Good morning, State College.

The Downtown State College Improvement District’s Sips & Sounds Downtown festival will be held Friday, June 27 from 4 to 8:45 p.m. at Sidney Friedman Park—featuring local food, craft drinks, and live music from Honey Pie and Coal Aly, with free three-hour parking validations for the Beaver, Fraser and Pugh garages.

Today, a free play by Bright Star Touring Theatre will run at the Downtown State College Improvement District from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. — it tells the story of Black American music from work songs during slavery to Jazz, Ragtime, and R&B — using live performance to highlight its historical role.

Researchers at Penn State uncovered that chemical tags on histone proteins control whether a honey bee larva becomes a long-lived queen or a short-lived worker—these results were published June 18 in Genome Biology.

A Penn State research team broke a 165-year-old law of thermal radiation by using a five-layer semiconductor design that may boost energy harvesting, heat transfer and infrared sensing—its study will be published in Physical Review Letters on June 23.

Rasha Elwakil was removed as UPUA president in April by a three-fourths vote and has challenged the decision, saying that the process failed to follow the constitution due to a lack of proper notice and missing chief justice involvement.

Former chief justices and assembly members have described the impeachment as rushed and unfair, arguing that it did not give her a chance for a full defense.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for southern Centre County including State College from Sunday through Wednesday—temperatures are expected to reach record-breaking mid-90s with a heat index over 105 amid high humidity.

Residents are urged to stay hydrated, use air conditioning, and check on neighbors to prevent heat-related illnesses.

Penn State announced that Towson transfer infielder Cara Bohner committed to join its softball team; the Danville native played 48 games at second base in 2025 and recorded 48 hits at a .289 average while she has one season of eligibility remaining.

Marlee Raymond, an incoming Penn State women's soccer freshman from Cumming, Georgia, was selected to join the U17 US Youth National Team this summer—she reclassified to join Penn State in the fall.

She is one of seven new players joining the team.

Towson transfer Kyle Emmons, who tallied 27 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA in 27 innings last season, committed to play baseball for Penn State on Thursday — he will join the Bristol Blues this summer.

Happy Valley Puzzle Swap

1-2 p.m. — Walmart Supercenter — Free entry — Exchange gently used jigsaw puzzles in a community-friendly environment.

Open Gym

Beat the evening heat and have the kids burn off some energy at CEG's Summer Tuesday night Open Gyms! Open for ages 1–18, but please note that ages 1–5 require a parent or guardian to stay with them. 6:15pm–7:30pm at Centre Elite Gymnastics, 177 Champion Drive, Suite 200, State College, PA 16803. $5/members, $10/non-members.

Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival

June 25-29 — Centre County Grange Fair — Ticketed event — Enjoy performances from 19 Bluegrass bands including Grand Ole Opry star Rhonda Vincent.

Sips & Sounds Downtown Celebration

4:00 – 8:45 p.m. — Sidney Friedman Park — Free entry — Experience a vibrant summer celebration with live music and refreshing beverages in downtown State College.

Langhorne Slim Concert

8:00-9:30 p.m. — The State Theatre — Ticket prices not specified — Experience the powerful and raw sounds of acclaimed singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim.

Killer Queen Tribute Concert

8-11 p.m. — The State Theatre — Ticketed event — Experience the acclaimed tribute band Killer Queen as they bring the magic of Queen to life on stage.

Firecracker 4K Independence Day Run/Walk

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. — Medlar Field — Registration fee required — Celebrate Independence Day with a patriotic run and enjoy festivities topped off with fireworks.

Movies in the Garden: A Complete Unknown

8:30-10:30 p.m. — H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens — Adults $15, Children $10 — Enjoy an outdoor movie night featuring the biographical film about Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet.

Sam Grisman Project Concert

8-9:30 p.m. — The State Theatre — Tickets available — Experience the revival of timeless acoustic music inspired by the legacies of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 2025

6 AM – 1 PM — The Pennsylvania State University — Free entry — Celebrate the arts with over 300 artists, live performances, and community festivities.