Every summer, Central Pennsylvania proves it knows how to throw a party, and that tradition will continue with the State College area's three annual summer festivals this July.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, also known as Arts Fest, is set for July 9 to 12 with a children's day on July 8. Festival director Rick Bryant said there is already "an exciting line up" set for this year.
He added there are several ways this year's festival will be different than those in the past.
"We're changing some staging around for more free concerts than we had before," he said. "There will be other surprises along the route with some photo opportunities the public will react to."
One of the biggest attractions this year will be a performance by Ensemble Galilei at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 in Schwab Auditorium.
Bryant said Ensemble Galilei is a nationally famous Celtic group that performs while projecting the newest images from the Hubble Space Telescope onstage. The show is also narrated by Neal Conan, the host of National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation.
"It has multimedia, and it's a performing arts group of international stature," Bryant said. "It's a big deal for us."
To check out other listings of the festival's big events, Bryant said attendees can check out the "Hot Picks" section of the festival's Web site, which provides "a snapshot of what is to come." He added the public will be updated periodically as more acts and attractions are added on to this year's lineup.
Bryant said if he didn't think this year's festival would be more successful than previous years, then he's not doing his job.
"JoePa never says, 'Oh, we're not going to win as many games this year as last year,' " Bryant said. "So, yes, we're going to have a great festival this year."
After making the move from State College to historic Bellefonte last summer, this year's JazzPA festival will provide another venue for quality artists in Central Pennsylvania, said Catherine Dupuis, who coordinated the event.
Dupuis said the location switch was to take advantage of a better venue for jazz musicians.
"It's combining historical American music with an historical American place," Dupuis said. "It's an extraordinary little town."
The festival will be featuring the saxophone this summer in honor of JazzPA founder and local alto sax musician Joe Alessandro.
The sounds of jazz will be heard from the American Philatelic Society at the Match Factory in Bellefonte from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, July 25. Local eateries and downtown locations will also offer performances for spectators to enjoy.
"We want to show off all the talent we have for the people who think they need to go to New York for good music," she said.
But along with many opportunities for performing, Central Pennsylvania has a strong sense of tradition, which is apparent in its 80 year-old Fourth of July celebration.
4thFest had its humble beginnings in 1927 when Alpha Fire Co. held a carnival for Independence Day celebrations. The festival's sponsors and events have changed, but the same cause for celebration has resonated in State College for 82 years and keeps growing.
"We don't want it to be different," said Bernie Keisling, the executive director for 4thFest.
Since its creation by the fire company, the festival's direction has shifted into the hands of a 650-person volunteer team, Keisling said. He added the event can be described as an "all day family-oriented Fourth of July birthday party."
"There are tons of children's activities, crafts, climbing walls and all types of stuff for the young kids," he said.
Big events of the day include the Firecracker 4K in the morning, a military helicopter display, and carnival rides comparable to those of Blue and White weekend. The day ends with a 45-minute fireworks display that Keisling said is "one of the best-rated fireworks shows in the nation." Following the display is the street dance, during which local DJs and bands perform as festival attendants dance until the late hours of the night.
