Town&Gown August 2017

When I was in high school in the mid-1970s, schoolmates and I were fortunate to attend most classes in a new, state-of-the-art building. State-of-the-art at that time in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, meant an open-floor concept in which most classrooms were separated only by movable partitions.

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Jeff Steiner, new executive director of the Dads’ Resource Center, says his own experience growing up makes him “a pretty good match” for the position. Steiner was born to a single mother and has never met his father. “It affected the arc of my life,” he says.

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In June, the Beta Theta Pi controversy prompted me to write about the challenges of being a fraternity member or leader. Recently, the fate of the house itself has become a topic of controversy as well. The land the house sits on is under a long-term lease from the university, which requires the

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Bob Swaim has been collecting bicycles of all shapes and sizes for many years. His collection features more than 200 bikes, ranging from historical replicas of the world’s first bikes to some one-of-a-kind novelty bikes. For years, Swaim has taken his collection to various festivals, giving

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Leaving her medical practice behind, Alice Kelsey answers call to visual art-making Art is the underlying force behind everything Alice Kelsey does. From painting, to medicine, to music, Kelsey’s life endeavors have all been outflows of her aesthetic expression. Since closing her medical

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Lila Downs is a global superstar and champion of indigenous cultures, but most people in the State College area probably haven’t heard of her. Central Pennsylvanians not familiar with Downs’ three-octave vocal range and poignant storytelling can get to know her when she makes her Penn

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Growing up in Hollidaysburg, Michele Crowl was a curious child who asked a lot of questions and had a fascination about how things worked. While stargazing on the beach with her grandmother, she was baffled by how the moon’s gravitational force affects ocean tides on Earth. It’s no

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Visit your local beer distributor — or, these days, any grocery store or convenience store that sells beer — and the shelves are stocked with more different beers from more different breweries than one could ever have imagined. The craft-beer industry continues to grow, which has

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For many locals, it’s a place that might be older than they are, where they can grab a beer at the end of a long day. For students, it’s a place where they could very well see their faces on the wall from their 21st birthday celebration. For owner Mike Fullington, the Phyrst is where his

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