“Look upon this moment. Savor it. Rejoice with great gladness! Great gladness! …For it is the doom of men that they forget.” – Merlin to King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, “Excalibur” (1981)
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column titled “Another Trip Down Memory Lane” in which I discussed the pending sale of our house and our upcoming move to Bluffton, South Carolina. Last week it became real as we officially closed on the sale of our State College house. How appropriate that the final weekend that we were the “actual” owners of our home of 30 years at 3091 Williamsburg Drive, would be Memorial Day Weekend.
Given our hectic travel and transition schedules we decided that between purging, donating and packing, we wanted to relax a little and to take part in as many Memorial Day weekend activities as we could fit in. So, on Saturday we went off to Boalsburg to visit friends at Ken and Wendy Bachman’s before joining a larger crowd at Tom and Mary Ann Henderson’s summer “transition home” on East Main Street for a front row seat for the Boalsburg Memorial Day Parade. It was the first time since 2019 and the crowd that gathered was patriotic, boisterous and appreciative.
It was great to see all the fire companies from around the area come to compete and participate and, of course, make the young kids happy by throwing candy to the crowd as they slowly passed by. We smiled as our young neighbor Hadley Fritton twirled her baton with her mom proudly guiding her while her dutiful father, Tim, carried the Nittany Dreamers Baton and Silk Corp organization banner. There was the carnival with traditional summer food, including funnel cakes and flavored soft ice cream. We even played Bingo (essentially made donations!) in the Boalsburg Fire Hall.
Memorial Day itself was much more of a serious day for us. We used it to focus more on the true meaning of this day of remembrance. We returned to Boalsburg and met long time friend and local legend Jeff Brown, the emcee for the start of the 158th Memorial Day Service presented by the Boalsburg Conservancy. From the very start it was a solemn ceremony, from the laying of the memorial wreath by three ladies dressed in 1864 costume, to the music of the Nittany Knights, to the speeches from local dignitaries, to the firing of the cannon by the reenactors of Battery B, to “Taps” played by lone bugler Ben Stovall. Afterwards it was time to visit and pay our respects to my old friend Lt. Colonel Dick “Black Bart” Bartolomea, who is laid to rest in the Boalsburg Cemetery.
It was a great reminder of all that is special about this place we have called home for over 40 years.
What is most special to me? It’s the people. The friends you run into occasionally at McLanahan’s, Faccia Luna, Champs, Pickles, The Corner Room, The Tavern, Otto’s, Kelly’s and the Waffle Shop. Ah yes, The Waffle Shops. Should have bought stock in the Original on North Atherton and the one on West College Avenue years ago, as I regularly eat there 3-4 times a week. The wonderful staff that includes owners John and Lisa Dimakopoulos, Kathy, Jennifer, Kim Susan, Roman, Mary, Teri, Hannah, Audrey, Tatyana, Casey, Paige, Danielle, Vivian, Jodi, Jacob, Maggie, Angie, Kayla, Becky, Bailee, Nancy and others. They know I drink regular coffee and use whipped cream as my creamer and almost always order an S4. My breakfasts over the years with Dick Bartolomea, Chris Bahr, Steve Kipp, my kids and their friends, and my wife and her father, Francis “Smitty” Smith, and many other family and friends were always enjoyable and affordable.
I have had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of people from my days at both the Greenberg Ice Pavilion and Pegula Ice Arena. The guys in the “NHL” — the Nittany Hockey League — whether it was the GeoHabs, the Sharks, Lions Pride or the Tuesday night pick-up and summer league games over the years with my long-time friends from Pittsburgh Mark Horgas (my former Penn State coach) and Jay Horgas, and local guys Andy Wilson, Grant Phillips, Vinnie Scalamogna and Tim Holdcroft.
Getting to know folks from the service industry in town that became family friends like Russ Roan and now his son Kevin Roan. Gerald, Kelly and Shaun Greenland who also introduced us to Harry Duckworth. Alan and Pete from Mike’s Video and Appliance. Our medical doctors like Dr. Bob Mooney, Dr. Aaron Roan, Dr. Doug Collins and Dr. Fred Carlin. Justin Kurpeikis and the staff at Atlas Physical Therapy who have helped keep me from having to have multiple surgeries!
I have great memories of hanging with golf buddy George McMurtry and the staff at Good Day Café, where we regularly meet, my friend and mentor Hal Wright and our lunches at Champs, and former Smeal Business School Dean JD Hammond and the lunches we had at Centre Hills Country Club. My Coffee Brothers Ken Bachman, Jeff Brown, Ron Banerjee and Mark Woytowich, who meet on Saturdays at Café Lemont to solve the world’s problems. My kids grew up getting Dairy Queen treats from my friend and long-time Icer booster Don Boller. Breakfast with Santa every year at the Corner Room, which our family enjoyed long after the kids had grown up. Hosting my wife’s family at Thanksgiving and watching our extended family grow over the years as nieces and nephews were married and started families of their own. Going out as a family to cut down the Christmas tree every November at Tannenbaum Farm with our dogs Sportster and Barkley tagging along.
