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A Brief History Of The Nittany Lion
The mascot was the creation of Penn State senior H. D. "Joe" Mason in 1907. While on a 1904 trip to Princeton University,  Mason had been embarrassed that Penn State did not have a mascot.  This did not let that deter him.  He made the Nittany Lion on the spot.  The choice of the lion was because of all the mountain lions had roamed on nearby Mount Nittany until the 1880s.  the name "Mount Nittany" is thought to come from the Native American words (loosely pronounced as "neet-a-nee") named after the cougars that roamed the mountain or "single mountain" - a protective barrier against the elements. The first tangible lion symbols appeared with the placing of two alabaster African lion statues, left over from the Pennsylvania exhibit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, atop the columns at the main campus entrance on College and Allen streets
The Nittany Lion is the mascot of the Pennsylvania State University
Interesting Facts About Happy Valley
• State College evolved from village to town to serve the needs of the fledgling Pennsylvania State College, founded as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania in 1855.
• Penn State changed its name from College to University in 1953, its president, Milton S. Eisenhower, sought to persuade the town to change its name as well.
• "Happy Valley" is sometimes used as a colloquialism for the State College area. Commentators referring to Penn State athletic events often give the location as "Happy Valley" rather than mentioning State College or the specific campus facility.
• The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, usually referred to as "Arts Fest", is held downtown every July. The five-day festival features artists from around the country and draws more than 125,000 visitors. Many streets are closed off and lined with booths where people can buy paintings, pottery, jewelry, and a variety of other hand made goods. There are also numerous musical performances and plays to take in, and food vendors selling everything from funnel cakes to Indian cuisine.
• State College is home to  AccuWeather The world's largest private weather forecasting service