Homegrown Happy Valley

Gary Landon, owner of Roly Poly (107 E. Beaver Ave.), has stopped making donations to non-profits. The small business owner simply can’t afford to be charitable in the midst of the economic crunch.  

 THON, however, is the exception. And the reason is very personal. 

One evening in December 1996, Landon’s wife rear-ended another car after skidding on ice. After Gary’s five-year-old stepson, Nate, began experiencing severe stomach pains, he was rushed to Mount Nittany Medical Center. Apparently, the seat belt had punctured Nate’s colon during the crash. The doctors repaired his colon, but discovered a small tumor during the surgery. Within a few days specialists diagnosed neuro-blastoma, a common childhood cancer. 

Kick off your holiday shopping by going local. The talented ladies at the Surface Artist Cooperative have added the following special dates to their calendar:

Local supporting local, November 19

Surface is holding its first fundraiser on Thursday, November 19 from 9 a.m. - 6p.m. Fifteen percent of total sales that day will benefit the Corl Street Elemetary PTO.

Add Surface to your holiday shopping route, November 27 and 28

Surface will be open on Friday, November 27 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. In addition, other local artists will share the space and sell their goods on Saturday, November 28. The following artists have been invited to join them:

It’s hard to say goodbye to the characters of a good book. Unless the novel is turned into a movie (and you like the director’s interpretation), the closest you’ll ever get to them again is meeting their creator.

That’s why I’m looking forward to Thursday evening November 5^th. New York Times bestselling author and State College local Tawni O’Dell will discuss her literary experiences, including a career-changing call from Oprah informing O’Dell that her novel Back Roads had been chosen as an Oprah Book Club selection. The Mid-State Literacy Council is cosponsoring the talk, entitled “A Writer’s Tale of Coal Towns, Oprah, Bullfights & Hollywood,” and a percentage of proceeds from the evening will benefit the organization. The event takes place at Webster’s Bookstore Cafe on 128 S. Allen Street at 7 p.m. (O’Dell speaks at 8).

Guest blogger Reenie Kuhlman is co-founder of GoodPR, Inc., a communications consulting agency that helps businesses, organizations and people whose mission is to do something good for the world.  Reenie, a mother of two and a lover of all things local, details her experience planning an eco-friendly tailgate with food from Pittsburgh (her hometown) and State College (her favorite tailgating locale).

Time to trade the flip-flips and t-shirts for booties and sweatshirts—make those Nittany Lion sweatshirts. The best part about this weather is the electrified feeling in the air. In Happy Valley you can actually smell the leaves falling from the trees. And that means only one thing: Penn State football. 

The ladies of Homegrown Happy Valley would like to thank the wonderful locals, businesses, artisans and friends who helped make the Food Inc. panel discussion and reception a great success. We’re extremely grateful that the State Theatre brought this important movie to town, then embraced the idea of having a panel. Also, a big thank-you goes to  Webster’s Cafe for hosting our post-panel reception on short notice. We appreciate everyone’s help and support and hope we can keep working together to promote the goodness and community that evolves from buying local.  Let’s continue to celebrate the wonderful bounty and work toward change.

Panelists:

Warning: Unlike just about everything else you read in this blog, the following information will not make you hungry.

Food Inc., a new movie that investigates the food industry and may leave you feeling a tad uncomfortable about what you’re serving your families, is coming to the State Theatre August 21st, with showings until the 27th.

~Homegrown Happy Valley will be featuring guest bloggers during our Eat Local Challenge to allow others to share their experiences. This week Kristin Leitzel shares her passion for local food and why this week is the perfect time to get out and eat local.  Kristin is the Conference Program Coordinator for PASA, Centre County Buy Fresh Buy Local guru, and supporter of all things local.

There are two things I love more than (almost) anything. I love a fresh basil and tomato sandwich on Gemelli’s french country bread. I also love peaches. Well, blueberries, too. And fresh green beans are hard to beat. A good head of broccoli is a fine spectacle, come to think of it.

Check out our Flickr slide show of the Central PA Festival of the Arts and People’s Choice Festival for 2009. If you have more photos of either festival (especially the musicians), upload them to our Flickr group.

WREATHS AND FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

What do you get when a keen interest in gardening and flowers goes wild? Greensleeves Dried Flowers.

Mary Stanley, owner of Greensleeves, a small, family-run operation located just outside of Bloomsburg, Pa.,  always romanticized the work of florists. “All those flowers!” she says, “And the fragrance, so delightful.” But Stanley managed to top her dream of working in a flower shop by owning it, too.

Stanley, who is at the People’s Choice Festival this weekend, starts her wreaths and flower arrangements with seedlings in her greenhouse, which she then transplants into her gardens. The flowers are harvested when they reach the right stage of development and then hung to dry in her 150-year old barn. The flowers dry quickly in the heat and dark, thereby retaining their color and form.

It’s that time of year again in Central Pennsylvania for reuniting with family and friends, hiding from the stifling heat, and renewing our love and commitment to art and the people who produce it.

This year 45 locals will display their creations at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.  And that doesn’t include the musical and theatrical performances by Happy Valley denizens. Meanwhile, in Boalsburg, The People’s Choice Festival will celebrate its 17th year showcasing arts and crafts from artisans around Pennsylvania, including more than a dozen local artists in our own backyards.