Happy Valley depends on tourism.
The area thrives because of the yearly influx of visitors looking for entertainment and sports options in the form of plays, skiing, hiking and all of Penn State’s varsity competitions.
The new Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Commission will look to build upon these options and work to elevate Happy Valley’s status as a hub for unique sporting and entertainment events.
The commission – created by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) – will try to use the available spectator spaces in State College to bring concerts, festivals and sporting events to the area.
Fritz Smith is the president and CEO of the HVAB.
Fritz Smith and the HVAB hope this commission will bring massive changes to State College.
Smith said the commission was crafted in order to bring bigger, specialty opportunities to the area.
“The goal is to enable the ability to attract more and bigger events and to possibly capitalize on Penn State’s facilities a little bit more,” Smith said.
Smith and the HAVB are exploring many different ideas at this time including bringing a Topgolf location to Happy Valley as well as Beaver Stadium potentially hosting an NHL game or the PIAA State Championships.
One of the big locations that could be featured more heavily in this plan is Beaver Stadium.
Beaver Stadium – the focal point of Penn State athletics – is a prime location for massive events as it can hold over 106,000 people.
Beaver Stadium is a venue the new commission is exploring to potentially host massive events.
However, it is not the only location under examination.
The HVAB is trying to utilize many different locations including The State Theatre, the Bryce Jordan Center and Eisenhower Auditorium.
This commission could have massive benefits for the Happy Valley area.
Smith said a commission like this has the potential to bring 300-400 new jobs and an additional $200 million in revenue.
This extra revenue would help State College recover from its losses during the pandemic.
In a typical year, the hospitality industry in State College pulls in about $840 million dollars in revenue. During the pandemic, that revenue decreased by over 46% to $450 million.
Connor Camazine is a second-year student majoring in recreation, parks and tourism management at Penn State.
Camazine not only goes to school in State College, but also grew up here, too.
Camazine said he thinks the commission could help the area continue to develop and grow as it has over the last handful of years.
“It can really grow this community as a whole I feel like,” Camazine said. “It’s definitely been growing in the past few years since I’ve started taking classes here at Penn State and being from here, it’s just really, it will serve tremendous wonders for growing this community.”
With an increase in big-name entertainment and sporting events, restaurants, hotels and shops in State College would see an increase in revenue opportunities, which would help push State College’s economy forward.