Photo Courtesy of Laurel Arts

The mission of Laurel Arts, according to their website, is “…to promote, exhibit, collect and preserve multi-disciplinary art, to foster the creative process of individuals and groups, to provide cultural diversity and accessibility to a broad scope of arts for people of all ages in Somerset County in particular, and to interface with people in any geographical area that may share in the mission of Laurel Arts.” Mike Oliver, Executive Director of Laurel Arts, agrees, “As a rural arts organization, we are extremely proud of the quality and quantity of the arts opportunities that we provide to the residents of Somerset County and the surrounding areas.  I am confident in saying that the talent of our instructors and local artists rival that of those in bigger cities.”

This holiday season, the Laurel Arts Center in Somerset offers many activities for the entire family to enjoy. But it is also important to note that the Laurel Arts Center has ongoing classes and various other activities year-round, for a wide range of interests and ages.  Laurel Arts also features galleries in the Philip Dressler Center for the Arts, which was built in 1832 by Sheriff Joseph Imhoff. Dorothy B. Dressler offered the home in memory of her husband, to be used to help create the first non-profit, fully-staffed rural arts center in Pennsylvania.

Laurel Arts has a myriad of special activities available for the entire family this holiday season. Their Christmas Craft Shoppe is open until December 20^th, and features locally made craft items as well as gift baskets. There is also a special “chance” auction with tickets available.

The Laurel Arts Center is home to a wide range of activities for every age. There are classes available for children and adults, ranging from dance and painting, photography, card-making and stained-glass, to cooking and jewelry-making. Most of the offered classes are once a week and meet for several weeks, with variable pricing, depending on the class and the materials. Mr. Oliver explains, “The opportunities that are available on a regular basis are too numerous to mention here but whether you are a senior citizen who finally has the time to learn to paint or a parent with young children who want to dance, Laurel Arts has something for you!”

Laurel Arts is also the host of “Somerfest”, which has been a 30 year ongoing tradition in the region. Somerfest, which occurs in July, features Jazz, Bluegrass, Country and Rock music, as well as crafts, children’s areas and activities, and takes place at the Dressler Center.

The second floor of the Dressler Center is now home to the Guild of American Papercutters (GAP) Museum, where viewers can see work done by both amateur and professional papercutters, in color, collage, single layer and sculpted art. There is no admission fee, but donations are accepted.

It is also important to mention that Laurel Arts sponsors several scholarships for local high school students. These scholarships are available to Somerset High School students who have excelled in the field of Fine Arts (which can include music, dance, drama, visual arts or creative writing). These scholarships include the Dorothy B. Dressler Scholarship Fund, The Myron and Inez Fetterolf Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Locklin Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Individuals and families may also want to consider a membership to Laurel Arts. Memberships are available in different levels, offering discounts to seniors and students. Memberships are also available for families, friends and individuals, and include benefits such as bi-monthly newsletters, discounts on camps and classes, event admissions and passes to Somerfest. Anyone interested in becoming a member can contact Laurel Arts at (814) 443-2433 or email Annie at annie@laurelarts.com for any additional questions or information.

You can visit Laurel Arts on the web at www.laurelarts.org

Shelley Johansson, Director of Communications and Marketing for the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, explains, “This is our third year of offering this program, and it’s already become a tradition. We see a lot of families with older children, many who are part of one of the ethnic groups featured in the tour, and adults with older parents.”

The Wagner house was built in the 1860s by German immigrants, of whom three generations resided before the house was donated to JAHA in the 1990s. The house survived the Johnstown flood, was restored to its original appearance, and opened as a museum in 2004.

The Immigrant Christmas Traditions tour begins at the Heritage Discovery Center with a presentation. Coffee and confections from the four represented countries will be available for the guests to sample.

Several children’s crafts will be featured as well, including the Italian “Urn of Fate” and a “Calennig”. Hungarian crafts (as well as a discussion) will also be available, including “Betlehemzes” and “Lupa Nap”.

Ms. Johansson also notes that, ”People are looking for meaningful ways to spend time together at Christmas, and looking back at the ways Johnstown’s ethnic groups might have celebrated is a great way to do that.”

