Anyone who spends much time in State College is familiar with the downtown rhythms:
Students hurriedly making their way along busy sidewalks and across College Avenue during the school year. Streets, restaurants, and shops buzzing with people on fall football weekends, as the party vibe dominates. The relative peace and quiet of summers and break periods, as the pace slows and locals have the town largely to themselves.
But the quiet that has permeated downtown in recent weeks is like nothing we’ve experienced before.
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic, and the steps being taken to stop its spread, have temporarily changed life as we’ve known it.
Penn State’s March 11 announcement that it would hold classes remotely when school resumed after spring break was the most visible sign that this response was hitting close to home.
That Saturday, March 14, was nonetheless even more of an eye-opener for me. My wife and I hit the Macy’s close-out sale at the Nittany Mall, then stopped for a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant. The place was virtually empty. After we ate, a drive down College Avenue was the quietest I’ve ever seen at the dinner hour on a Saturday night. Yes, it was the tail-end of spring break, but something more was going on here.
Virtually no one was out.
The week that followed saw a cascading number of closures, postponements, and cancellations in line with a new national priority: social (actually, physical) distancing. The governor ordered the temporary closure of “non-life-sustaining” businesses. Restaurants that stayed open could offer take-out and delivery only.
You’ll see those cancellations reflected in this month’s abbreviated What’s Happening calendar and in the Spring/Summer Preview, inserted in this issue. We did our best to keep up with the changes being made daily. Inevitably, though, after the issue went to press, there were more closures, cancellations, and postponements.
We know that the economic consequences are hitting many people hard, here and around the nation and the world. We hope the steps being taken will mitigate the health consequences.
In our April edition, you’ll find a few pieces related to the outbreak that offer some perspective and information. On page 12, you’ll see a concise resource guide. Know Your Worth columnist Meghan Fritz shares advice on keeping ourselves emotionally safe. Lee Stout, who wrote the Penn State Diary column in Town&Gown for decades, returns to offer historical perspective.
But mostly, you’ll find the stories you always find in T&G, about the people, places, and organizations that make Happy Valley special, even in the most challenging of times.
Be well.
Mark Brackenbury
Editorial Director
