The 60th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts began Wednesday with a celebration dedicated to its youngest artists, performers and visitors, as hundreds of families gathered in downtown State College.
Held a day before the festival’s nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition opens, the event featured the Children’s & Youth Sidewalk Sale, where 175 artists ages 8 to 18 from seven central Pennsylvania counties displayed and sold their original artwork along South Allen Street.
From watercolor paintings and handmade jewelry to ceramics, fiber art and mixed-media creations, the sale gives young artists an opportunity to showcase their work while gaining firsthand experience running a small business.
The opening day kicked off at 10 a.m. and featured dozens of free activities across downtown and Penn State’s campus. Children made crafts on the Old Main lawn and in Sidney Friedman Park, learned hula hoop tricks from performer Erin Jeannier, explored interactive science and engineering exhibits led by Penn State faculty and students, watched Centre County 4-H robotics demonstrations and climbed aboard police vehicles and fire trucks.
The afternoon concluded with the annual Grand Procession, as children carried colorful papier-mâché puppets from Old Main to Sidney Friedman Park alongside drummers and the State College Area High School pep band.
Lee Anne Jeffries, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, said Children & Youth Day has become one of the festival’s most meaningful traditions.
“I think it’s a nice tradition,” Jeffries said. “My kids were raised in this town, so I remember taking them to Kids Day, and I think it makes the kids in the community and those visitors feel like they have a special day just for themselves.”
She said the Children’s & Youth Sidewalk Sale does more than introduce children to art.
“I especially like how they incorporate the kids artist booths and really kind of inspiring young artists to start early and create that entrepreneurial spirit,” Jeffries said. “I think it’s a really important part of the festival. It’s a really special piece of the festival, and clearly in our community, and the visitors really do enjoy it.”
For 15-year-old Hannah Simcoe, Wednesday marked her first time participating in the sidewalk sale.
Under the name Forever Flowers, Simcoe sold colorful flowers crafted from pipe cleaners, each taking about 20 minutes to make.
“This is my first year selling. I’ve been making these for a few months,” she said. “I saw them on social media, and I tried it out and kind of went from there.”
After spending the day meeting customers and fellow artists, Simcoe said she’d gladly return.
“I really liked selling,” she said. “I would do it again next year.”
Eleven-year-old Anders Gabrielson has become a familiar face at Children & Youth Day. The creator of Anders’ Earth has participated every year since he was 8, selling watercolor greeting cards, magnets, paintings and handmade clay snails.
Gabrielson, who travels about an hour to State College each year to participate, said seeing artists at the festival inspired him to begin creating work of his own.
“When I used to come here when I was younger, I thought it was cool that there were people selling art and making money just by making their art and making things that they like,” he said.
Watercolor quickly became his favorite medium.
“I was good at watercolor. I still am pretty good at watercolor, so I felt like something that would be easy to make with watercolor is cards and magnets,” Gabrielson said.
The annual sale has also become a way for him to support causes he cares about. Each year, he donates a portion of his earnings to a different organization. Previous donations have gone to Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and the Penn State Planetarium.
This year, he plans to donate to the Arbor Day Foundation to help plant trees.
Nearby, 17-year-old Emma Wolfe displayed framed beach scenes made with crushed glass, sand, shells and starfish during her sixth appearance at the Children’s & Youth Sidewalk Sale.
“I mix glue with sand and then put the crushed glass in layers, and then put the different details on top, and then just let it all dry,” Wolfe said.
Depending on the size, each piece can typically take her anywhere from several minutes to about two hours to complete, she said.
“It’s just so much fun to make and sell,” she said. “I just love seeing everyone, all different ages, coming up with creative things to sell.”
While Children & Youth Day lasts only one day, it has become the traditional opening to the five-day festival, giving young artists and performers a chance to take center stage before professional artists from across the country fill downtown State College beginning Thursday.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts continues through Sunday with its Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, live entertainment, food vendors and activities throughout downtown and Penn State’s University Park campus.
