\t The Daily
Collegian
Published independently by students at Penn State
STARS AND STRIPES
Onlookers watch as a skydiver lands with a 7,800 sq. ft. American flag during the 4th Fest celebration on Sunday.
Celebration honors America
By Zach Geiger
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
A skydiver trailing a massive
7,800 sq. ft. American flag behind
him parachuted to the ground
Sunday afternoon kicking off
an afternoon of Independence
Day festivities at the Central PA
4th Fest.
"It was so impressive.” 4th Fest
Executive Director Bernie
Keisling said. “I was blown away
by that even though I knew it was
coming.”
The flag surprised other spec
tators and set the stage for the
rest of the evening, but the real
star of 4th Fest was the fireworks
show, which blasted off promptly
at 9:15 p.m.
“The fireworks show came off
Matt Bush 'Associated Press
Beach-goers beat the heat by taking a dip in a lake
at Paul B. Johnson State Park in Mississippi.
Temperatures
hit 100 degrees
By Deepti Hajela
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NEW YORK The heat wasn’t going to keep
Jerryll Freels inside on his vacation.
The 28-year-old made his way through Times
Square on Monday, combating the hot weather
with a wet white washcloth over his head and a
water bottle in hand.
“It’s hot, but I know how to stay cool,” said
Freels, visiting from Minneapolis.
A string of hot days were expected this week,
with temperatures en route to 100-plus degrees in
some places. Temperatures reached into at least
the 90s Monday from Maine to Texas, into the
Southwest and Death Valley.
In the East, warm air is “sitting over the top of
us, and it’s not really going to budge much for the
next day or two,” said Brian Korty, a meteorologist
with the National Weather Service in Camp
Springs, Md. He said after that, a system coming in
off the Atlantic Ocean would bring in cooler tem
peratures.
Monday was a day off for many to mark Sunday’s
Independence Day holiday. The extended weekend
aided utilities by lowering demand for power, said
Lissette Santana, a spokeswoman for PPL Electric
Utilities in Allentown, Pa.
For others, though, there was no getting away
from the heat.
Richard Willis, 52, was one of a few dozen home
less men in Franklin Square, a small park in down
town Washington. He spent his day drinking water
and staying in the shade.
“That’s all you can do, really,” said Willis, who
See WEATHER, Page 2.
exquisitely,” Keisling said. “Any
time you set off 15,000 shells and
you only get 10 or 12 that don’t go
off, that’s a miracle.”
The show included a tribute to
State College Mayor Bill Welch,
who died in September 2009, set
to his favorite song: “Soul Man,”
by the Blues Brothers.
“Bill would’ve loved it,” said
Nadine Kofman, Welch’s widow.
“They were spectacular.”
Kofman said she knew a song
would be dedicated to her hus
band. who she said looked for
ward to 4th Fest each year.
“It was a wonderful display, and
I was very glad that they dedicat
ed a song to Bill,” Kofman said.
Keisling said he was glad
4th Fest could honor Welch, who
was a committed fireworks fan.
Center sees progress
The Penn State Catholic
Campus Ministry is expected
to begin construction on a new
center in the fall.
For years, Catholic residents of State
College have individually purchased
houses for sale on East Park Avenue to
ensure that Penn State students and
members of the surrounding community
could hold services and gatherings.
Now, three of those houses will be taken
down in preparation for the Catholic
Student Faith Center.
Penn State’s Catholic Student Faith
Center will be the end result of plans 12
years in the making, said Father Matthew
Laffey, director of the Penn State Catholic
Campus Ministry. Construction is sched
uled to begin in the fall, he said.
So far, the Campus Catholic Ministry
has raised $4.2 million out of its $6.5 mil-
Volunteers play crucial role in Arts Fest
For thousands of visitors, merely
perusing the Central Pennsylvania
Festival of the Arts is intriguing on its
own. For others, actively volunteering
with the event is what creates memo
ries that won’t be forgotten.
Rick Bryant, Arts Pest’s executive
director, said hundreds of volunteers
help set up, run and clean up after
“Happy Valley’s annual miracle.”
