State College Fall Fest
State College is giving back to its residents this season through family-centered events. Saturday was the community’s annual Fall Fest held downtown along South Fraser Street. The festival ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., attracting many families throughout the day. There were many kid-friendly activities such as horseback riding, a bounce house, pumpkin painting and other various crafts.
Many community organizations sponsored the event or were present to join in on the fun including PSECU, Growing Tree Toys and State College Orthodontics.
STEM Educator Anna Schurter from Discovery Space was also present with hands-on activities that allowed kids to explore science in festive ways. This included dissecting a pumpkin and using playdough like material to light up an LED.
Shurter believes the experience is important for the kids.
“This is a great opportunity to reach families in the community that may or may not have been to our space before,” Shurter said. “STEM is often a big movement in education right now, so this is a great way to engage all the senses.”
State College resident Suzanne Caputo also attended Fall Fest with her two children, one seven-years-old and the other four. Caputo says her family attends every year, and while her kids love it, she’s also very thankful for the event.
“I think it’s great when the college gives back a little bit. I think it’s great when we can get out and see what the town has to offer when there’s booths set up and things like that. I think it means a lot to families to just know that there are opportunities to get out and do things that are family-oriented,” Caputo said.
Caputo says she’s appreciative of events like Fall Fest that allow her family to have safe fun, especially this time of year.
Grace Miller is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact her, email her at lgm5130@psu.edu.
