Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™
State College, Pennsylvania

July 10-13, 2008 ~ Children's Day is July 9, 2008

2008 FESTIVAL PRESS RELEASES

            On June 4, 2008 Executive Director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Rick Bryant spoke to Judy Maltz’s COMM 460 class on Penn State’s University Park campus. The students learned more about the festival than they knew before and wrote a paper on what they know and learned about the Arts Festival. Seven Penn State students will be participating in this year’s festival as artists which is more than the festival has ever had before.

Dan Mills
COMM 460W

June 11, 2008
STATE COLLEGE – For the first time ever, art students from The Pennsylvania State University will be showcasing and selling their artwork at this year’s Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, said Rick Bryant, executive director of the event.
Twenty Penn State art students applied for the position, but only 7 were chosen to sell their work. They will be selling ceramics, photography and jewelry at a group booth located on Pollock Road in collaboration with the Penn State College of the Visual Arts and the CPFA organization.

Traditionally the arts festival is known for its nationally recognized exhibition art sidewalk sale, music and theatrical performances. However, some new events were added to the program this year including folk and gospel music jam sessions, a song writing workshop, a classical music showcase and screenings of original silent movies from Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. The original music sc0ores to the movies will be performed live by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra.

The arts festival will take place in downtown State College Wednesday, July 9 through Sunday, July 13. The event is free with the exception of selected performances, which require the purchase of an all-access festival button for $7. Parking will be available for $5 per car, at the Bryce Jordan Center East parking lot, with free CATA bus rides to and from the festival.

In 2006 the CPFA was ranked sixth nationally by Sunshine Arts Magazine for art sales, drawing over 125,000 people to State College over the five-day event, said Bryant. Despite rising gas prices and a struggling economy, every hotel room in the area is fully booked, said Bryant, with hopes of reaching the same numbers or better this year.

The festival was originally held in 1967 to bring business to downtown State College and it was staffed solely by a few volunteers. Now the festival has become a key event for the community, bringing in $14 million in revenue to downtown businesses, with four full time employees and a volunteer force of 1000, said Bryant.

“It began as very rudimentary,” he said. “Now the festival is a smorgasbord; It has something for everyone.”

Desiree Giangregorio
4 June 2008
COMM 460
STATE COLLEGE- For the first time ever, Penn State students will be participating in the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, one of the largest arts festivals in the country, Executive Director Rick Bryant said yesterday.

Seven students from Penn State’s college of visual arts have been selected out of 20 applicants to show and sell art ranging from photography to jewelry at a group booth on Pollock Road, said Bryant.

The arts festival will work closely with Penn State to introduce student artists to a possible venue for their art after graduation, said Bryant.
New events to be held at this year’s arts festival include a folk jam session, classical music and silent films.

The 2008 arts festival will be held on July 9 to July 13.

Fan favorites such as the local band Velveeta will play and Children’s Day will be part of the festivities. Not only is Children’s day a fan favorite, said Bryant, but the artists’ favorite as well. The artists appreciate giving youth an opportunity to carry on the arts.

The recent rise in gas prices will not affect attendance at this year’s arts festival, Bryant said, noting that all the State College hotels are booked for those days.

His explanation to this was that the festival is a “cheap date” where a group of people can split the cost of gas and have fun.
The festival will accommodate 300 artists from 35 states, said Bryant. The festival is expected to bring 125,000 visitors and typically, he said, the arts festival brings in some $14 million in revenue.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is ranked sixth among art festivals in the country, according to Sunshine Artist magazine, based on sales of vendors.

The festival is also known for its unique emphasis on both music and the arts as opposed to an emphasis on only one.

Lucas Mariano  
COMM460  
The 42nd annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be the first ever festival to feature Penn State students selling original work, according to Rick Bryant, the event’s executive director.

“We’ve never had an initiative to have the artists of tomorrow,” Bryant said earlier today.

This initiative trains the students for working trade shows professionally through university courses.  Bryant hopes it will solve a potential problem down the road.  “Our artists are not very young,” he said.  “We worry about replacing those people when they retire.”
Bryant said the seven students had to apply and were selected just like any of the 300 other artists.

Their booth will be on Pollock Road and will feature ceramics, jewelry, photography and paintings, Bryant said.

Another new addition to the arts festival this year, according to Bryant, will be the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra.  The 13 piece orchestra will perform the original music for silent films that featured Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, said Bryant. 

