The Little Engine That Does: How Eric Engelbarts and the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance Turn Events and Entertainment into Economic Vitality

STATE COLLEGE, PA (By Greg Woodman) — The State Games of America, coming to Penn State July 24–August 2, 2026, will bring more than 8,000 athletes and thousands of fans to Happy Valley. Tens of thousands of room nights and millions in visitor spending are expected. For the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance (HVSEA), the small nonprofit that helped land the event, it is proof that measurable, visitor-driven growth works.

Founded by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the HVSEA was created to enrich quality of life, raise regional visibility, and drive economic results through sports and entertainment. Its mission is simple: put heads in beds and heat in seats.

Unlike many nonprofits that rely on grants, the HVSEA runs on a performance-based model funded by the 5 percent hotel-occupancy tax. The more people who stay overnight, the more resources the Alliance has to attract new events. When visitors fill hotels and Airbnbs, tax revenue rises, allowing reinvestment in more experiences that bring people back. It is a self-reinforcing cycle, the little engine that not only thinks it can but does.