Speaking of our kids we continue to thank God that we were able to raise them at 3091 Williamsburg Drive. Brianna, Jonathon and Ryan have enjoyed such an amazing childhood that extended through their time as Penn Staters. They each have their own sets of friends that spent many hours in the Battista basement playing ping-pong, knee-hockey, video games, cards and board games. As the kids got older, they spent more time in the backyard playing Wiffle ball, touch football, Kan-Jam, Spikeball, bocce and hanging by the fire-pit. They remain close to many of their childhood friends. Some of the bonds have grown stronger, while with some they may not be in contact as often, but they are still just a text, social media post and even an occasional old-fashioned phone call away.
The kids had amazing teachers and caregivers during their time in 3091. We owe a great deal to our in-house childcare providers and babysitters over the years as well as the amazing staff at the Kinder Station and Learning Station in Cato Park. The YMCA summer camps, Young Life, Youth Group at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Our children had awesome experiences with the super staff and teachers at Corl Street Elementary, Park Forest Middle School and State High. They sometimes balked at the fact that we “made” them attend Penn State but graduating debt free and having a full college experience including a full slate of athletic, cultural and social events and internships were well worth it.
Of course, there are the traditional memories that most of us who have called Happy Valley our home for over 40 years sometimes take for granted. Going to Grange Fair, Ag Progress Days, Central PA 4th Fest, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State High football games, Beaver Stadium tailgating, Penn State sporting events, Homecoming parades and stops at the Creamery especially with my great friend Steve Smith to see Susan, who made him a special chocolate milkshake back in the day. There were lots of friends made over the years at Coaches vs Cancer and Mount Nittany Golf Classic, through Lion Ambassadors, and my role as president of an alumni interest group of a certain senior honor society at a certain university that we aren’t supposed to talk about.
My wife always enjoyed trips over the mountain to Belleville to Peight’s and Taste of the Valley, going down the road to Harner Farms, out to Way Fruit Farm and “day trips” to Bellefonte. We loved getting milk, eggs and ice cream at Meyer Dairy, and riding our bikes to Tudek Park and drinking a coffee while sitting on one of the benches facing Mount Nittany. Speaking of the iconic mountain we hiked it regularly and Heidi enjoyed serving on the Mount Nittany Conservancy Board.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Icer Family, not just the players and staff, but all the volunteers, boosters, students and fans. What a great run we had as the precursor to the now highly successful varsity program. It was a smaller and much more intimate setting back in those days but just as passionate and maybe in many respects, more fun. I could, and maybe someday will, write a book about those amazing people and years.
The memories just keep flooding back. Our kids playing youth baseball, soccer, basketball, softball, skating, and learning how to ski at Tussey Mountain, which blossomed into many family ski trips over the years. Patio parties at our neighbors, the Dimidios. Our hot air balloon ride over the valley. My 4-mile walks to the high school and back with my pal and fellow columnist John Hook. Chaperoning the all-night after-prom party with the Kirsches, Sampsells, Snyders and other family friends. Hikes up Shingletown and Musser Gap and around Fisherman’s Paradise.
There are such great memories of 3091 Williamsburg Drive, the Stonebridge neighborhood and our incredible neighbors over the years. The Stonebridge Fourth of July kids’ parade, the annual yard sales, using the tennis courts and going to the pool, using the bike paths, taking advantage of the amazing S&A Little League baseball fields (where we continue to sneak down for concession stand hotdogs and burgers for an occasional cheap dinner date). We were even fortunate to share the neighborhood with Heidi’s parents, Nellie and Francis “Smitty” Smith. We were so close to everything and so spoiled with our lifestyle of convenience.
This isn’t goodbye; it’s so long for now. We are already planning trips back for a few weeks, including the October Minnesota and Ohio State football games on back-to-back weekends. As I have mentioned we plan to purchase a Battista family place in the area when the timing is right. So, keep your eyes and ears open for a condo or townhouse for us!
I want our ties to remain strong to Happy Valley. They may never be quite the same, nor should they be. There is a certain “passing of the torch” that is healthy for any family, neighborhood, team, organization, business and even a nation. I hope that most of you feel we have helped make Happy Valley just a little bit better over the years.
Even if I wanted to, there isn’t enough time or column space for me to properly thank everyone who has touched my life and that of my family over the years at 3091 Williamsburg Drive. While you may not see us around town quite as often, know that we are here in spirit and that…We’ll be back!
