Summertime in State College is peaceful. Only a fraction of the 40,000 students who attend the university from the end of August to the beginning of May remain in the area.

You don't have to wait in line for forty-five minutes for a slice of pizza at 2 a.m.

You can order a drink at the bar without having to battle your way through a crowd.

You actually have seating options when entering the HUB.

And as long as you have a few good friends who are also spending the summer here, there's nothing comparable to the experience.

Then when everyone's gotten accustomed to this new way of life, Arts Fest comes to town.

State College is jostled out of its
summer slumber like you after your roommate's alarm blasts off at
7:30 a.m.

It's not so much that you don't want to get up, it's more that you wished you could remember your dream.

Did those first two months of summer really fly by so fast?

Yeah, they did, and now its time for the circus to begin.

First, the artists arrive.

Their booths line the sidewalks of both town and campus along with games, food, and live performances. Simultaneously, the first wave of crowds enters town to browse, purchase and experience the art made available to them.

On Friday, the students return.

Full of anticipation and eight-week withdrawal from Penn State, the students do what they do best on the weekend - party.

Don't believe me?

Then ask Bacardi.

Now because of the wound-up crowd of young people, sometimes the party has gotten out of hand, most notably at the 1998 and 2000 Arts Fests.

This has led to the fourth crowd - the police.

The heightened security isn't limited to local officers either.

During last year's Arts Fest, I saw state troopers, bike cops, officers on horseback, and snipers.

Yes, snipers. Well, at least they very easily could have been snipers.

There were roughly six men in camouflage pants and black t-shirts setting up equipment on tripods atop the Diplomat.

Maybe they just had cameras, I'm not certain, but I saw them from a Cedarbrook balcony all the same.

These policemen and women come from all of over the state.

They're literally bused in.

Look on Beaver Avenue Friday afternoon and you'll see them pass you by.

It's enough to make the director of Homeland Security jealous.

Then again, considering Tom Ridge was Pennsylvania's governor during the riots, it's no wonder that such heavy safety measures have continued to be taken during Arts Fest.

Terror Alert: Blue and White.

While the level of security may seem excessive, it is understandable.

No one wants to repeat the ugly scenes of the past.

And the officers are cool for the most part. Sure, they take their job seriously, but they're not going to go out of their way to bust you.

As long as you don't give them a reason to confront you, they won't.

So don't fight with a Philly fan when they claim that the Eagles are the greatest of NFL franchise of all-time despite never winning a Super Bowl. It's difficult, I know.

Basically, don't do anything stupid, and don't drink yourself stupid.

The ones you should watch out for are the security guards for individual apartment companies.

The pressure put on these companies by State College officials to curb the drunken mayhem during Arts Fest since the occurrence of the riots has been heavy. Aparments on Beaver Avenue have been hit the hardest because they are in the area the riots took place.

Their gang of men decked out in black polo shirts will knock on every door emitting 50 Cent, J.Lo or any other bass-laden music throughout the weekend.

It's not much different than what goes on during the fall and spring semesters, but with the multitude of parties going on this weekend, it seems worse.

Although they'll interrupt your fun whenever they get a chance, like the police, they too are only doing their job. They just seem to need less incitement to do so.

You don't have to fear the police or the security guards--as long as you're not doing anything wrong.

If you drink to the point of oblivion and accost an officer, you're going to be arrested.

Arts Fest is a chance for Penn State to awaken for the summer, a chance for students to come back, see their friends and have a good time.

Just try to behave while doing it, and you can have a good time, too.