By JULES SLATER
SPRING MILLS — Students at Penns Valley High School have been working hard over the past three months to bring this year’s spring musical to life. The 2025 selection is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “State Fair,” an adaptation of a 1945 film following the story of the small-town Frake family as they make their way to the Iowa State Fair.
With sets inspired by the Centre County Grange Fair, students and staff hope to bring a taste of the local fair to the stage.
Director Marcia McCole and her co-directors selected “State Fair” because of the Penns Valley community’s connection to the Grange Fair. “[The fair] is such a special opportunity for the community to come together every year,” McCole said, who hopes that the production will give the audience the Grange experience during the winter.
The musical, which will take place on Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1, features a cast of 36 students and 15 behind-the-scenes crew members. In addition to these students, McCole shared that this production has been a true collaboration across the Penns Valley High School community.
“We partnered with the Rambotics team and had students design our Ferris wheel out of PVC pipe and the mechanism that is going to move the Ferris wheel in the background,” McCole mused. “That is a tie into a group of students who don’t normally participate in the musical.”
Another group that got involved this year was Penns Valley’s Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology students. On days this winter when CPI was closed, students were able to help build set pieces and props for the musical. McCole explained that CPI students helped build the truck that the Frake family “drives” to the state fair.
“It’s been a lot of fun to see those kids get their hands dirty and have fun with it when they normally wouldn’t have,” McCole pointed out.
In addition to Penns Valley student engagement, several Centre County community members, including music teachers at other local school districts, are playing in the pit orchestra. One of these musicians is McCole’s husband, who plays the tuba.
McCole is a music instructor and choir director at Penns Valley Junior and Senior High. This is her second year directing Penns Valley’s spring musical, but she noted that the high school has a long history of producing musicals, dating back to the 1960s.
“We have such a tight-knit community in Penns Valley,” McCole added. “A lot of alums will come back for shows, and [the record of past shows] is a nice walk down memory lane for them.”
McCole touched on the audition and rehearsal process, sharing that for students, it can be much more than just a high school musical. “We can still act as professionals and teach skills that are going to extend out past just being in a musical production, [like] being on time, being prepared, being a good team member,” all things that McCole believes “start with the audition process.”
After auditions and casting, McCole, Michael Marini — Penns Valley band director — and a pair of choreographers from Port Matilda coach students through vocal and dance rehearsals and blocking. In addition to preparing students to deliver a good show, these rehearsals also instill professionalism and accountability and teach students the value of being prepared and reliable.
All are invited to attend Penns Valley’s production of “State Fair” to witness the hard work and dedication Penns Valley students and staff have committed and get a taste of the iconic Grange Fair on stage.
Tickets are for sale at cur8.com/schedule/item/26104/342641?event=127597&date=342641.