Bryant said that high gas prices will apparently not affect attendance this year, since all hotel rooms in the area have all been booked.  “We’re a cheap date,” he said.  “Our most expensive ticket is seven bucks.”

Bryant said that based upon artist’s sales, this event often ranks in the top 20 of trade magazines.  He said much of the festival’s success is due to its unusual format.  “Other festivals place an emphasis on just art, or just music,” Bryant said.  “We have both.”  Kid’s day, another unique element, will feature about 200 community children selling their own arts and crafts.

This year’s festival will take place July 9 through 13 in downtown State College and the Penn State campus.  Kid’s day is July 9.

1 June 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:        Rick Bryant, Executive Director
                          E-mail: rbryant@arts-festival.com

The 42nd annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™ will take place Wednesday, July 9 through Sunday, July 13 on the streets of downtown State College and the adjacent Penn State campus.

Founded by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, the Festival attracts about 125,000 visitors each summer. The Festival features the nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, a juried gallery exhibition, Children and Youth Day, the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, educational opportunities, and music, dance and theatrical performances in a variety of traditional and non-traditional venues.

The 2008 Arts Festival commences with Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 9, which features programs and events designed especially for the young and young at heart. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by Penn State Federal Credit Union, will be held on South Allen Street. An estimated 150 young Central Pennsylvania artists are expected to showcase their original works.

Other Children and Youth Day activities include free arts and crafts workshops on the Old Main Lawn and in State College’s Central Parklet. Musical and dance performances tailored to the young will take place at various stages around town thanks to eight local student ensembles and performing arts schools. However, for some, the highlight of the day will come at 4:00 p.m. with the 2008 Centre Daily Times Children and Youth Day Grand Procession. Over 300 children (accompanied by some parents) will carry small, medium and large papier-mâché puppets, masks and drums.  The procession will begin on the Old Main lawn and travel through downtown State College as it makes its way to Central Parklet. 

Children will have one more chance to demonstrate their artistic skill at a free art and craft workshop on Thursday, July 10, from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the art and craft room at Schlow Centre Region Library. Dee Ann Wylie will lead this special event.  The workshop is appropriate for children under the age of 12.

On Thursday, July 10 at 10:00 a.m. the award winning Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition will open. Sidewalk Sale hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The works of more than 300 exhibitors comprise one of the nation’s best juried fine art and craft shows. A panel of 5 jurors will award over $17,000 in prize money to winning exhibitors during a ceremony at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 12 at the Allen Street Stage.

There are several new elements this year, including a songwriting workshop, folk and gospel music jam sessions, and a classical music showcase featuring musicians from the Music at Penn’s Woods Orchestra. Bus service from the Bryce Jordan Center/Beaver Stadium will make more stops this year, so patrons can get off at the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, or in the heart of the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, or even at the Palmer Museum of Art.

Festival guests will be able to learn even more about the Sidewalk Sale participants at Artists’ Showcases. Selected artists will demonstrate how they create their art in the Willard Building Plaza at 10:00 a.m., noon, 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. Demonstrations will also occur at the State College Municipal Building plaza at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12.

An annual favorite, the CPFA Silent Auction will be returning this year as well. The 2008 Silent Auction will be located in a small building placed on the 100 block of South Allen Street. It will be open Thursday, July 10 through Saturday, July 12 from noon to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 13 from noon to 4:00 p.m. It’s a great place to see a sampling of all the great fine art and craft in the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition. Proceeds of the Silent Auction help to defray the costs of the Festival.

Images 2008 hangs in the HUB’s Robeson Gallery in the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus of Penn State. The works in this fine art and fine craft exhibition were selected by juror Dinah Ryan. She is an art critic, curator, and writer and serves as the director of the Staniar Gallery at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. Images 2008 is open from June 11 through July 13.

The 2008 Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival honors the 16th century Italian tradition of using special chalks to paint on the street. Look for the Italian Street Painting Festival on the 100 block of Heister Street in downtown State College. Two featured professionals, Graham Curtis and Abbie Cramer will each create a 12-foot square painting while juried artists  will create smaller 6-foot by 4-foot paintings. For a $5 fee, Young Artists Avenue gives children the opportunity to create a 1-foot-square street painting. Artists work July 11 through the 13. Docent tours under the direction of Holly Foy, coordinator of the event, will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13. The 2008 Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival is sponsored by the Downtown State College Improvement District.

