By, Nadya Solometo STATE COLLEGE, PA—“As the spring semester is newly underway, some might already want an escape. What better way to find one than through the silver screen?

If you don’t know what HVC3 stands for, it stands for the Happy Valley Comic and Collectibles Convention and, this year, it will take place on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, at the Nittany Valley Sports Centre.

STATE COLLEGE, PA—Grow, Renew, Inspire, and Purpose. Those are the initiatives following the GRIP Getaway: A Women’s Bike Weekend in Happy Valley, and that is exactly what you will experience at this bike getaway! Scheduled through the 2nd to the 4th of May 2025, you can expect a weekend of cycling, learning, training, and community in beautiful Central Pennsylvania. Information on lodging, registration and even a detailed Get a GRIP: Guidebook is located on their website.

The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau is excited to announce its 2025-26 grant program, conducted in partnership with the Centre County Board of Commissioners. Since 2003-4, this program has awarded nearly $8.3 million to profits, events and initiatives meant to enhance visitor experience and increase tourism in Happy Valley.

The holidays are just around the corner and with that comes a busy time of year for Happy Valley! With holiday performances and markets, Centre County is filled with fun festive activities for all! Our family at the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance is wishing you the happiest of holidays this season!

Organizers of the 25th Tussey Mountainback, a regional footrace event held in Central Pennsylvania’s Rothrock State Forest, will announce the event’s 2024 fundraising total in support of this year’s beneficiary, the Centre Region Down Syndrome Society, on Dec. 10. The donation will be presented at the meeting of the Nittany Valley Running Club at Hi-Way Pizza Pub, 1301 W. College Ave., State College, PA. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public. 

December will be quite the busy month in Happy Valley if Penn State hosts a College Football Playoff Game at the end of the month.

The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) recognized standouts in the Centre County tourism and hospitality community on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Third Annual Happy Valley Hospitality Awards.

The sixth annual Centre Film Festival recently wrapped after bringing nearly 200 thought-provoking independent films spanning multiple genres and formats to audiences in theaters throughout Happy Valley, PA, as well as to virtual audiences throughout the commonwealth.

Centre County’s tourism bureau has secured more than $93,000 in state funding for the bureau’s support of the 2024 Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley Triathlon, state Rep. Paul Takac announced today.

Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced a $5 million investment in eleven major sporting events across the Commonwealth through DCED’s Sports Marketing and Tourism Program. Expected to bring an estimated $240.2 million into Pennsylvania’s economy, the grants are helping attract more visitors to Pennsylvania and supporting major events like the 2025 Men’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Allegheny County, the 2025 Little League World Series and Major League Baseball Draft Game in Lycoming County, and the 2026 Major League Baseball All Star Game in Philadelphia. 

It’s time once again for the Centre Film Festival, and this year’s event will take place from Monday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 17, at theaters in State College, on the Penn State campus and in Philipsburg. As always, there will be a wide range of films from full-length features and documentaries to short films, and from domestic to international and even locally produced.

December 8, The Nittany Valley Half-Marathon returns to Happy Valley inviting runners to join for another year of racing and support of a great cause. The Nittany Valley Half-Marathon, formerly a Nittany Valley Running Club Race, proudly supports Centre Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic that offers essential medical and dental care to residents of Centre County.

No great film or story follows a linear narrative. There are always challenges and changes, twists and turns — and nobody knows that better than Penn State alumnus Pablo Lopez.