UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — If you've visited State College during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, you've probably participated in the tradition of buying ice cream from the Penn State Berkey Creamery's tent near Old Main. And you've probably encountered Susan Watson, who has run, staffed and supervised the tent for nearly 30 years.
Store manager Watson is the face and spirit of the Creamery during Arts Fest weekend. She is in charge of hiring and managing 15-20 seasonal workers who run the tent from 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning to Sunday at 5 p.m. The crew works through intense heat and serves thousands of people over the long weekend, but they have fun doing it.
"It's the best time ever," Watson said. "We listen to music, wear bandanas, play games. Every year we have a theme, like last year was red, white and blue. This year we're doing kind of a psychedelic thing where we're wearing tie-dye shirts. I love it."
The tent is decorated with memorabilia, including Watson's favorite items, the American flag and a pink banner that a customer made for her that she plans to keep until retirement. Two years ago, the Creamery created a sign to track the number of cones and bowls scooped during Arts Fest, and now Watson plans to fill the chart every year.
An important part of the Arts Fest tradition for Watson and her team is serving repeat customers and former tent employees. She remembers a young couple that started working at the tent at 16 years old and came back each summer for the next five years. "They're married now and they actually have a 16-year-old who wants to work with us. These days you have to be 18 to work at Arts Fest, but as soon as that happens, he's hired!"