AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival
Cambria County’s largest music festival, always a highlight of the summer calendar, is set to fill the streets of Johnstown, PA with performers and music lovers from near and far. The AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival is a weekend-long event that begins Friday, August 21th at 7:00 PM and stages over 30 performances on three stages for the next three days.
The popular festival has long since made a name for itself as a means to see performances by a wide variety of musicians, with a range of styles including Folk, Blues, Jazz, Zydeco, Latin, Gospel, Post-Punk and so much more. “We’re really excited about the level of talent the festival draws,” says Shelley Johansson, Directory of Marketing and Communication for the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. “We have such a strong list of performances, from national acts to regional favorites. It’s a really diverse lineup.”
One of the featured sets of this year’s festival is the Sunday night performance by The Derek Trucks Band. Fronted by Derek Trucks, a long-time member of the Allman Brothers Band, the band blends traditional Rock and Blues with a touch of World, creating a sound that is sure to please the ethnic sensibilities of the Johnstown listening audience.
For a complete list of this year’s line-up, visit the “2009 Performers” page of the JAHA Web site.
Like any other Johnstown street festival, the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival also features great food, beverages and people, including a small army of volunteers recruited by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.
The music festival has undergone its share of changes over the years, but nothing quite as radical as this year. Formerly known as the Johnstown FolkFest, the festival was renamed to better describe the wide-range of musical styling on display throughout the weekend. “The name change helps paint a more accurate picture of the type of music at the festival and will hopefully help attract more music fans,” says Mrs. Johansson.
Another significant change is the date of the music festival. Traditionally held on Labor Day weekend and running concurrent to several other notable Johnstown-area events, the Flood City Music Festival has moved up two weeks and has the weekend to itself. According to Mrs. Johansson, the move away from Labor Day weekend was made due to the number of conflicting engagements many in the area face. “Labor Day is an overscheduled weekend, particularly in the Johnstown area. Moving to another weekend really helps the broader community have the opportunity to spend time at all of the area’s offerings.”
To help cover the expense of the festival, organizers are requesting donations from those attending. The admission donation is $5 on Friday, $10 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday. Children under 16 accompanied by an adult are free and festival volunteers get in free the days they volunteer. Donations will be collected at the festival gates at the Johns Street and Walnut Street Bridges and all who donate will receive a free festival schedule-on-a-string (the festival performance schedule on a lanyard) . Those planning to attend all three days can save $5 by purchasing a “Bronze Sponsorship” for $20, which includes admission for all three days. Additional information on pricing is available at www.floodcitymusic.com.
All performances will be staged at Johnstown, PA’s Festival Park, located directly across the river from Point Stadium, encompassing several blocks in the vicinity of the Johnstown Amtrak train station.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 10:42 am and is filed under Music & Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival”
January 25th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Hello,
I would like to know the contact information to submit my application to perform this year for the flood city music festival. Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Have a great day !
Allyson
January 25th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Allyson–
My contact at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association says the following: “There isn’t a formal submission process, but the festival books acts that concentrate on their own material as opposed to covers, and generally those who have recorded at least one CD. Please don’t send unsolicited CDs or press kits. Your best bet is to send an e-mail with links to recorded music to info@jaha.org“