BELLEFONTE — Pizza Mia, located at 106 N. Spring St. in Bellefonte, will kick of the Historic Bellefonte Cruise weekend with Pizza With The Police.
From 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, the day before the Cruise begins, Pizza Mia will open its doors for the community to come enjoy a slice and meet local police officers. During the event, Pizza Mia will offer free samples of different pizzas, and the community will have the opportunity to sit in a police car.
Pizza Mia, run by John and Mel Jennings, is known for its hand-tossed dough, homemade sauce and vegetable toppings that are grown in hometown gardens, not factory farms.
And though locals will recognize John from years of running the pizza shop alongside his wife, he shared how deep down the inner child in him always wanted to be a cop.
“I grew up here, and I really love what (the Bellefonte police) do. I’m still that little kid that, when it comes to police officers, I haven’t grown up yet. I still want to be a policeman when I grow up,” he said. “You know, Mr. Rogers taught us that when bad things happen, we should look for the people who are helping. That’s what gets us through it.”
And for John, he has seen the impact local police officers have made on the lives of those around him.
“It’s really important to understand the giving that our local policers really do,” he shared. “The amount of stress that police officers find themselves under in the modern day of policing is so much more than it used to be. … We all want to make sure we’re going to come home to our families safe. But there’s a layer of risk inherently with being a police officer.”
After years of talking with local police officers when they stopped in for a slice, the idea for a community event came to Jennings, and alongside Chief Bill Witmer he settled on timing the event with the weekend of the Bellefonte Cruise, which brings many visitors to Bellefonte each year.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have a little kid come and blow on a police siren or turn on the police lights, watch a policeman make a pizza and really get an understanding and a feel for what these folks do for us every day,” Jennings explained. “But also, it is an opportunity for them to see that they’re regular people just like us.”
Jennings, who will bring a few vintage cars down to the Bellefonte Cruise, will bring his ’85 Crown Victoria classic police car from Maricopa County, Arizona, to the Thursday night event for children to enjoy.
Pizza Mia will also host its annual pizza eating contest on Saturday, June 15, at 2 p.m. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, costumed characters will also make an appearance at the shop to greet children, and the restaurant will run a series of specials throughout the Cruise.
The weekend-long event is just one of many community outreach events the Pizza Mia team has put on, braving dunk tanks so children could win pizza parties, supporting local Little League teams and more.
But for Jennings, these events are what make owning a small business so important.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. If you’re not able to support and give to community, you won’t find that handshake being given back to you,” he explained. “I have seen businesses come and go. The ones that stay are the ones that are community minded, community centered.”
The Thursday night event is sponsored by Pizza Mia, the Bellefonte Police Department and The Centre County Gazette.
“Partnering with Pizza Mia to support our local police department in ‘grabbing a slice of pizza with police’ is a great way to build bridges and foster relationships between law enforcement and the community,” shared Tiara Snare, general manager of The Centre County Gazette. “By sharing a meal or enjoying a slice together, we can strengthen our bonds and work together.”
