Holiday Festivities Celebrate the Spirit of the Season in Centre County

The holiday season is in full swing with a plethora of seasonal celebrations and activities filling the weekend calendar around Centre County.

From markets to festivals, visits with Santa, tree lightings and more, there were plenty of festivities throughout every corner of the county.

Here’s a look at three events in the State College area on Friday and Saturday: Downtown State College’s First Friday, the Centre County Historical Society’s Stocking Stuffer market and Boalsburg’s Hometown Christmas.

For upcoming holiday celebrations, shopping, entertainment and more, be sure to visit our Holiday Events page.

All photos by Evan Halfen | StateCollege.com

DECEMBER FIRST FRIDAY

Downtown State College Improvement District‘s monthly celebration of local businesses, art, food and entertainment took on a seasonal flair for its final edition of the year. At the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, Santa visited with the young and young at heart, families made ornaments at The Makery and free trolley rides offered trips around downtown.

STOCKING STUFFER — A MAGICAL HOLIDAY MARKET

A signature fundraiser for the Centre County Historical Society, the Stocking Stuffer holiday market offers three days of shopping from artisans and antique dealers in the festively decorated Centre Furnace Mansion, 1001 E. College Ave., State College.

The Stocking Stuffer continues for its final day from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 (children 12 and younger admitted free).

BOALSBURG HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS

Boalsburg’s annual Hometown Christmas returned on Saturday with a full day of activities, starting with Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Boalsburg Fire Hall. Throughout the day, there were horse-drawn carriage rides, live reindeer, music, entertainment and a cookie crawl, leading up to Santa’s arrival at the Diamond and the lighting of the Christmas tree.