere reading of our “Curtis McKensie, US Colored Troops at The Battle of Vicksburg.” The performance was part of the 8th annual Central PA Theatre and Dance Festival, directed and coordinated by Cynthia Mazzant of Tempest Studios, which included 19 companies and over 150 artists.
Also around town, Gary Brandeis, PSU graduate and CEO/founder of Scholar Hotel Group, gave an informative lecture on the development and re-opening of the Nittany Lion Inn at the Centre Furnace Mansion of the Centre County Historical Society. He said he wants to grow the 4-star hotel into the only 5-star hotel in area because “PSU deserves it.”
Finally, the resistance continues. Congratulations to the 33-year-old Democratic socialist lawmaker Zohran Mamdani for winning the Democratic primary for mayor of New York. He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and others. He will face incumbent Independent Eric Adams in November.
The “Thompson Tuesdays” demonstration continues on Tuesdays from noon-1 p.m. in front of Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson’s office in Bellefonte. The Lighting Candles for Peace group meets Monday 5-5:30 p.m. at the Allen Street Gates.
Who we are springs forth from who our ancestors were and what they did. Who we will be depends on what we do. America is its people. We are the people.