After the conclusion of the tour and crafts at the Heritage Discovery Center, attendees will walk to the Wagner-Ritter house, which will be decorated this Christmas as it would have been for Christmas in the 1800s. Once at the house, there will be a presentation on German Catholic traditions, as well as a guided tour.

The tours will be offered at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 10-11 and 17-18, and will begin at the Heritage Discovery Center. Tickets for adults are $10 for JAHA members and $12 for non-members; for children aged 3-17, $5 for members and $7 for non-members. Reservations are recommended, as many tours sold out in 2010 – call 814-539-1889. Click Here for more information on the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.

Click Here for directions to the Johnstown Heritage Discovery Center.

Photograph courtesy of Weakland Farms

Our region has some of the most beautiful sites to take in during the fall season, and along with that comes plenty of outdoor activities to check out. One such activity, which has been running since 2003, is the corn maze at Weakland Farms. With a new pathway made in their six acre corn field every year, the Weaklands have been providing a fun autumn activity that keeps families coming back year after year.

In addition to the corn maze, the farm features other fall activities as well. For children, there is an indoor hay maze (be sure to bring a flashlight!) and educational encounters with barnyard animals. There are also hayrides, a pumpkin patch, decorations and crafts for sale and refreshments, all of which are great for getting you into the spirit of autumn.

At the Weakland Farms website, you can also view a video about how their corn maze is made each year using GPS backpacks and a zero-turn mower.

The fall activities at Weakland farms run until October 30, 2011. They are open Thursdays and Fridays from 4PM until 8PM and Saturdays and Sundays from 1PM until 8PM. Admission is $6 (children under 3 are free).

Click here for a map to Weakland’s Farm, which is located at 582 Munster Road in Portage, PA.

Learn more by visiting their website: www.weaklandfarms.com.

TM/© 2011 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph courtesy of VEE Corporation.

The perennial favorite Sesame Street Live once again returns to Johnstown—this time with “Elmo Makes Music”. As a special thank you to our readers, we’re providing you with a code to receive a $3 discount on your tickets. We’re also giving away four free tickets to one lucky winner (details on both appear later in this post).

Three shows are scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, PA. Showtimes are at 10:30am, 3:30pm, and 7pm.

Sesame Street Live is great fun for the whole family. Here’s what the producers have to say about the upcoming shows:

Sesame Street Live is a larger-than-life, musical touring stage production featuring Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie and more. Each performance is 90 minutes of singing, dancing and audience participation, including a 15-minute intermission. The perfect length for very young children! Don’t miss this opportunity to count along with The Count, visit Elmo’s World and do the Crumb-A-Rumba with Rosita and Cookie Monster at Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music”.

Tickets may be purchased at the Cambria County War Memorial box office and at all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone, call 800-745-3000. There are numerous levels of tickets to fit every budget: $12, $16, $20, $25 (Gold Circle) & $50 (Sunny Seats). Group discounts are available by calling the War Memorial at 814-536-5156. The Sunny Seats Package includes a VIP Seat and a pre-show Meet & Greet photo opportunity with two Sesame Street Live friends. Additional fees/surcharges may apply for all ticket purchases.

As a courtesy to our readers, you can get $3 off each ticket by using the passcode ERNIE at ticketmaster.com. Discount excludes Gold Circle & Sunny Seats. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Discount cannot be combined with any other offer.

Comment on this post to win four complimentary ticket vouchers. Vouchers are exchangeable for tickets while supplies last. One entry per person, please! Entries must be made by 11:59pm EST, Thursday, August 11. One winner will be drawn at random on Friday, August 12 at 9am EST and will be announced in the comments section. Please return to this post to claim your prize.

The developing arts district in Johnstown’s Cambria City neighborhood will soon be getting even brighter. For the past six months, volunteers have been collaborating on a large-scale mosaic on the front of BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center. The mosaic, which depicts images of tulips, celebrates both the local community that helped create it and BOTTLE WORKS’ former life as the Tulip Bottling Company. On July 9^th and 10^th, BOTTLE WORKS will be hosting a festival to celebrate the unveiling of the Tulip Mosaic.

“…this mosaic is something we hope the whole community can take pride in. We’re holding this festival to both thank the community for their help and celebrate the result of their dedication,” says Kaileigh Sorchilla, Activities Director for BOTTLE WORKS.

