Yogi Berra once famously said, “It gets late early out there.” Yogi wasn’t speaking of August, but his words certainly apply.
It seems like summer just ramped up, but our thoughts are quickly turning to fall. To me, there’s no better time of year around here, so that’s not such a bad thing. No offense, summer.
While there are certainly lots of great things to do in Happy Valley year-round, the fall – with foliage, fairs, and football – reigns supreme in my mind.
Officially, summer runs from June 21 to September 23 this year, covering 93 full days and parts of two others. That makes the midway point around noon on August 7. But while it may be 80 degrees outside, it sure feels like autumn is just around the corner by then.
It gets late even earlier if you happen to be employed as a magazine editor, a job in which your mind must live a couple of months ahead of your body.
As an example, summer wasn’t even three days old when Town&Gown’s 2019 Penn State Football Annual went to press. (It’s a fun magazine, by the way, filled with features on players and coaches from some of the top beat writers covering Penn State football. We hope you’ll pick one up on a local newsstand, or order a copy at barashmedia.com.)
To help you get a jump on the busy months ahead, you’ll find our Fall/Winter Preview inserted in this issue of Town&Gown.
The Grange Fair, which this year runs from August 16-24, represents the unofficial gateway to fall, followed closely by the return to classes for local grade-school students. And, of course, the arrival of thousands of Penn State students again quickens the pace in State College. Yes, traffic gets heavy at times and drivers have to dodge pedestrians spilling into the streets, but there is something special about the renewed vibe that permeates downtown.
It’s a vibe that’s felt even more strongly on the seven weekends that Penn State hosts home football games. This year, for the first time in more than a decade, the Nittany Lions kick off the home season in August (on the 31st, to be exact). As a football fanatic who has attended games here for more than 25 years and lived here for three, the electricity in town on a football weekend never gets old to me.
It makes even waiting in line to get a restaurant table on Friday night well worth it.
Mark Brackenbury
Editorial Director
