TGIF: State College Weekend Events for June 23-25

Happy Friday, Happy Valley!

It’s another summer weekend with much to do around the area. The State Theatre welcomes George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic on Friday night, a free screening of ‘Hidden Figures’ on Saturday and political satire troupe The Capitol Steps on Sunday.

The State College Spikes celebrate their 2016 NYPL Championship, Tussey Mountain has a free showing of ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’ under the stars and Centred Outdoors hosts its next guided adventure of Centre County.

Plus there’s theater, free music, family events and much more

We’ve compiled some of the weekend’s highlights below.

Of course this isn’t all that’s happening. There is plenty more around the area for you to enjoy and you can find it all on our calendar page. Explore the weekend’s events and add your own if it isn’t listed. Or see our Bar Tour and Movies pages for more options this weekend or anytime.

FRIDAY

Kids Book Sale for the Jared Box Project
Shop for kids and tween books to stock up for summer reading from 9 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday at 630 Berkshire Drive, State College. Get five books for $5, with each additional book $1. All proceeds to go toward the making of Jared Boxes for the Jared Box Project, providing comfort to children in the hospital.

Spikes Championship Celebration
The State College Spikes take on Batavia with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The first 500 fans receive a NYPL Championship Replica Ring. Postgame will feature a fireworks show and kids can run the bases.

Camelot
FUSE Productions will present the classic 1960 musical ‘Camelot,’ Friday through Sunday at Penn State’s Schwab Auditorium. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday’s matinee at 2 p.m. [Tickets]

Theology Conference
Grace Fellowship Church of Boalsburg invites the public to a conference exploring New Covenant Theology: what it is, and how it differs from both the Dispensational and Covenantal systems currently taught in most Evangelical churches. The conference runs Friday night through Sunday afternoon with free admission. [Registration and program information]

Concert on the Village Green
The annual summer Friday night concert series continues at 7:30 p.m. with singer/songwriters Steve Van Hook and Jim Colbert performing on the Village Green in Lemont. [UPDATE: Due to forecasted thunderstorms, the concert will be in The Granary, 133 Mt. Nittany Rd. Attendees are encouraged to bring small chairs or blankets.] 

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic
A revolutionary figure in music whose 1970s work leading Parliament and Funkadelic twisted soul music into funk by adding influences from several late-’60s rock, soul and R&B heroes, George Clinton brings Parliament Funkadelic to The State Theatre for an 8 p.m. show.

Movies on the Mountain: Rogue One
Tussey Mountain’s Movies on the Mountain summer series with a free showing of ‘Star Wars: Rogue One.’ Gates open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at dusk. Popcorn and candy will be available, as well as hot dogs, and other great food you won’t find at regular movie theaters. Soda, beer, and other beverages also are offered. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and watch a the movie under the stars.

See Friday’s full calendar

SATURDAY

Amateur Radio Field Day
Members of the Nittany Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise Saturday and Sunday at the Pleasant Gap Fireman’s Carnival Grounds, 475 Robinson Lane, Pleasant Gap. Throughout the weekend they will demonstrate the science, skill and public service of amateur radio, known to many as ham radio.

Relay for Life of Happy Valley
Relay For Life of Happy Valley, a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of the American Cancer Society, will be held from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday at he Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall.

Annual Stamp Show & Exhibition
The annual SCOPEX public show devoted to stamp collecting will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the American Philatelic Center, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte. The show features 14 dealers, exhibits and a special show souvenir cover. Admission is free.

Family Discovery Day at Bellefonte Community Children’s Garden
Learn how worms and other critters turn scraps to garden gold, plant fun containers, play Bug Bingo, and hear garden and fairy tales at Family Discovery Day at the Bellefonte Community Children’s Garden from 10 a.m. to noon.

Hidden Figures
Thanks to a successful GoFundMe campaign, a free screening of the award-winning and inspirational film “Hidden Figures” will be held at 2 p.m. at The State Theatre. The showing is open to the public, but attendees must register in advance. The movie is the story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.

Romantic Moonlight Walk at Millbrook Marsh
Wrap up your evening with the one you love at the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center for a romantic moonlight walk on the boardwalk from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Stroll hand-in-hand in the moonlight, stop under the “kissing tree,” make a wish at the wishing well, and dance in the barn. Couples are greeted by staff and can enjoy the lantern-lit boardwalk at their own pace. This event is not appropriate for children and will be canceled in the event of inclement weather, including high winds. No registration is required. This is a free program, but a suggested donation is $10 per couple.

Saturday’s full calendar

SUNDAY

Centred Outdoors Guided Adventure
The new Centred Outdoors Summer Challenge will host a guided adventure at 2 p.m. to experience all the wildlife the Barrens to Bald Eagle Wildlife Corridor has to offer. Hikers will tour the grass and wildflower meadows and woodland areas to learn about the importance of wildlife corridors and the diverse community of bird, mammal, plant, pollinator and amphibian species they support.

Home Gardening Workshop
The Penn State Student Farm and the Barn at Lemont team up to host a Tools and Techniques home gardening workshop from 2–4 p.m. at the Student Farm, located at the intersection of Big Hollow and Fox Hollow roads. All members of the community are invited to the workshop for a hands-on experience working in the field and the opportunity to learn more about home gardening techniques and tools.

Music Picnic Series
South Hills School of Business & Technology continues its 2017 Music Picnic Series at 6 p.m. with the Rick Hirsch 4 interpreting rock and pop music through their unique filter of post-bop and modal jazz, drum-and-bass, and R&B. These free, outdoor concerts are held rain or shine on the lawn at South Hills,480 Waupelani Drive. All are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic supper. Refreshments and light picnic fare are available for purchase. Grounds open at 5 p.m.; music starts at 6 p.m. and lasts until 7:30 p.m.

Summer Sounds from the Gazebo
A Bellefonte summer tradition, Summer Sounds from The Gazebo in Talleyrand Park returns for free concerts every Sunday through Aug. 13. This week Deacons of Dixieland performs at 7 p.m. Blankets or lawn chairs are suggested.

The Capitol Steps
A troupe of Congressional staffers-turned-comedians who travel the U.S. satirizing the very people and places that once employed them, The Capitol Steps will perform at 7:30 p.m. at The State Theatre. Since forming in the 1980s, the troupe has had more than 4,500 performances, recorded more than two dozen albums and have been featured in numerous television specials.

See Sunday’s full calendar