Frisbees, Shorts and Sun Burns

Frisbees and footballs float through the air above the Old Main lawn, the line outside of Cafe 210 works its way down the block, shorts and sundresses replace jeans and North Face jackets, dog owners are reminding their pets what the outdoors is like.

There’s no mistaking it; this is a State College spring. 

If you stood anywhere along College or Beaver Avenues over the weekend and inhaled deeply, the aromas of hot dogs and burgers sizzling on a just-cleaned grill would mix with a hint of sunblock. A mere moment of silence would reveal the melodies of 93.7 The Bus or someone’s iPod.

The only feature of sunlight more powerful than its ability to cook skin (half of my face and the tops of my forearms look like they spent the weekend inside a broiler) is its ability to cause memory loss. How quickly we forget that just one week ago, we were bailing out Happy Valley from the rain. Just one week before that, we were recovering from the effects of the Snowpocalypse, the Snowicane, Snowmageddon, and other cute-sy names for storms that suffocated the region.

But these are things of the past now. A State College spring is not a new chapter, it’s a new library with the doors locked behind you. There’s no going back now.

With my extensive meteorology expertise (I went to high school with a guy who majored in it in college and I work with Joe Bastardi), I would not be surprised to see this temperature plummet at least once more before Mother Nature fully gives us spring. In fact, in my expert opinion, I would not be surprised to see another snowfall. Accuweather, consider this my application to become a freelancer.

Mark my words, if (and when!) this temperature drop, the State College and Penn State communities will fight like hell against it. 

Frisbees will disappear behind a curtain of falling snow.

Drinks will freeze before they are finished on the deck of Cafe 210.

Shivering blue legs will stick out of shorts.

Dogs will… well, no… even the dogs know better than to play spring when Mother Nature’s not ready.

We’re a town obsessed with spring. Fall is king here (if you don’t know why, take a gander around StateCollege.com, because you’ve obviously never heard of State College), but spring is a close second.

Spring marks the approach of the end of the school year for both Penn State and State College School District students. It’s the home of several music festivals put together on campus or around town. And since we’re too impatient to wait until fall for Penn State football, it’s the home of Blue-White weekend, complete with an open scrimmage by the Nittany Lions.

And of course, then we’re on to the State College summer, full of relaxation, a quiet downtown and weekend vacations. Bliss.

Then it will be the glorious State College fall, jam-packed with great Penn State and State High football, and crowded downtown and a sea of blue and white in every direction. Bliss-er.

And then it will be… y’know, let’s just keep thinking about the State College spring.