State Games of America heads to Happy Valley where a familiar face awaits

When Eric Engelbarts was named executive director of the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance in 2023, he looked at a RFP and realized it was pretty familiar — because he had written it.

Engelbarts was interested in landing the State Games of America to State College, Pennsylvania, and this week that quest comes to reality with the Opening Ceremony at the Bryce Jordan Center on Penn State University’s campus. The event will last through August 2 and is hosted by the Keystone State Games.  

“Talk about being near and dear to my heart,” said Engelbarts, having been the events director for the 2017 event in Michigan and then having worked at the NCSG before going to State College. When first mulling over a bid as a new leader in Happy Valley, he told his staff, “‘This bid is both good and bad.’ I go, ‘One, it’s huge. It’ll be awesome if we can nail it. But then two, it’s one of the most complicated bids and events to run that there is.’

“It basically was baptism by fire. Everyone that we know, all our friends in the county, need to be involved as part of the bid process and now hosting the event. It kind of sped up our timeline of making connections and making sure everybody’s on the same page.”