Store Events

We are proud to be part of ASTRA, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association. On November 13th, ASTRA is celebrating local, independent toy stores across the country with the first Neighborhood Toy Store Day!

We hope that our online storefront shows the same care and expertise that our customers experience when shopping with us in our store. We have been a part of our local community for over 30 years, and we want to thank our State College customers for their continued support. A big reason behind the start of Neighborhood Toy Store Day is the idea of supporting local business, which ASTRA elaborates upon when explaining the value of your hometown toy store, as well as any local retailers that choose your home as the place to do business!

ASTRA highlights the importance of supporting your hometown stores:

By shopping locally, consumers will find great toys while supporting vibrant communities and sustainable economic development. Shopping at neighborhood and independent retailers not only increases consumer choice, it also preserves jobs and local character. According to the 3/50 Project, for every $100 spent in local, independently-owned stores, $68 returns to the community in the form of taxes, salaries, charitable contributions and more–in contrast with only $43 dollars when consumers spend their money at a national chain.

And, not only are we celebrating Neighborhood Toy Store Day, but it’s a great opportunity to stop by our store (or any toy store) and see the newest toy items and get great ideas for gifts for the upcoming holidays! Check out ASTRA’s Toy Store Finder to find your local toy store, mark your calendar for Saturday, November 13th, and join the celebration! Be sure to visit us at 202 South Allen Street if you are here in State College!

If you live near our store in downtown State College, be sure to stop by this summer for some crafty fun! When kids participate in Kidtivities™ at Growing Tree Toys, we provide supplies and personal attention so that each child can create an awesome project such as a plaster pet, green shopping bag, paper bag puppet, sticky mosaic and more!

To register for a Growing Tree Toys Kidtivity™, just call (814) 237-3655 or ask at our store, located on the corner of Beaver Avenue and South Allen Street in State College. The costs for any of the remaining Kidtivity™ sessions this summer run from free to 4 dollars per child! Click to view the full schedule while I highlight a few favorites!

Kids 3 years and up can get wild while creating Paper Bag Puppets next Wednesday, July 28! Kids decorate colorful paper bags with punch-out shapes and bright stickers to make fabulous animal puppets. And the best part? There’s absolutely no charge for this theatrical mid-day activity!

On Friday, July 30th, kids ages 6 and up can create their own environmentally friendly shopping bags! Every registered child will receive a 14.25” x 15.25” bag to stencil with an eco-conscious design. It’s the perfect Kidtivity™ for kids that want to show their love for the Earth and it only costs 4 dollars to register!

Don’t live local to State College? “Hosting” your own Kidtivities™ can be easy! If you have a group of children coming over, you can keep them occupied with a fun group craft that costs little to purchase, but provides an imaginative way to spend an afternoon. For example, the Paper Bag Puppets Kit from Alex features 5 paper bags, making it easy to entertain 5 children at one time – that comes out to about $2 a child! Then, have them put on a play with their puppets for even more entertainment!

Or, any of the First Sticky Mosaics are great for a younger child group activity. Each of these kits features 5 themed templates, making it a great way for 5 children to spend some time doing creative activities together, also at a cost of $2 per child if they each do one template. And the fun doesn’t stop there – we have many art kits that can easily be “split up” to provide a low cost activity for multiple children. Check out our Arts & Crafts for Kids to find your next group activity!

But, if you want to join us in store for summer fun, our Summer Kidtivities™ at Growing Tree Toys take place on certain Wednesdays and Fridays until August 4th. They fill up fast so be sure to register soon by calling (814) 237-3655 or stopping by the store! You can also, check out our Kidtivities schedule on Facebook—become a fan while you’re at it!

There’s no rest from “fests” here in State College! Fresh off of the celebration of the 4th is Arts Fest! Officially known as the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, thousands of alumni, families, and fans trek back to Happy Valley to meet up with the locals for summer fun.

Of all the crafts, foods and festivities, our favorite feature is Children’s Day! On July 7, dozens of super kids display their artistic wares, and there is plenty of activities and entertainment geared towards the young ones. As we have for many years, here at Growing Tree Toys, we welcome children of all ages to make a fun free craft. (This photo is from last year’s visor-making!) It runs from 10am to 3pm, but if you’re planning on coming, let us recommend you come early!

Check out the Arts Fest blog for neat insight on this year’s activities, and check back next week for our own recap of the fun.

So, now we take a quick trip around the country for other neat family festivals that take pride in their hometowns, as well as take advantage of the warm summer and fall weather. The following is ordered by date and we hope it makes you consider where to head for your next family trip!

