Arts Fest

Walking down Allen Street this morning was like bumper cars, but it wasn't the street that was congested. Instead, it was the sidewalk that was crowded. And the congestion wasn't from the typical vehicles -- it was strollers crammed onto the sidewalk, bumping as parents steered between booths and around stands.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts kicks off today, which is children's day at the festival.

Today the atmosphere at the festival is energetic -- children bound down the sidewalks (parents in tow) captivated by how the street has transformed from the street with the library on it to a festival of unparalleled proportions.

The genuine excitement exuding from children seems to captivate how State College welcomes Arts Festival -- with arms wide open.

Collegian reporters will be live-blogging at the Arts Festival every day; we hope to encapsulate your enthusiasm. Check back at The Daily Collegian's Web site for updates through the rest of the week and this weekend.

--Rossilynne Skena
Wednesday

It appears that Arts Fest is not a touch-friendly environment. Everywhere I went, I saw parents warning their children to look but not touch, and signs on many of the booths warned patrons to "under no circumstances even think of touching!!!!"

One booth, however, was different. A sign across the front screamed "PLEASE TOUCH", a far cry from the regular dire warnings against handling the wares.

"Most people have to touch these pieces because they don't believe they're wood, so we say 'okay'," said Al Vinsant, owner of Iron Petal designs, a company that creates and designs wooden bowls, baskets, trays and vases.

Vinsant said the wooden home accessories are all done in a process where the wood is actually stretched, which makes the accessories look more like ceramic or metal than wood. The pieces are all food safe.

Vinsant, from Birmingham, Ala., said that he encourages people to touch the wooden accessories.

"People are very welcome here...we're Southerners," he said.

- Margaret
Thursday

Children's Day may have passed, but there is still a lot of kids out and still a lot for them to do. Little children in bathing suits and teenagers in t-shirts and shorts are still enjoying the water displays on South Allen Street. The brave kids wait and then scream when they get drenched with buckets of water and the young children enjoy the misty jungle next to it.

The music on the Allen Street stage have some kids dancing and one in particular rocking out from his stroller, head bang and everything.

All the way up and right of the Allen Street activity is a quieter Central Parklet where the smell of homemade kettle korn draws in Arts Festival goers. While munching on the kettle korn, kids and adults alike observe thesand work of Brad Goll and K.C. Murphy.

Goll is a master sand sculptor from Austin, TX and has been designing a sand sculpture for Arts Festival for 13 years. Each year takes five days with 12 to 13 hours a day.

This year's Sovereign Bank sand sculpture is titled "Classic Toys" and already shows Mr. Potato Head, a clown and a robot, but this is only the beginning for the 25 tons of sand.

Murphy, who assists Goll in his artwork, said he gives out fun facts about sand sculptures (the sand used by Goll and Murphy is construction grade processed sand from the Susquehanna River) and Goll is open to suggestions from festival goers.

Murphy says the sand sculpture is, in his opinion, "the single most often visited area."
This is not something to pass up, especially for some kettle korn.

---Bethany

Arts Fest is all about fun. Good music, nice people, delicious food (why doesn't any restaurant sell funnel cakes regularly?), and of course, fun things to look at.

While every artist's work was brimming with creativity, the things that especially caught my eye were the clever, witty pieces. Pieces that were unconventional, and made me laugh.

One artist made beautiful, ornate decorations. The colors were vivid, the detail was amazing, and around the outside of the design...was a monopoly board. From Mediterranean Avenue to Boardwalk, the board game had been transformed into a work of art.

Another booth displayed measuring cups and measuring spoons. One set of measuring spoons claimed to be able to measure out a dash, a pinch and a smidgen. Probably not true, but clever.

Chairs were sold that had seats that, if sat upon, would be very conforming to the bottom region. Jacket sizes at one booth were listed as "littler, little, loose, looser, loosest and larger."

My personal favorite, however, was a tiny piece. If you walked by too quickly, you wouldn't notice the softball-sized artwork. It was a wooden pear that had some, a-hem, womanly features. The caption below the fruit read: The Perfect Pear.