The Tulip Festival will feature a wide range of activities and events for adults as well as children, including live music, food, a mosaic workshop and other crafts and dance performances.

For children ages five to ten, there will be a costume contest and runway show. Costumes should be flower or garden themed, and categories for prizes include “most colorful”, “most flowery”, “most fun”, “best use of recycled materials” and “most original”.

“We hope that seeing the finished mosaic will encourage people to get involved with other volunteer efforts in the future: Johnstown has a lot to offer, and this mosaic is just one example of how our community can pull together and create something beautiful,” states Sorchilla.

The festival will take place on Saturday, July 9^th from 12-9PM and Sunday July 10^th from 1-5PM. For more details, visit the Facebook event page. Click here for a map to the BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center (which is located at 441 Third Avenue, Johnstown, PA).

You can read more about BOTTLE WORKS in our Do Johnstown! article featuring the center.

Photograph courtesy of Erika Law

The vibrant arts community of Johnstown has become more and more visible in recent years. And much of this is thanks to local groups and collectives of musicians, performers, visual artists and writers. One such group, (un)apologetic productions, a community based arts organization in Johnstown, will be promoting creativity and awareness of our area’s arts scene at RagBag! A Family Friendly Festival of Creativity on Saturday, June 18^th. The festival will take place at the Roxbury Bandshell.

The event, which lasts from noon until 7PM, will feature live music, interactive children’s theater, crafts, a silent auction with baskets and products from local businesses, demonstrations, and more. Musicians who will be featured on the stage include Jenny Drummey, Savanna Dawn, and EVK. Demonstrations include Fun with Science and Hooping with Dorien. Food and beverages will be available throughout the day.

“[The festival] is part of (un)apologetic productions’ ongoing campaign to foster the recognition of the importance of the arts in the Johnstown community,” says Lindsay St. Clair, a member of the group.

The festival and all its activities are free to attend and perfect for all ages. Donations are strongly encouraged, with proceeds benefiting (un)apologetic productions, a non-profit organization.

The Roxbury Bandshell is located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Johnstown. Click here for a map.

More information about the event and other (un)apologetic productions events, visit their Facebook page, their website, or email them at unapologeticproductions@gmail.com.

Photograph courtesy of Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation

While our nation’s Memorial Day has passed by, our region will be remembering the working class heroes of the coal industry in Windber this month during the 12^th annual Miners’ Memorial Day Festival. The event will take place Fathers’ Day weekend (Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19) in downtown Windber.

The festival is completely run by volunteers, who will be working to fill the streets of Windber with family fun all weekend, from food to music to street performances.

The weekend will kick off on Friday evening with a concert at Arcadia Theater by Yo Vinnie and Bronx Wanderers followed by a street dance with live music by The Characters. Saturday will begin with breakfast at the food court and an opening ceremony.

Major features during the Miners’ Festival are the Cruise-In Car Show, the Motorcycle Show, a parade on Saturday morning and fireworks on Saturday night.

Other events planned for the festival include craft and food vendors, a Children’s Area, a free child ID program and more live music. And of course, throughout the weekend, the Windber Coal Heritage Center will be open to the public.

Click here for more information about the Laurel Miners’ Memorial Day Festival visit. Click here to view a map of the Windber area.

This is the third year for the event, which has grown in size with each year. Activities have also been expanded this year, including a morning Memorial Day ceremony featuring guest speaker U.S. Army Lt. Col. James E. White, Jr. and U.S. Army Command Exhibition Parachute Team, “The Silver Wings”.

The afternoon portion of the event will involve activities for everyone in the family. For the kids, there will be inflatable rides and activity tables. For adults, there will be a classic car and motorcycle cruise, as well as military exhibits and demonstrations. And for everyone’s enjoyment, there will be music all day, as well as food vendors.

“We have been planning this event for a year and have included fun activities for every age!” says Renée Daly, Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Johnstown.

The Johnstown Community Event will last, rain or shine, from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM on May 30^th, 2011 at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Dog Park. Click here for a map of the area. The event is free to attend.

For more information visit the event page at CityofJohnstownPA.net or the Johnstown Community Event Facebook page. You can also call Renée Daly at (814) 536-8616 or email her at rdaly@cojtwn.com.

