What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and next week:

Performances

The Greatest Love of All — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 18, the Pullo Center, Penn State York. Belinda Davids stars in the tribute to the musical legacy of Whitney Houston. 

"Young Frankenstein" — Oct. 18-20, Schwab Auditorium, University Park campus. The Penn State Thespians present Mel Brooks' iconic comedy.

Indian music festival — Oct. 19-21, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The Society for Indian Music and Arts and sister organization Penn State Nritya will host a festival of Indian music.

Metallica — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 20, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The heavy metal band brings its "WorldWired" tour to Penn State. 

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 23, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The celebrate contemporary jazz ensemble will perform big band music.

Josh Gates Live! — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 25, the Pullo Center, Penn State York. Television host, writer and adventurer Josh Gates visits Penn State York.

 

Events

"My Big Fat Greek Dinner — A Getaway to the Isles" — Oct. 18, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.

"Shock and Awe" — 6 p.m., Oct. 18, State Theatre, State College. A public screening of the Rob Reiner film "Shock and Awe" recounting how journalists revealed the faulty "weapons of mass destruction" intelligence used by the Bush administration to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A panel discussion will follow. Free.

"The Most Unknown" — 6 p.m., Oct. 18, 22 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park campus. A public screening of the the innovative documentary that attempts to reinvigorate love for scientific inquiry by exploring some of the universe's toughest questions. A panel discussion will follow. Free.

President's Office Open House — 2-4 p.m., Oct. 19, Old Main, University Park campus. Visitors can tour the president's office suite, view the Land-Grant Frescoes and climb the Old Main bell tower. Free.

Pumpkin Festival — Oct. 19-20, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. The annual event features a pumpkin-carving contest, family crafts, music and other events. Free.

Community Day — 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Oct. 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum invites visitors to consider connections between art and the natural world via gallery talks, tours, music and art activities inspired by two still-life exhibitions currently on view at the museum. Free.

"Haunted Valley" — 7-9 p.m., Oct. 20, Old Main, University Park campus. The Lion Ambassadors will celebrate Penn State's spooky history with a tour starting at Old Main and ending at the Hintz Family Alumni Center. Free.

Penn State Horticulture Show — Oct. 20-21, Snider Agricultural Arena, University Park campus. Visitors to the annual event can walk through fully landscaped exhibits, purchase plant materials and enjoy fresh fruits and apple cider. Free.

Facial construction workshop — Oct. 20-21, 16 Borland Building, University Park campus. Jenny Kenyon, forensic artist and research associate in the Arts and Design Research Incubator, will lead a two-day, hands-on facial construction workshop. Free, but registration required.

Enchanted Halloween Trail and Festival — Oct. 20-21, Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, Petersburg, Huntingdon County. The festival celebrates the fall harvest and includes pumpkin carving, face painting, music, entertainment, activities and natural history programs. Free. 

Eventapalooza — 1-4 p.m., Oct. 21, 100 Innovation Blvd., State College. WPSU welcomes families to its annual children's carnival, which includes STEM activities; meet-and-greet photos with the Cat in the Hat, Nature Cat and Peg; a sensory-friendly room and PBS KIDS Apps station playing area. Free.

Shakespeare Festival — Oct. 22-23, Penn State Fayette. The campus will host its 47th annual festival, which will feature public workshops and performances by the National Players. Free, but reservations required for performances.

Tibetan Buddhist monks — Oct. 22-26, University Park campus. Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Tashi Kyil Monastery will visit the campus and host a number of events at University Park. Free.

"Binge-Worthy — Back to the 90s" — Oct. 24, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.

 

Lectures

Research Unplugged: "Factors and Barriers to Adoption of Sustainable Structural Materials: A Case Study of the New Kensington Urban Renewal Program" — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 18, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. Architectural engineer Esther Obonyo will discuss the factors and barriers to reinventing the Rust Belt's smaller cities such as New Kensington. Free.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark — 4:30 p.m., Oct. 22, Sutliff Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building. The retired four-star general will discuss U.S. national security. Free.

