By Fyllis Hockman

There is so much going on at the First Annual Maker Faire at Axemann Brewery in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, covering multiple zones and floors, that it's easy to get distracted from discovering all there is there to do and see. It's a science fair, craft show and entertainment venue all rolled into one, where makers and creators of — well, just about everything — showcase what they do, how they do it, why they do it — and then invite you to do it, as well. Or at least interact with the products of their inventiveness.

Toy cars racing each other to their demise; numerous craft, coloring and painting exhibits; model trains circling multiple tracks; lessons in throwing a boomerang. Want to learn how to design a T-shirt, create stained glass, construct jewelry or make pottery? Perhaps try your hand at woodworking, soldering or lacquering? Make a puppet and then watch it perform? Someone is there to help you craft your own masterpiece.

An artist wearing a "Make Everything" T-shirt encapsulates the whole experience. If you can visualize it, build it, assemble it or interact with it, you're in the right place. There are Lego creations of every conceivable size and design. Kinetic toys ascend, descend and spin around copious mounds of tracks. And if you want to know how a pinball machine works, there are about a dozen with which to test your skills — and satiate your curiosity. Just be careful where you walk — you don't want to trip over one of the roving robots with which you might be sharing space.

From robots underfoot to alpacas in your face — begging for a neck rub. Welcome to the Bald Eagle Valley Alpaca Ranch. There's also a donkey with a sign that says: "I'm cute, but I bite." A separate warning for the alpacas — they spit, though I unfortunately chose to ignore that caveat. The 11 sheep came without any cautionary preamble. But all were great fun to be around — and being able to pet a 3-week-old cuddly alpaca brings forth smiles usually reserved for human babies.

Owner Ann Taylor is very protective of her brood. She got bored teaching to test scores and started a new career caring for different kinds of kids — 12 alpacas, 11 sheep and three donkeys. And a very productive brood it is. All kinds of yarn of every color and texture come from the residents. Available here are towels, shawls, caps, socks and irresistible stuffed animals so soft I cuddled up with them on the spot.

All that intellectual stimulation at the Maker Faire and canoodling with furry animals at the ranch calls for some refreshment of an equally unusual nature. Welcome to Big Spring Spirits — literally home to a big spring, designated as the best-tasting water in the state by the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association — and the only distillery that uses it. It is also the first distillery in Pennsylvania to be LEED certified, a bulwark of green sustainability, sourcing from local farmers and artisans whenever possible.

But that's not why you visit Big Spring Spirits. You visit because they brew all their own cocktails — and they offer a taste of a house favorite as you sit down. Or because they have flights of a wide variety of unrecognizable concoctions using vodka, gin, bourbon, whisky, tequila and rum. They use multiple flavors of every liquor in inventive creations with tasting notes that read like a novel.

You visit because yes, much to my surprise, the Peanut Butter and Jelly cocktail actually tastes like peanut butter and jelly! And don't even get me started on the salted caramel. To add to the fun vibe permeating the tasting room are posters such as "Tequila — the only thing standing between me and a nervous breakdown" and "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." If it's possible, they make Happy Valley even that much happier.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information: happyvalley.makerfaire.com, facebook.com/AnnCaruthersTaylor; bigspringspirits.com.

The Happy Valley area near State College, Pennsylvania, is as beautiful as it is culturally fascinating. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.

Fyllis Hockman is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

The Happy Valley area near State College, Pennsylvania, is as beautiful as it is culturally fascinating. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.