Photograph courtesy of Faranda's Farm

Family fun in the outdoors is not only for the summertime. Even with our quickly cooling temperatures, there is still fun to be had before the snow starts to fall and drives us indoors. And if you’re looking for somewhere to enjoy the fall weather and the harvest season, Faranda’s Farm in Hollsopple is a great destination.

Faranda’s Farm is a working pumpkin farm that specializes in agriculture education and tourism. With an annual Harvest Festival that continues during every weekend through October, there is something for all ages. The festival features duck races, llamas, hayrides, refreshments, and of course – the corn maze.

“We have all sorts of activities going on here,” said Phil Faranda, owner of Faranda Farm. “We There are have interactive things for the whole family. It’s a place where you come and spend hours here.”

The theme of the 2010 corn maze is Breast Cancer Awareness, with awareness ribbons worked cleverly into the design of the maze. A portion of the proceeds from the maze will be donated to the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center. On certain nights in mid-to-late October, the maze is open late for “Flashlight Nites,” which also involves nighttime hayrides and fire ring barnyard activities outside the maze.

Another popular installation on the farm is the hay fort, which shows no age bias when it comes to its ability to entertain. “I have as many adults as kids in the hay fort,” said Mr. Faranda.

The Faranda’s Farm Harvest Festival and corn maze are open to the public Friday-Sunday through October 31, with weekdays being reserved for private parties, scout troops, and school field trips. The farm and corn maze are also open to the public on Monday, October 11 for a Columbus Day celebration.

Click here for a map to Faranda’s Farm, which is located at 1171 Penn Ave Hollsopple, PA.

Learn more by visiting their website: www.farandafarm.net.

The Pitt-Johnstown campus in Richland is offering a number of camps this summer. For the older kids there are camps on outdoor adventures, enrichment, engineering, and science. For the younger crowd, there are some mini-camps scheduled for these subjects: preschool, music, dancing, cheering, earth, computers, and theater.

If your kids can’t fit a whole week of classes into their schedules there are a number of one to two day courses on a variety of subjects such as: math, bugs, princesses, gardening, geology, the sea, Webkinz, science, astronomy, drawing, and much more.

For more information on any of these courses, please call the UPJ Outreach office at 814-269-2099 or visit their web site at http://www.upj.pitt.edu/6607/

St. Francis University in Loretto is offering summer camps with a wide array of subjects: sports, music, dance, art, writing, robotics, and science. For more information contact St. Francis University Office of Continuing Education at 814-472-3012 or visit their web site at http://www.francis.edu/uploadedFiles/Continuing_Education/Kids%27%20College.pdf

Mount Aloysius College in Cresson will offer camps on astronomy, baby-sitting certification, basketball, baseball, volleyball, eco-adventure, sports enhancement, plants, Spanish, and becoming a junior chef. For more information visit their web site at http://www.mtaloy.edu/student_life/summer_camps

The Learning Lamp in Richland is offering a series of age-appropriate, hands-on summer camps that reinforce principles of math and science with structured, fun and engaging activities. Visit their web site for complete details: http://www.thelearninglamp.org/workshops.php

The Community Arts Center of Cambria County is offering summer art camps for kids aged 3 to 12. Details can be found on their web site: http://www.caccc.org/education.htm

Laurel Arts, located at 214 S. Harrison Avenue, Somerset, will help children tap into their creative side by offering art and theater camps in a variety of age ranges. Programs are age-specific, starting at age 3 and running up to Grade 12. Class and registration details are available by visiting http://www.laurelarts.org/summercamps.html

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art will hold two separate art camps at the end of July, titled “The Art of Puppet Theatre”. Camps will be held at the One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South Ligonier location. For registration details, call (724) 238-6015.

The Johnstown Area Heritage Association offers one-day educational and cultural workshops for children of various age groups at the Heritage Discovery Center in Cambria City. Their schedule of events is updated monthly and can be found, along with reservation details, at http://www.jaha.org/ChildrensMuseum/specialevents.html

These programs provide children with the chance to experience things outside their typical summertime routine and could even uncover a new skill or passion. With all of these great opportunities for kids to enjoy, you may just get through the summer without hearing, “Mom, I’m bored.”