Marker Lectures in Mathematical Sciences: "Mathematical Models and Their Impact on Our Daily Life" — 8 p.m., Oct. 22, 114 McAllister Building, University Park campus. Alfio Quarteroni, professor of numerical analysis and director of MOX at Politecnico of Milan, Italy, will present a number of talks for the Marker Lectures. Free.

Racial Disposability and Cultures of Resistance Sawyer Seminar Series: "Countering Disposability: Black Mobility and Resistance in the Age of Revolution" — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 23, 162 Willard, University Park campus. Michele Reid-Vazquez, associate professor of Africana studies at the University of Pittsburgh, will discuss how people of African descent envisioned and demanded an alternative reality to enslavement and colonialism by engaging in modes of resistance. Free.

"The Intersex and Trans Invention of Gender: On Children's Self-Determination" — 5 p.m., Oct. 24, 67 Willard Building, University Park campus. Julian Gill-Peterson, assistant professor of English and gender, sexuality and women's studies at the University of Pittsburgh, will explore the contemporary concept of gender and its origin in mid-20th century medicine. Free.

Research Unplugged: "Evan Pugh's Penn State: America's Model Agricultural College" — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 25, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. Roger Williams, former executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association, will talk about Pugh's efforts to build America's first successful agricultural college at Penn State. Free.

American Educational Research Association Brown Lecture in Education Research — 6 p.m., Oct. 25, 123 Chambers Building, University Park campus. H. Richard Milner IV will speak on "Disrupting Punitive Practices and Policies: Rac(e)ing Back to Teaching, Teacher Preparation and Brown" during this livestream event. A discussion will follow the lecture. Free.

College of Health and Human Development Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series: "A Journey to the Center of the Mind" — 7 p.m., Oct. 25, 22 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park campus. Retired FBI agent James Fitzgerald, who worked on a number of high-profile cases, including the Unabomber, will be featured. Free.

 

Exhibits

"Gravity Schmavity" — Through Oct. 29, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. Repurposed plastic sculptures by artist Aurora Robson will be on display at the Arboretum's H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. Free.

"Overlap: Life Tapestries" — Through Nov. 15, Robeson Art Gallery, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A group exhibition of self-identified women artists of different social and professional backgrounds and generations will be on display. Free.

"Instinctive Gestures" — Through Dec. 18, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This exhibition features contemporary works recently gifted to the Palmer by collectors Marilyn Fishman and James MacElderry. Free.

"A Small Radius of Light: G. Daniel Massad, A Retrospective" — Through Dec. 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A display of G. Daniel Massad's detailed still lives rendered in pastel. Free.

"Object Lessons: American Still-Life Painting in the Nineteenth Century" — Through Dec. 16, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The show highlights the rich tradition of still-life painting in the United States with an emphasis on Pennsylvania's influential role in that history. Free.

"Transitions" — Through fall semester, Freyberger Gallery, Penn State Berks. As part of the campus' 60th anniversary, Penn State Berks is hosting an interactive exhibit that allows visitors to step back in time and view key moments in the campus' history. Free.

"Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World" — Oct. 1-Dec. 21, Penn State Schuylkill. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History exhibit marks the 100th anniversary of the Great Influenza pandemic with an exhibit that explores the origins of zoonotic disease and humans' role in spreading animal-borne viruses. Free.

"A Full Course: Encounters with Food" — Through Jan. 13, 2019, Pattee Library, University Park campus. An exhibit featuring appetizing books, award-winning cookbooks, manuscripts and archive materials. Free.

"Into the Woods" — Through Feb. 11, 2019, Pattee Library, University Park campus. The exhibit explores the eastern U.S. forest, its wildlife and botanical wealth, while also paying tribute to early women naturalists and conservationists. Free.