Any music fan knows that summertime is officially festival season, and you could spend an entire summer caravanning across the country to Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Newport Folk Festival (to name just a few). Outdoor venues across Happy Valley also become pretty festive this time of year. During any given week from June through August, you can find a number of concert series and music festivals that are quickly becoming summer staples. Not only that, but these events also serve to bolster an already solid local music scene and attract nationally recognized artists who can be enjoyed by music lovers of all ages.
One of the larger festivals happens in early June in downtown State College with Summer’s Best Music Fest. The festival, produced by the Downtown State College Improvement District (DSCID), is celebrating its 10th anniversary in a big way, expanding to two days (June 3-4). This year’s festival features 10 nationally touring acts, including The Record Company, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Doyle Bramhall II, The Stickers, Eric Lindell, and Sierra Hull.
Also new this year is the addition of beer gardens, which allows patrons to purchase beer, wine, and malt beverages as they stroll through the designated areas and enjoy music from four of the five festival stages.
“For the past two years, we’ve been looking at how we can expand this festival, draw in more people, national talent, and make it a bigger event for downtown State College,” George Arnold, executive director of DSCID says, noting that its partnership with Lucky Dog Productions of Johnstown and support from sponsors have helped accomplish this.
While the festival still features three stages of free music, tickets need to be purchased to see the national artists on the headliner stages.
Summer’s Best also features some of the best talent from Happy Valley, including Pure Cane Sugar, which returns for its ninth year. Band member Kate Twoey is excited about how much Summer’s Best has grown.
“It’s always been a great collaboration between local music and downtown establishments,” she says. “This year seems to have exploded with unbelievable national acts, beer gardens, and new stage locations. I think this is the beginning of something huge for State College.”
Other regular performers from the area include Jackie Brown and the Gill Street Band, Spider Kelly, Frackwater Jack, and Eric Ian Farmer.
“There is an amazing amount of talent packed into this little town,” says Twoey, “and it just pushes everyone to be better and venture outside their comfort zones. It’s an encouraging fellowship of musicians, but we can’t do it without the support and opportunities that the community offers.”
Classical music also has returned to the outdoors, albeit in a smaller venue. For several years, Nittany Valley Symphony performed a concert at Tussey Mountain. That ended a few years ago. Summer classical music performances now come courtesy of the Music at Penn’s Woods concert series. Most of the concerts are inside Esber Recital Hall on Penn State’s campus, but its season begins June 8 with Music in the Gardens: Healing the Soul at the Penn State Arboretum. The free event features performances throughout the arboretum, allowing guests to wander around, serenaded by sounds from cellos, flutes, oboes, and more.
“We thought maybe we would have 200 people attend that first year,” recalls Russell Bloom, arts manager with the Penn State School of Music and Music at Penn’s Woods. “Five hundred showed up!”
Building upon the first year’s success, the event now features a lawn concert following the soloist featured in the gardens. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the concert.
“We set this festival up so it’s truly a town and gown collaboration,” says Bloom. “The majority of funding is provided by community fundraisers and members of the community who have stepped up and said, ‘We think this program is important, we have loved it all these years, and the quality of the orchestra is like none other in Central PA.’ ”
While the symphony no longer performs at Tussey Mountain, the venue is still a hotbed for music in the summer thanks to the growth in attendance for Tussey’s annual WingFest. This year’s series runs each Thursday from July 21 through September 1. Situated at the bottom of the resort’s ski slopes and overlooking Happy Valley, Tussey’s venue offers a large stage and sound, can accommodate a crowd of up to 4,000 people, and, on a clear evening, is arguably one of the best spots in the area to catch a summer sunset.
Aaron Weyman, marketing director of Tussey Mountain, says the event has carved out a niche on Thursdays.
“WingFest attendance has really exploded in the past two or three years,” he says. “For some of these bands, these are the biggest crowds they play in front of.”
While area restaurants compete for wing notoriety each week, local and regional bands entertain the audiences with genres including classic and modern rock, acoustic, alternative, and country. WingFest regulars include ’80s rock cover band Velveeta, classic rock cover band Hybrid Ice, and some recent additions, including My Hero Zero. Desert Highway and Bennie & the Jets are two new acts this year, covering hits from the Eagles and Elton John, respectively.