We are especially delighted to present silent films by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton—the three most popular and influential comedians of the silent film era. As they were when they were first released the films will be accompanied by a live orchestra. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra will perform the original musical accompaniment written for each of the films when they were first released in the early twentieth century. The evening will be a rare treat for the Festival audience. The performance is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and The Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Additional funding was supplied by The Schreyer Foundation. The performance will be in Schwab Auditorium, Saturday, July 12, at 8:00 p.m. (CPFA button required.)

Malinky makes its Arts Festival debut Thursday, July 12 at 9:00 p.m. at Memorial Field. Touring the United States from its home in Scotland, Malinky is considered to be one of the foremost exponents of contemporary Scottish music. First discovered at Glasgow’s prestigious Celtic Connections festival in 1999, Malinky’s song-centered repertoire makes it stand apart from the usual contemporary Celtic fare. (CPFA button required)

Jazz pianist Lao Tizer, accompanied by his extraordinary band, will entrance not only jazz lovers, but also those who are not as enamored of the genre. Tizer has been proclaimed "a torchbearer for the new generation of contemporary jazz."  He was nominated "Best New Artist of the Year" at the National Smooth Jazz Awards. The Lao Tizer Band performance will be on Thursday, July 10, at 8:00 p.m. in Schwab Auditorium. (CPFA button required.)

Performing at Memorial Field are two contemporary Gypsy bands, Luminescent Orchestrii and Harmonious Wail, performing on Friday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. Both bands have toured both the United States and Europe.  Audience members will find the intoxicating arrangements and high energy to be the key to a great evening of gypsy jazz. (CPFA button required.)

Festival goers will enjoy some laughs at the performance of Jonathan Burns on Saturday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Field. Jonathan has performed magic, stunts, and comedy across the country. Not a run of the mill saw a show girl in half magician; Jonathan was graduated from Millersville University in 2004 with a degree in Art Education. However, there will not be a test at the end of the performance. He’ll mesmerize you, astonish you, and best of all, keep you laughing.  (CPFA button required.)

Three time Grammy Award nominee Trout Fishing in America returns to the Arts Festival after a long absence. Trout Fishing in America is a long standing musical partnership of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet. Their name, taken from a Richard Brautigan novel, seems almost as incongruent and intriguing as a picture of the musical duo. Idlet (on the guitar) stands six feet nine inches, and Grimwood, on bass is five feet five and one half inches.  The duo’s newest release, My Best Day, covers a wide range of themes from loving friend even though they talk too much, to snowflakes named Bob. (CPFA button required.)

Two great bands will perform at the Festival Shell on the evening of Saturday, July 12. Entrain takes the stage at 7:30 p.m., and is followed by Velveeta at 10:00 p.m. Entrain, has been thrilling both critics and audiences since 1993. Entrain has been praised for its ability to shift effortlessly between musical styles—from rock, blues, calypso, and ska to zydeco, jazz, and funk—often within the same song. A local favorite, Velveeta, will be performing following Entrain on the Festival Shell Stage. This group performs frequently in State College bars and nightclubs. Velveeta will give you a taste of the very best, “80’s cheese,” infectious cover tunes you just won’t be able to get out of your head. Both performances are sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association.

While most performances are free, some require a festival button. Buttons, which cost $7.00, are good for the entire festival, grant admission to all indoor events in addition to concerts at Memorial Field. Buttons are available at each performance venue, at many locations on the Festival route, in downtown State College stores, and online at www.arts-festival.com.

Daily highlights include:

Wednesday, July 9 - Children & Youth Day:
National Marionette Theatre Presents Peter and the Wolf 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Schwab   Auditorium) (CPFA button required.)
Grand Procession 4:00 p.m. (Old Main Lawn)
Children’s Workshops & Activities 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Old Main Lawn & Central Parklet)

Thursday:
Malinky  9:00 p.m. (Memorial Field) (CPFA button required.)
Lao Tizer 8:00 p.m. (Schwab Auditorium) (CPFA button required.)

Friday:
Essence of Joy Alumni Singers 7:00 p.m. (State College Presbyterian Church) (CPFA button required.)
Luminescent Orchestrii 7:30 p.m. (Memorial Field) (CPFA button required.)
Cartoon 7:30 p.m. (Schwab Auditorium) (CPFA button required.)
Harmonius Wail 9:30 p.m. (Memorial Field) (CPFA button required.)
           
