Under the baobab: Traditional and new summer events make Happy Valley special
Centre County has some of the finest summer arts and entertainment events to be found anywhere. In addition to the Arts Fest, People’s Choice, the Central PA Theatre and Dance Festival, Rhoneymeade and the State College Pride parade and festival, there are several relatively new arts and cultural events that take place in the spring and summer.
Our local Juneteenth — the newest U.S. holiday — celebrated its 7th season, “Roots, Rhythm, and Resilience: Celebrating Our Legacy.” The event was chaired by Leslie Laing, Chiluvya Zulu and Sita Frederick, and was hosted by the Borough of State College, the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. The weekend began with an art exhibition at the Woskob Family Gallery, curated by Grace Hampton, which showcased a diverse array of visual art, photography, sculpture and crafts by local, national and international artists.
A block party was held the next day on Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza and Fraser Street. State College Mayor Ezra Nanes read the official Juneteenth proclamation. The headline performer was Maya Azucena, a multi-award-winning, world-traveled, recording artist and humanitarian. The rest of the program included poetry by Carmin Wong and Shih-In Ma while Terry Watson, Isiah Watson and me enacted the announcement of the original proclamation in traditional uniform.
Music and dance acts included UCJC Gospel Worship Team; Jump DC; rayDIANCE; Rasa & Whew Yeahs; Eric Ian Farmer; Urban Fusion; Jackie Brown & Bubble Gum Soul doing a tribute to Michael Jackson. DJ Sylla provided dance tracks throughout the evening.
Penn State Centre Stage and Firefly Rep, in its second season, performed “Would I Lie to You?” directed by Prof. Sam Osheroff in The Arboretum at Penn State. Actors staged scenes from various Shakespeare plays that featured “notorious fibbers.” Firefly Rep is reviving professional summer theater in the community, promising to provide “vibrant, high-quality performances.” The acting company consists of a mixture of School of Theatre faculty: Kris Danford, Wendell Franklin, Eric Raymond Johnson, Allegra Ritchie and Steve Snyder, and musical theater students: Cassidy Rose Brown, Joshua David Gunning, Walker Reiss and Kenikka Thompson.
Elsewhere in the community
The new pastor of St. Paul’s AME Church in Bellefonte, the Rev. Renita Marie Green, invited members of the community to come and offer ideas as to what might be done with the church. Barry King, widower of former pastor Rev. Dr. Donna King, members of the Mills family, other friends and neighbors attended. The Rector of St. John’s Episcopal, the Very Rev’d Ruth Ferguson, brought a contingent.
Roland Curtain Foundation, new owners of Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village, will observe ownership Celebration Day on Sunday with a reception, tours and a host of activities. Events start at 1 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to costume in any period from 1831 to 2026.
Code Blue entertained a packed MLK Plaza audience during the Wednesday music jam session. One of the finest blues bands in central Pennsylvania, the group includes Jerry Zolten, Terri Parker, Rene Oakman, Chris Yonken, John Raisaer, Richard Sleigh, Harry Werner and Barb Neumuller. They played several original compositions along with R&B standards. Next Wednesday, July 1 at 5:30 p.m., the featured act will be Jimmy Mowery.
New Lady Lions Coach Tanisha Wright held a practice and lunch for the LL Cager Club. We got a first look at some members of our new team.
The Nittany Valley Wranglers performed at the Lemont Village Green. The Friday night free concerts are sponsored by the Lemont Village Association to help preserve the historic village. Next up will be Mark Brogdon-Catman Dudge on July 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Central PA United hosted an Art Night for Subu at University Baptist and Brethren Church. Participants produced pins to support the unjustly imprisoned Subu Vedam.
The United States is going into the fifth year of a constitutionally undeclared war in the Middle East. Vote!
Charles Dumas is a lifelong political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for the U.S. Congress in 2012. He is a Lions Paw honoree. He lives in State College with his wife and partner of over 50 years.