Weyman says that it’s encouraging to see support for the local music scene, and that’s something Tussey Mountain wants to continue to build and attract.
“There’s so much good music out there,” he says. “We hope to build a reputation to attract talent, both locally and beyond.”
Several concert series that showcase local talent can be found in intimate settings across Happy Valley. Concerts on the Village Green in Lemont are every Friday evening from June 3 to August 26. Nestled in the quaint village of Lemont, the Village Green features a tented stage area and a lawn where concertgoers often spread out on picnic blankets or lawn chairs to relax and enjoy the music. Children can be seen at the front of the stage, dancing and blowing bubbles.
Organizer Sue Smith, resident and member of the Lemont Village Association, says that the association tries to promote a relaxed, family-friendly environment.
“Because it’s a private park, people can bring a picnic supper and a bottle of wine,” says Smith, noting that concertgoers also will be able to purchase dinner from Food for Thought Food Truck and Catering. “It’s for families, and we try not to do really hard rock or anything like that. It’s all acoustic.”
Among this year’s performers are the bluegrass band Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, folk-rock group the Puddintown Roots, pianist and guitarist Kenneth Baxter, and Tyne & the Fastlyne, who dub themselves as a “newgrass-Celtic-folk-rock mélange.”
State College acoustic duo Hops & Vines also join the lineup for the third year. Band members Jonathan McVerry and Christie Clancy appreciate the setting with its backyard-like atmosphere as a nice change from the bar scene.
“The cool thing about Lemont, especially versus the bars, is that it’s this gorgeous little spot,” says McVerry, a resident of Lemont. “It’s on the mountain, and the sunset peeks over the trees. Just being outside on a Friday night in the summer — it’s awesome! You can’t beat it.”
It’s also tough to beat music and wine! Seven Mountains Wine Cellars has its Campfire Friday Nights with seven concerts between June 3 and September 16. Visitors can do a wine tasting, purchase a bottle or two, and relax on their blankets or chairs while listening to performances from regional artists. This year’s performers include Stained Glass Window, Ryne McCormick, and Fools on Stools.
Returning to Bellefonte this summer is Summer Sounds from the Gazebo in Talleyrand Park. With musical styles that include folk, pop, rock, and jazz, the series features nine free concerts every Sunday from June 12 to August 21.
“It’s just a pleasant venue,” says JoAnn Knupp of the Bellefonte Historical Association and chairperson of the event. “People enjoy the niceness of the park and the music, as long as it’s old-time.”
On a given Sunday evening, the park could see as many as 300 people in attendance for the concerts.
This year’s lineup features local and regional talent, including the Bellefonte Community Band, rhythm and blues group Urban Fusion, jazz drummer Ron Burrage, and renowned trombone artist Jay Vonada.
Also returning on Sunday evenings, from June 5 to August 28, is the South Hills School of Business & Technology Music Picnic Series. Now in its 27th year, the series offers free jazz and big band performances on the school’s north lawn in State College. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic. The school also offers a snack bar, and lemonade is sold for a penny a cup.
Jeff Stachowski, community outreach director for South Hills, says the series recaptures a time in State College’s history when a duo once performed variety shows on Sunday evenings in Radio Park.
“The whole idea with the series was to provide a venue for local folks in the summer, when things are a little slower, to relax, maybe bring a little picnic, and just enjoy some music,” says Stachowski. “It’s just us reaching out, trying to be a good neighbor. That was really our goal.”
For local musicians, the idyllic nature of the area’s outdoor festivals and concert series really showcase what’s best about playing music in Happy Valley.
“From a performer’s perspective, there’s nothing better than a gorgeous summer day, performing outside on a stage probably three times larger than the ones in the bars, with a sea of people in front of you who have spent the day with loved ones listening to live music, eating awesome food, and enjoying everything our amazing community has to offer,” says Twoey. “Everyone’s just so happy to be there, and the energy is contagious!”