Most volunteers are local State College
residents who contribute in many ways
from constructing the artists’ tents
and booths to selling Arts Pest buttons
and merchandise, Bryant said.
Festival director of development
Diane Bloom said Penn State student
volunteers usually favor two positions:
trash crew and artist ambassador.
Members of the trash crew are
responsible for the cleanup after each
day of Arts Fest, making sure the
“It was a loss to us in the
4th Fest family,” he said. “We miss
the mayor deeply.”
Other memorable moments
from the fireworks extravaganza
included fireworks in the shape of
giant numbers lit up to the tune of
“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill
Haley and His Comets. Later on,
a symphony of shells shaped like
the American flag sparked to life,
and characters from the hit
Disney Channel show “Phineas
and Ferb” burst into shape during
a song from the TV series.
“The kids stood up when they
saw the characters and they were
screaming and clapping,"
Keisling said.
Tens of thousands of people
flocked to Medlar Field at
See 4THFEST, Page 2.
By Anita Modi
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
By Anita Modi
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Steph Witt/Collegian
Fireworks explode in the night sky
to mark the end of 4th Fest.
Come, all ye faithful
The Catholic Campus Ministry will expand
its facilities with a new center on Park
Avenue.
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Source: Father Matthew Laffer
Heather Schmelzlen/Collegian
lion goal from both private donors and
other organizations. Joe and Sue Patemo,
named the honorary co-chairs of the
Student Faith Center, have donated
See CENTER. Page 2.
streets and trash bins of downtown
State College are kept tidy.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but
people seem to be really attracted to
this job,” Bloom said.
The members of the trash crew, divid
ed into groups of six to eight people by
shift, come to consider their job as a
team-building exercise, Bryant said,
especially as they all sport the same
trash crew shirt throughout the five-day
festival to show their unity.
Artist ambassadors are responsible
for manning artist stalls and stands
when the featured artists need to take a
break at any point during the day and
psucollegian.com
@dailycollegian
Cafe
will
close
doors
Webster’s Bookstore
Cafe, 128 S. Allen St.,
will shut down after
losing its lease.
By Paul Osolnick
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
After 11 years of business,
Webster's Bookstore Cafe will
likely close the doors on its 128 S.
Allen St. location due to a termi
nation of its lease.
The downtown bookstore,
which has been a popular hang
out for students and book lovers
alike, will close near the end of
July, owner Elaine Meder-Wilgus
said.
Meder-Wilgus said the reason
for the lease’s termination is
“personal” but that the action
was “within [the landlord’s]
rights,” and “it's not violating
any lease or anything."
Though it’s an outcome that
seems unavoidable. Meder-
Wilgus said she does not want to
see the store go anywhere.
“Maybe I should look at this as
an opportunity,” Meder-Wilgus
said. “Right now, it s hard to see
it as anything other than an
incredible loss. It's a death to
me.”
Meder-Wilgus said she hopes
to re-open the bookstore at
another location. The store’s
closing will not affect her 434 W
Aaron Drive location or the
Webster's catering service.
“We’ll rally and figure out
some other location to work out
of,” Meder-Wilgus said. “I could
n’t speculate at this point."
According to public records,
the property is owned by
Catherine Kresge. Kresge did
not return calls for comment by
press time and did not answer
when a Daily Collegian reporter
knocked on her door Monday
night.
Meder-Wilgus said the ideal
See WEBSTER’S. Page 2.
Playhouse
Theatre
Steph Witt/Collegian
After 11 years, Webster’s will be
closing its location at 128 S.
Allen St.
If you volunteer
Details: Students looking to volunteer
at Arts Fest should e-mail office@arts
festival.com or visit arts-festival.com.
must be prepared to take visitors’ ques
tions about Arts Fest and the State
College area.
“The volunteers are given on-the-job
training,” Bryant said. “As long as you
have a comfortable pair of shoes, a rela
tively strong back and a smile, you
should be fine.”
Some students volunteer to meet new
people while some locals participate to
take on a task different from their typi
cal 9-to-5 jobs for a few days, Bryant
said. Most people volunteer to enjoy the
festival in a different way and contribute
to the community, he said.
To e-mail reporter: arms373@psu.edu