Artist of the Month

While venturing out to a movie theater may seem like a waning pastime in an era when it’s easier than ever to bask in the glow of your favorite streaming service, The State Theatre is working against that notion by offering a unique movie experience that viewers won’t get at home or even the major…

With spring in full swing, floral bouquets take center stage as an age-old way to make a loving statement or savor the scents of the season. As flowers bloom around us, local businesswoman Ella Huang of Ellaful can make your gorgeous bouquets last a lifetime. By preserving the vibrant, colorful folds of flowers in resin,…

For seven weeks each spring, Centre County’s Lenten Ecumenical Choir brings together singers of diverse faiths and experience to practice music that reflects the spirit of the season and to share it with the community. “Prayers are part of it,” says director Laurel Sanders. “It’s kind of a cross between a concert and a church…

When teacher Denise Kaminsky decided to write children’s books for young, reluctant readers, she chose the most inspiring hero she could think of for the children of Penn Staters — the Nittany Lion. Originally from Nanticoke, Kaminsky is a dedicated Penn State alumna and Nittany Lions football fan who moved back to State College in…

The name of the Bellefonte-based business—Mix Match Craft & Metalworks or, simply, MMC Metalworks—is perfect. When Dave and Christie Lose mixed their hobbies, they matched their inspiration to produce metal-based crafts, from home décor to decorations to smokers and firepits and various holiday decorations. It’s not their full-time job—Dave works for Polymics in State College…

Chunky beads in bold colors, along with whimsical charms, comprise the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings created by Bellefonte jewelry artist Donna Rochon of Studio 337 Designs. “This jewelry isn’t for shy people,” Rochon laughs. The Providence, Rhode Island, native has always had a passion for expressing herself through visual art, using materials ranging from velvet…

“Let me do the shopping for you!” is the slogan on Bambi Homan’s business card. In her crafting business, Baskets by BJ, Homan does the shopping and more to create beautiful themed gift baskets for different ages, interests, seasons, and holidays. She also makes floral arrangements, centerpieces, and décor. The Centre Hall native and Penn…

Of the movies produced around the world, only a small percentage ever make it to a streaming platform or the movie theater. The others, produced without the backing of a major production company, are known as independent, or “indie,” films. These films—ranging from films by first-timers on the movie scene to films up for Oscars—are…

Nine years ago, John Wert retired from West Penn Power after forty-two years as a lineman and then supervisor. Retirement gave him a little more time to do what he loved—crafting beautiful things out of wood with his grandfather’s tools—but he never imagined it would grow into the business it has become today. “I started…

The Music Academy in State College is celebrating sixty years of music instruction for students of all ages and abilities. In 1963, piano teachers Cynthia “Cinny” Schein and Betty Trachtenberg decided to open The Music Academy, the first community music school in State College.When the school was chartered as a nonprofit on August 17, 1964,…