Spot 6

This month concludes a surprising revival season of orchestral music at The State Theatre. The Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra has added the beats, if you will, of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, etc., to a stage known primarily for uplifting live rock, pop, blues, jazz, folk, etc. This harkens back to an original association. “We love…

Growing up in a small town in Ohio, Cynthia Young, now chair of the Department of African American Studies at Penn State, lived in a predominantly Jewish community. Young related to her Jewish friends, who had family Holocaust stories to share, as people who face discrimination. But it was difficult being one of…

This sweet indulgence melts hearts, and has a story to tell

Sharon Herman remembers feeling scared in late June 2011 after having been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite just starting chemotherapy treatments, she mustered enough courage and strength to join her longtime team of friends to take part in the Centre County Relay for Life, just like she had for years. The relay is a benefit…

Some may call him a pioneer, but many just call him a mentor or an inspiration. Local photographer Gerald Lang has been making his mark in the community for nearly five decades. Lang got his start in 1966 when he received his Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Minnesota, after getting…

Dear Emily, My daughter thinks that she is ready to start dating and have a boyfriend. I’m unsure of how I feel about it. She is 16 and easily influenced by her friends. What should I do and honestly what should I even think? Dear Hopeful Parent, Be open to it so…

In these modern-times, the “Three Rs” have become “reduce, reuse, recycle.” December may be the hardest month to keep that in mind. One little nudge is the first-time calendar illustrated by contest-winning Centre County fifth-graders: “How My Buddies and I Recycle.” Finishing the year, December illustrator Brenda St. Clair of Pleasant Gap Elementary School…

Pinot Noir could just be the ideal wine for fall: it can be light- to-medium-bodied, and has great earthy tones that pair well with fall foods like roast chicken and duck, mushrooms, and dried fruits. It typically has enough structure and acid to hold up well with other bold flavors found in heartier cool-weather dishes,…

In the process of writing this column over the last few years, I have tried to encourage you to experience beer culture in all its forms. Visiting beer bars, breweries, and brewpubs allows you to not only taste some unusual and outstanding products of the brewer’s art, it also exposes you to true beer culture;…

Anita Ditz will be hanging up her hat as the head of children’s services at Schlow Centre Region Library this month, leaving a 34-year legacy of building up programs aimed at young learners. Her service with Schlow began in 1983, back when there were 87 children in the summer reading program and no visits…