Saturday:
Paragon Ragtime Orchestra 8:00 p.m. (Schwab Auditorium) (CPFA button required.)
Entrain 7:30 p.m. (Festival Shell)
Velveeta 10:00 p.m. (Festival Shell)
Trout Fishing in America 9:30 p.m. (Memorial Field) (CPFA button required.)

Sunday:
The Sue Crowe Memorial 33rd Annual Arts Festival 5K and 10K Road Race 8:30 a.m., registration 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Medlar Field at Lubrano Park)
Kids’ Fun Run 11:00 a.m., registration 9:30-10:30 a.m. (Meldar Field at Lubrano Park)
Vocal Jazz Quartet 12:30 p.m. (Allen)
The Earthtones 8:00 p.m. (Festival Shell)

The Nittany Valley Running Club’s 33rd annual 10K run will take place Sunday, July 13 at 8:30 a.m. For the second year in row, there is a 5k race and the course spans both East and West Campuses. Runners should assemble at the IM building on Curtin Road. For registration and additional race information, please visit www.nvrun.com.

Leave parking and traffic worries to others by parking in the Jordan East parking lot, next to the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium. For $5.00 car, visitors may park and take a free bus operated by the Centre Area Transportation Authority will take to you to complementary bus service can take you to the heart of the Festival and return you at your convenience.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is supported in part by grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour.

Additional funding is provided through a grant made by possible by the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.

Please visit our frequently updated website at www.arts-festival.com for additional information.

May 7, 2008
Michael Chapaloney, Tourism
717-720-1301

GOVERNOR RENDELL HONORS 18 FOR CONTRIBUTION, LEADERSHIP IN TOURISM INDUSTRY

HARRISBURG – Governor Edward G. Rendell has inducted the first 18 Pennsylvanians into the Keystone Society for Tourism, the highest honor the commonwealth presents to leaders in the tourism industry.

The Governor bestowed the honor during the first Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Gettysburg, which was created to focus on preserving the distinctive character of a community while building economic development through cultural and place-based tourism.

Among those honored were Richard W. Bryant, executive director, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and Betsey Howell, executive director, Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Small towns do not need to become cities to create a more robust economy. Our quaint farming communities should not lose their rustic nature to attract tourists. And, our urban communities do not need to dilute their strong cultural heritage to share it with others,” Governor Rendell said. “This conference has provided practical examples of how tourism has spurred economic development while taking preservation into account.”

This is the inaugural year for the Keystone Society for Tourism. Inductees were selected by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office in consultation with the Governor’s Tourism Partnership. The society honors Pennsylvania visionaries in destination leadership and community development.

“The tourism opportunities in the commonwealth would not be as strong or as diverse without the contributions of these inductees who, through their inspiration, leadership, enterprise, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit, have enriched the experience of visiting the various regions of the commonwealth,” Governor Rendell said.

“While it is clear these visionaries have had the foresight and motivation to create new products and tourism opportunities and have done so while creating new family-sustaining jobs in the commonwealth,” the Governor said. “They are the keystones of the tourism economy.”

Destination Pennsylvania: The Governor’s Conference on Tourism was developed by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office and the Office of Community Affairs and Development in association with the Governor’s Tourism Partnership and the Team PA Foundation.

The Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant in Philadelphia donated “George’s Fault,” a beer inductee George Hummel developed for the conference. A selection of wine was provided by the Pennsylvania Winery Association.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following have been inducted into the Keystone Society for Tourism:

• Richard Bryant, executive director, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College
• Betsey Howell, executive director, Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, State College
• Scranton Mayor Christopher A. Doherty
• Bill and Jane Campbell, Campbell Pottery Store, Cambridge Springs
• Dr. Arthur Steffee, RiverStone Farm, Foxburg
• Jim and Donna Winner, Buhl Mansion Guesthouse & Spa, Sharon
• Dale Fox, The Towers Victorian Inn, Ridgway
• Rev. Edward M. Bailey, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, ChurchTowne of Lancaster
• Phoebe Bailey, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, ChurchTowne of Lancaster
• George Hummel and Nancy Rigberg, Home Sweet Homebrew, Philadelphia
• Sean O. Strub, Hotel Fauchere, Milford
• Richard L. Snyder, Hotel Fauchere, Milford
• Doug Gibson and Mary Liskow, Blue Mountain Outfitters Inc., Marysville
• Meryl Levitz, president & CEO, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

QUESTIONS?
Contact us by phone or e-mail
(814) 237-3682
(814) 237-0708 FAX
e-mail: office@arts-festival.com