Oh Arts Fest, what would we do without you?

--Tiffany
Thursday

Tonight the tents lined on the streets of State College, closed and quiet, look almost eerie in the moonlight.

Inside Davey Laboratory it was also dark - but for a different reason - Astrofest. The classrooms were turned into 3D galaxies and Luke Skywalker and princess Leia walked the halls.

The planetarium was one of the best attractions, giving a magical tour of the night sky. Mrs. Frizzle, the beloved teacher from the show Magic School Bus, enchanted the crowed by showing the different constellations and even telling folklore about how each was given its name.

Half way through the show a young boy whispered into the darkness, "Oh! Stars!" And although everyone laughed, you could tell they were thinking the same thing - "Where was this kid 20 minutes ago?"

However, the biggest attraction was the stargazing. The roof was filled with people and more than four telescopes looked out into the night sky. Each was focused on a different star or planet, but Jupiter was the most interesting by far. Surrounded by its four moons, even the rings that grace its surface could be seen. It was, to be cliche, out of this world.

A sheet handed out in the lobby listed all the events, and was stamped as each step was completed. At the end you get a toy - my glow in the dark alien is currently sitting next to the keyboard.

Astrofest is definitely something worth checking out. The universe is a big place, and learning about it is one step closer to understanding it.

Oh and one more thing, when you wish on a star make sure it is a star...and not a planet.

-- Katie
Thursday

The sidewalks are at a crawl, outdoor bar patios are packed and it's a beautiful summer day in State College - it must be Arts Festival weekend.

The sun is out in full force today and it's the perfect weather to enjoy the music and art at the Festival, just don't expect to do it quickly! I ventured out for lunch this afternoon and actually got into a traffic jam on the sidewalk as a group of people tried to decide if they wanted to go into Starbucks. A stroller blocked the way and there were so many people in front of me that I had to just stop and wait.

I bought my Arts Festival button last night to see some of the concerts, but just as I was ready to head over to the Central Parklet, I heard the sound of thunder. Since I was caught without an umbrella I had to retreat to my apartment and got back just before it started to rain. So, today I hope the sun continues and I get to see some great live music!

-Stacey Federoff

Being downtown on Saturday afternoon was unlike anything that I have seen in State College in a long time. The difference in population from Pugh Street to Allen Street was ridiculous. I felt like I walked from the back woods of nowheresville to New York City.

While music was playing, people were tapping their feet, eating shrimp kabobs and drinking smoothies and lemonade. I think I can confidently say that I saw people of every age between 2 and 85. And in my opinion, it was absolutely awesome.

Any sort of festival that has sales from local stores, cool summer drinks, art, music, and sunshine will without a doubt attract my attention. Yet, one that also allows everyone young and old to be truly entertained gets an A+ in my book. Way to go State College!

And what made the day even better were the things that I saw and heard while just wandering the streets. For example, I saw one girl maybe 6 or 7 try to quench the thirst of her dog. (And for the record, there were so many adorable dogs. I wish people would bring their pets out more often.) How was she trying to hydrate her dog? She did so by allowing him to drink from her water bottle, like she was sharing it with a friend. I guess in a way, she was sharing with a friend.

I saw one of the artists ask a male college student about a rash he had on his foot. He processed to tell him that he should probably go to the hospital for it, cause "that kind of thing can kill ya." The 20-something gentleman looked extremely worried as he glanced repeatedly at his feet until the artist began to chuckle to himself. After a moment he admitted he was just joking with him. Who ever said artists were too serious?

Oh, and the set up on Allen where all the little kids are trying to run through the square without water being dumped on them from buckets above was extremely entertaining to watch. Even more entertaining was the college kid who walked past me soaking wet, muttering to his friend, "Man, I really thought I was going to make it."

Whether people were there to purchase or just to browse, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was gorgeous outside, and the atmosphere was as well.

-Jill