In 1993, George and Nancy Marion pulled together a group of volunteers to put on a new festival that offered residents and visitors another option at the same time as the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, one that offered a relaxed setting and focused on local artists and vendors.
From an initial event with about 50 vendors and a few bands, the People’s Choice Festival has evolved into a destination in its own right, one that welcomes more than 100,000 attendees and has helped create a major multi-festival week in Centre County each July.
That evolution continues this year as People’s Choice moves from its longtime home at the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds in Boalsburg to Grange Park in Centre Hall. The festival takes place 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
After a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, festival organizers announced the move in December when the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which oversees the state-owned museum, offered only a one-year contract with that did not include the possibility of hosting the event there beyond 2022.
A PHMC spokesperson said at the time that a number of factors contributed to the decision, most importantly that the festival had outgrown the museum’s ability to host it.
“Considering the substantial increase in the rental fee, as well as including no options for hosting the festival beyond 2022 on the Military Museum grounds, the committee sought and found the best solution for the festival moving forward,” People’s Choice committee member and public relations director Steve Biddle writes in the festival’s official guide, which can be found the July 7-13 edition of the Centre County Gazette.
People’s Choice will continue to have all that visitors have come to expect, with a few new features. It will include 200 artisans, more than two dozen food vendors, 14 specialty food vendors, activities for kids and more than three dozen bands performing on two stages.
Admission is free and parking is $6. The festival also will offer a shuttle Thursday through Saturday with pick-ups and drop-offs at Mount Nittany Middle School, Ollie’s on South Atherton Street and Weis Markets on Martin Street. Roundtrip fare is $5. See the schedule here.
Known for its encampment during the Grange Fair in August, Grange Park also offers festivalgoers the opportunity to camp on-site.
Kids activities
The festival will have plenty for youngsters, including face painting, glitter tattoos and a chance to make tie-dyed T-shirts.
A Hands-On Science Museum will offer experiments, while families will also find animals, games, music geared toward kids and more. And of course there will be, as usual, a giant bounce house.
Some activities require a small fee.
A youth artisan tent also will allow young artists to display and sell their creations.
Artists
More than 200 artists and crafters will display and sell their work during People’s Choice, including pottery, hand-woven baskets, kids’ clothing, tie-dyes woolen crafts, glass, handmade jewelry, metal sculpture, broom-making, cookware, wildlife art, home-made soap, candles, pet portraits and caricatures.
See the full list of vendors by category at peopleschoicefestival.com/art.
Food
People’s Choice has become known for its wide selection of food, everything from traditional festival fare to specialty vendors. Local and regional wineries will also offer bottle sales (for off-premises consumption), including
Food vendors:
| Sherri’s Crab Cakes | Camp Hill |
| Out of the Shell | Garrett |
| Carper’s Concessions Inc. | Huntingdon |
| The Nutty Bavarian | Bellefonte |
| Cogan’s Concessions | Howard |
| Rosie’s Pierogies | Bellefonte |
| Cowboy Kettle Corn | Meadville |
| Idou Coffee Company | Boalsburg |
| Lauver’s Concessions | Mifflintown |
| Brody’s Barbeque | Punxsutawney |
| Miller’s Tropoical Sno LLC | Belllefonte |
| Snyder’s Concessions | Bellefonte |
| BBQ by Clem | Bellefonte |
| Packers Concessions LLC | Centre Hall |
| B & B Fresh Fruit Cup | Lewistown |
| Bob’s Concessions | Wood |
| Scott’s Roasting LLC | Bellefonte |
| Scott’s Roasting Sausage | Bellefonte |