Redmond Derby Days (July 9-10, 2010) – Celebrating the 70th anniversary this year, Derby Days in Redmond, Washington has the longest running bike race.
Fun for kids: Carnival, Lego Building Tent, Airbrush Face Painting, Bubble Ponds, Inflatable Fun

Gilroy Garlic Festival (July 23-25, 2010) – My personal favorite; three tasty days in the Garlic Capital of the World.
Fun for kids: Build your own Terrarium, Wax Hands crafts, Mini-Rides, Caricatures

Maine Lobster Festival (August 4-8, 2010) – I’d be happy to be a taster for their cooking contest! The Lobster Crate Race is one of the main highlights.
Fun for kids: Diaper Derby, Lobster Eating Contest, Cod Fish Carry, Costume Parade

Hanover Harvest Festival (August 7, 2010) – This Minnesota festival has a bit of everything, including a new bicycle stunt show this year.
Fun for kids: Batting Cage, Turtle Races, Helicopter Visit, Petting Zoo

Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival (August 20-21, 2010) – 45 years ago, Reynoldsburg, Ohio was recognized as the birthplace of the commercial tomato, and has been celebrating since!
Fun for kids: Western Obstacle Course, Pig Races, Corn Hole Competition, Make-Your-Own Stuffed Animals

Alaska State Fair (Aug. 26 – Sept. 6, 2010) – I’m featuring the Alaska State Fair because they feature enormous (and world record holding) fruits and vegetables! How about a 127-lb. head of cabbage?
Fun for kids: Sealife Center Exhibit (sea lions, ducks, etc.), Moose Calling Contest

Beetlefest (September 11, 2010) – Frisco, Colorado combines fun and function with a festival about the mountain pine beetle and the problems the species causes in the mountains.
Fun for kids: Bug Petting Zoo, Lumberjack Show, Smokey the Bear Appearance

Cherokee Strip Days Celebration (September 17, 2010) – This year’s festival honors the Oklahoma town with a theme of “Celebrate Enid!” and always recognizes the 1893 Land Run.
Fun for kids: Basket Making, Music, Chuck Wagon Cooking

National Storytelling Festival (October 1-3, 2010) – Now this is neat: three straight days of acclaimed storytellers under festival tents and under the stars in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Fun for kids: Stories! Some are not appropriate for all ages; see the website.

Marble Festival (October 2-3, 2010) – Tour the marble quarry and see marble sculptors, plus celebrate 30 years of the festival in Jasper, Georgia.
Fun for kids: Trackless Train, Petting Zoo, Obstacle Course, Free Arts & Crafts

Want to see more? Check out other family travel ideas we’ve recently posted on our blog!

It’s a busy week at Growing Tree Toys. Why, you may ask? Because our buyers are at the ASTRA Marketplace in Providence, RI, searching out great new toys and preparing for the upcoming holiday season.

For those of you who don’t know what ASTRA is, it is the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, of which we have been a member for many years. Each year, they have a conference that offers educational sessions, as well as a “marketplace” of toy manufacturers from which we can purchase new toys, see our favorites, and get some of our orders in for the holidays.

It’s been a busy few days for us, and with one more day of the “marketplace” and one more day of sessions, we still have a lot to go! We have seen half of the exhibit floor, found some great new products, and are looking forward to what remains tomorrow. Be sure to be on the look out for all of the new additions that will be featuring on the website, some from current manufacturers and others from completely new companies that we may not have found if it wasn’t for this ASTRA show. In addition to finding new product, being able to catch up with other specialty retailers, share product information, and learn about what is popular in other stores is always interesting and fun!

While we don’t have specific toy information to share with you now, we will keep you informed of the newest toys we are getting in and the most exciting toys that we have seen at the ASTRA show. Stay tuned for updates soon! While this show is only 4 days long, we fill the days with the best in educational toys and informative sessions that make our business better. Stay tuned for more of the latest and greatest from Growing Tree Toys about ASTRA – and more!

State College, PA is of course home to Growing Tree Toys since its opening in 1973. But “Happy Valley” is also infamous for Penn State University, along with its stellar sports teams and philanthropic activities. Both come together in the annual WBCA Pink Zone® festivities held by the Lady Lions basketball team.

The WBCA Pink Zone® initiative began in 2007 as “Think Pink,” with special collegiate women’s basketball games held in January or February to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. The cause has spread to other collegiate sports as well as high schools and other groups. In 2009, related events raised $1.3 million and reached nearly a million fans.

Penn State’s fourth annual event is this Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 p.m. against Illinois. The women’s basketball program has raised more than $83,000 in its first three Think Pink/Pink Zone® events.

It is encouraging to see the cause of breast cancer awareness encompass more than the month of October. Here at Growing Tree Toys, a special toy can be purchased anytime to help the cause. The Glitz and Glamour Game by Find It Games is a canister full of recycled plastic pellets and 44 cute items to discover. It’s fun for all and quite a conversation piece! Find It Games will donate $1.00 from each Find it Glitz and Glamour Game sold through July 31, 2010 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

You can find out about the 2010 Pink Zone® festivities here at Penn State, see photos and information from past events, see auction items and donate online at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. If you are in the Valley and want to check out the events, come out to the Bryce Jordan Center this Sunday!

Top Photo: A sea of pink in the Bryce Jordan Center in the 2009 edition (by Steve Manuel).
Bottom Photo: The check for the 2009 fundraiser is presented at halftime of the PSU-E. Illinois football game (by Mark Selders).
Thumbnail Photo: The Lady Lions kick-off the 2010 Pink Zone® campaign with a tailgate before the PSU-E. Illinois football game (from GoPSUsports.com).