I had the honor of taking part in an exciting announcement last Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in the Beaver Stadium Media Center. Sitting alongside Happy Valley Adventure Bureau President and CEO Fritz Smith and Penn State Deputy Athletic Director Scott Sidwell, we publicly announced the formation of the new Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Commission. In my new role as the chair of the commission, I am excited to bring my passion for Centre County and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau to this initiative that we believe will benefit the entire area.
Why this and why now? The simple answer is this: it just makes “sense” and “cents.” I’ve been a member of the community since 1978, and my family and I have enjoyed the many blessings of taking part in what Centre County offers in the way of sports and entertainment. Now is the perfect time to formalize what has already been a successful partnership between the many stakeholders who share a passion for the deep-rooted history of both sports and entertainment in our valley.
Personally, I was drawn to this initiative because of the win-win objectives and the fun people I will get to spend time with as we help grow the already great reputation of our area as a destination for families and people looking to enjoy our many treasures. Yes, there is most definitely an economic goal for the commission. I think that is a great objective as we bring joy to people in exchange for the many benefits that our region will derive from the money they will spend on our local businesses, including our hotels, restaurants and retail outlets.
My own personal vision statement is perfectly aligned with the goals of the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Commission: “To inspire and help people to live joyful, fulfilling lives while serving others first. To form partnerships with other ‘Passioneers’ to make a positive impact for the greater good.” Because I have spent the bulk of my career involved in youth, college and professional sports as a coach, instructor, administrator and facilities manager, I am especially excited to collaborate again with other “Passioneers” who bring joy to others through sport and entertainment.
Driving through our county, everywhere you go you will see athletic fields and venues that we hope to help coordinate for maximum use to host tournaments, showcases, state, regional and national competitions, clinics and camps, including the world-renowned Camp Woodward. Our objective will be to respect each area’s primary function and audience while collaborating, cooperating and compromising for the greater good of the county. Oh, yes, there will be challenges, but with the right people sitting around the right table at the right time we can create magic to benefit everyone.
It’s no big secret that one of my own pet projects is to see an NHL game in Beaver Stadium. However, I favor a “Stadium Series” game over the Winter Classic. The Winter Classic is better known but it is always played on New Year’s Day, and that creates a high possibility of a conflict with the Penn State football team playing in a bowl game at that time of the year. I firmly believe we can host a Stadium Series game and believe it can be a huge success right around a time when we can pull together the resources to make it happen. Because we need to “winterize” Beaver Stadium, I would suggest the solution is to target the week after the Big Ten Football Championship (second week of December) as the weather should be cold enough to maintain quality ice while allowing for safe travel to the area. A Penguins vs. Flyers regular season game in Beaver Stadium will be a very attractive destination event. Add outdoor games on the same weekend for our Penn State men’s and women’s varsity hockey teams and the sports world will be focused once again on Centre County. My company’s motto is to “Dream Big. Keep it Real. Get it Done!” You can bet I’ll be pushing hard for this dream to come true.
But wait, it gets better, because the commission isn’t one dimensional; it’s also about showcasing the vast potential entertainment offerings of the area. Think of the possibilities of bringing together the collective wisdom of the folks who organize the Grange Fair, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Central PA 4th Fest, Ag Progress Days, People’s Choice Festival, and the musical and theatrical events held at the many area theatres and entertainment venues.
Let me brag a bit about the success of one of our standout venues that is celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Bryce Jordan Center, and my good friend Al Karosas, the general manager of the BJC. My family and I have been fortunate enough to see headliners and shows including Elton John and Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Sesame Street Live, NSYNC, Brittany Spears, Jim Gaffigan, Walking with Dinosaurs, The Jonas Brothers, Jeff Dunham and Garth Brooks. By the way, the rumors of Garth and his crew playing hockey with us from midnight to 3 in the morning are true and yes, Garth did drive the Zamboni!
Al Karosas recently told me, “The success of attracting future events is correlated to how well the community supports our shows. The support has been amazing over the years. We are competing to get events with larger population centers, so we must make the customer experience exceptional. Our staff has been terrific at providing great customer service and that is a big reason we can bring in some great acts and shows.”
Aside from Penn State men’s and women’s basketball games and the wrestling match against Ohio State, the BJC will be hosting Cirque Dreams: Holidaze on Dec. 16 and the already sold out Billie Eilish “Happier Than Ever, The World Tour on Feb. 10. Future events include the Harlem Globetrotters, Winter Jam 2022, and comedian Bert Kreischer. Country singer Kane Brown recently wowed a packed Bryce Jordan Center and Trans-Siberian Orchestra once again brought their unique brand of entertainment to Centre County.
So, picture the following scenes, the likes of which play out frequently in our Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment zip codes. Last Friday morning I had the pleasure of hosting superintendents and CTC Directors from the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 for my Pragmatic Passion program on “Resilience, Change and Endurance.” It was great to see friends Dr. Shawn Kovac, Tracy Hinish, and Tim Miller and meet the participants who traveled from Warfordsburg, Huntingdon, Mount Union and elsewhere in the region to attend the function. We held it at the Windswept Farms Re Farm Cafe, owned and operated by my old friend Duke Gastiger. After a wonderful lunch, we took the group to Pegula Ice Arena for a tour.
Later that evening a former college roommate, Jim Zarnick, who was visiting from Ashburn, Virginia for the football game, and I stopped off at the BJC to enjoy the 25th anniversary show of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. While standing in the concession line prior to the show, I realized the gentleman standing directly in front of me was Intermediate Unit 11’s very own Tim Miller who stuck around to enjoy the show.
It was my third time seeing TSO at the BJC, and they always help me to get into the holiday spirit. The choreography, light show and the special effects never disappoint. Brian Hicks, the Christmas-themed show’s narrator, has a James Earl Jones voice that gave me chills. TSO’s rendition of “Old City Bar” literally brought tears to my eyes. Afterwards we joined friends Chris and Mark Woytowich at Hi Way Pizza Pub for drinks. Just doing our part to spur the local economy!
On Saturday we tailgated with friends before the Penn State Football game and enjoyed the festivities that recognized our military. Was anyone else impressed with the poise of our freshman QB Christian Veilleux? How about the Canadian connection of Veilleux to Malick Meiga for a touchdown? Finally, on Sunday morning we visited Pegula Ice Arena to see my nephew Nicholas Battista. He brought his U-14 girls hockey team to Happy Valley to play against State College. I overheard the young ladies talking about a trip to the Creamery before heading home.
Not a bad weekend of practicing what we preach, eh?
For my part, as the chair of the commission, I will be reaching out to my friends, athletic administrators and business owners in the community for ideas and recruiting volunteers to help make some magic happen. What do I like most about this endeavor? In the end, everyone wins, and we get to have fun in the process.
