The Downtown State College Improvement District is ready to light up State College for the holidays, with the second annual Light Up Downtown event kicking off Thursday.
The event begins at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza at 5 p.m. with a visit from Santa and then includes festivities taking place all around downtown throughout the evening. The highlight of the evening, of course, is the timed holiday light show, at MLK Plaza and along Calder WalkWay, which begins with a dance performance from Central PA Dance Workshop.
The family-friendly event invites children to enjoy hot cocoa, popcorn, balloon animals and activities at MLK Plaza, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., after which several children will be selected to ride with Santa on the downtown State College trolley, where they’ll travel with him to light up the rest of downtown, including the tree at the Allen Street Gates, “Gingerbread WalkWay” on Calder Way, Locust Lane and “Candy Cane Lane” on Centennial Walkway.
New features this year include the festive lights on Calder WalkWay (between Fraser and Pugh streets), as well as a few other photo op spots.
“The addition of the Calder WalkWay lights will be synced with the light show on the MLK Plaza,” Lee Anne Jeffries, executive director for Downtown State College Improvement District, says of the new additions. “The community garden will have three live trees and a gingerbread couple. It will be a great spot for photos! We have also added string lights across Centennial Walkway. That is new this year as well.”
The event also brings together State College residents for multiple good causes. Families who visit with Santa at MLK Plaza are invited to bring a new toy for Toys for Tots or a non-perishable item for the State College Food Bank for donation.
The event’s Enchanted Forest tree decorating challenge highlights 10 local nonprofits, with decorated trees on display at the corner of College Street and Locust Lane. Downtown visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite trees by Dec. 5, after which the nonprofit with the tree with the most votes will receive a $1,000 donation. Participating nonprofits include The Makery, Housing Transitions, The Jana Marie Foundation, The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Centre Helps, 3 Dots Downtown, The State Theatre, Out of the Cold, State College Community Land Trust and the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
However, the event’s magical holiday cheer extends far beyond the evening of Nov. 18, as the lights will be on display throughout the holidays, as will other festive aspects of the event throughout downtown State College. The Calder WalkWay lights will run nightly until 10 p.m. through the holidays. The State College trolley will also offer free rides throughout downtown on Dec. 3, 4, 10 and 11. The trolley stops on Fraser Street, Locust Lane and Calder Way, making a continuous loop.
“If you miss Light Up night, Santa and the trolley will be back for December First Friday,” Jeffries adds. “The light show will continue until the end of the year and will get a reboot with new colors and songs for First Night [on Dec. 31].”
Additionally, this year, the Downtown State College Improvement District is encouraging community members to come downtown to shop for their Christmas gifts, with limited-edition collectible downtown State College ornaments available at 14 local businesses. The ornament will be available for purchase starting Nov. 26, for $14.95, at Appalachian Outdoors, Connections, Crust & Crumb Cafe, Ethereal Boutique, Gemelli Bakers, Growing Tree Toys, Happy Valley Optical, Kitchen Caboodle, Lion’s Pride, The Animal Kingdom, The Family Clothesline, The Makery, The Nittany Quill and The State Theatre.
“The holidays are a magical time and our goal is to transform downtown State College into a winter wonderland where people of all ages will find joy,” Jeffries said in a recent release. “We encourage the community to rediscover our unique local businesses during this time, grab a bite to eat and check some things off their shopping list.”
For more information about the event, visit the Downtown State College Improvement District website, or the event’s Facebook page.
