Author Archives: Joel Weidner

by Clare Hinrichs and Mark Bergstrom We moved to the East Highlands neighborhood close to 18 years ago and were immediately charmed that our neighbors had a late summer neighborhood picnic/street party on Holly Alley just outside East Fairmount Park. … Continued

by Linda White Growing up on East Foster Avenue in the early 1960’s, I had the good fortune to be able to spend my days at Fairmount Avenue Playground, as it was called then. This was a wonderful place for the … Continued

by Ellen Nagy Hello, Highlands Neighbors. There is a Centennial Celebration going on in the Highlands neighborhood this year! One of your neighbors—the University Baptist and Brethren Church (UBBC) —is turning 100 years old. The Beginning UBBC was founded in … Continued

produced by Mark, Valerie, and Maxwell Katsouros In 2021, Highlanders shared photos of the Highlands neighborhood throughout the four seasons. Our neighbors, Mark, Valerie, and Maxwell Katsouros generously donated their talents and time to produce a video using many of … Continued

by Ishaan Anavkar The Highlands District of State College today has a rich history of growth and immigration, but being one of the oldest in the town, one wonders how it came to be, particularly what was there before it? … Continued

by David Saggio Ted Sebastianelli was born in Scranton Pennsylvania in 1947, a second-generation Italian-American.  His parents were Edward T. and Marion Sebastianelli. Ted’s immigrant grandfather and uncles were hard coal miners.  He grew up in Peckville and went to … Continued

by Kim and James Tierney Late 2018 we told our real estate agent we were interested in buying a house closer to downtown. In fact, we gave the instructions of “find us something within a one-mile radius of Local Whiskey.” … Continued

by Eric R. White It was 1976. My wife and I were house hunting. Our demands were minimal. She wanted a house with a fireplace; I wanted a house clad in stone or brick because I grew up in a … Continued

by Alexandra Rogers Introduction Once a resident of the Highlands, I remember my trips to Sidney Friedman Park. Bordered by the United States Post Office and Memorial Field on South Fraser Street, the quaint park has always provided me with … Continued

by Susan Shank Shincovich Of the wide variety of entities that call the Highlands neighborhood home—including hundreds of single family homes, six houses of worship, two borough parks, apartment buildings of all shapes and sizes, an international market, several child … Continued