| Sherlock’s Pitt Beef | Abbottstown |
| Addison Snyder Concessions, Inc. | Bellefonte |
| Emogene Snyder Concessions | Bellefonte |
| Jerry R. Snyder Concessions, Inc. | Howard |
| Kendra Snyder Concessions, LLC | Bellefonte |
| Preston Snyder Concession | Bellefonte |
| Rick Snyder Concessions, Inc. | Bellefonte |
| Unicorn Concessions | Bloomsburg |
Specialty Food Vendors:
| BOOTH | VENDOR | CITY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Piper’s Peck | Bellefonte |
| 3 | The Mister G Coffee Company | Reedsville |
| 4 | Pottery & Country 4 You | New Cumberland |
| 5 | Chocolate Moonshine Bars, LLC | Slippery Rock |
| 6 | Keystone Cultures Company | Milheim |
| 7 | Inside Out Cookie Co | Bellefonte |
| 8 | Hillbilly’s Jerky | Fort Loudon |
| A | Whisker Biscuits | Stroudsburg |
| B | Village Eatinghouse Handcrafted Sauces | State College |
| C | Dennis Farms | Cooperstown |
| D | TorchBearer Sauces | Mechanicsburg |
| E | Me & My Dog Pet Bakery | Jamison |
| F | Ruga Rue Jerky | Altoona |
| G | JD Gourmet | Tannersville |
Wine vendors:
| BOOTH | BUSINESS NAME | CITY |
|---|---|---|
| AA | Nomad Distilling Co. | Williamsport |
| BB | Hawstone Hollow Winery | Lewistown |
| CC | Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery | State College |
| DD | Juniata Valley Winery Inc. | Mifflin |
| EE | Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery | Centre Hall |
| FF | Seven Mountains Wine Cellars | Spring Mills |
| GG | Hungry Run Wine Cellars, LLC | Lewistown |
| HH | University Wine Company | State College |
| II | KingView Mead, Wine, Cider | Pittsburg |
Music
Dozens of bands will provide a constant stream of entertainment throughout the festival with something for everyone, including rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, barbershop, big band, blues and more, as well as Talking Heads and Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute acts.
Here’s the full stage schedules:
Thursday, July 14th
North Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/14 | NORTH | Noon | Sleepwalker |
| 7/14 | NORTH | 1:30 p.m. | Anchor & Arrow |
| 7/14 | NORTH | 3 p.m. | Donny Burns & The 3rd Degree |
| 7/14 | NORTH | 4:30 p.m. | Miss Melanie |
| 7/14 | NORTH | 6 p.m. | Pure Cane Sugar |
South Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/14 | SOUTH | Noon | Caryn Dixon |
| 7/14 | SOUTH | 1:30 p.m. | SoundCar |
| 7/14 | SOUTH | 3 p.m. | Dave Wilson Quartet |
| 7/14 | SOUTH | 4:30 p.m. | Marshmellow Overcoat |
| 7/14 | SOUTH | 6 p.m. | Blackcat Belly Dance |
Friday, July 15th
North Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/15 | NORTH | Noon | State College Rock Camp |
| 7/15 | NORTH | 1:30 p.m. | JR Mangan Band |
| 7/15 | NORTH | 3 p.m. | Tussey Mountain Moonshiners |
| 7/15 | NORTH | 5:30 p.m. | The Little Roy and Lizzy Show |
South Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/15 | SOUTH | Noon | Sink or Swing |
| 7/15 | SOUTH | 1:30 p.m. | Above the Radar |
| 7/15 | SOUTH | 3 p.m. | The Jay T. Vonada Quartet |
| 7/15 | SOUTH | 4:30 p.m. | Nittany Knights |
Saturday, July 16th
North Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/16 | NORTH | Noon | “Joy Marie and the Gill Street Band” |
| 7/16 | NORTH | 1:30 p.m. | Raven and the Wren |
| 7/16 | NORTH | 3 p.m. | The Roof |
| 7/16 | NORTH | 5:30 p.m. | Start Making Sense – a Tribute to Talking Heads |
South Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/16 | SOUTH | Noon | Flip Side |
| 7/16 | SOUTH | 1:30 p.m. | Loose Cannons |
| 7/16 | SOUTH | 3:00 p.m. | Frackwater Jack |
| 7/16 | SOUTH | 4:30 p.m. | Ray Owen |
Sunday, July 17
North Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/17 | NORTH | 10:30 a.m. | St. Johns United Church of Christ |
| 7/17 | NORTH | Noon | Brad Crum as Elvis |
| 7/17 | NORTH | 1:30 p.m. | Joe Bonson & Coffee Run |
| 7/17 | NORTH | 3 p.m. | Reboot |
South Stage
| DATE | STAGE | TIME | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/17 | SOUTH | 10:30 a.m. | National Healing Evangelist: w/Gerry Grant |
| 7/17 | SOUTH | Noon | Haystack Lightnin’ |
| 7/17 | SOUTH | 1:30 p.m. | Group Therapy |
| 7/17 | SOUTH | 3 p.m. | TIGHTROPE – Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Band |
