“We are a little different than just an art gallery,” said Jessica Stewart, Activity Director. “Our mission drives what we are trying to do each day. This is a space for a very diverse group of people—not just those that are generally interested in the arts. This is for the entire community to come and enjoy.”

The organization exhibits artwork through both permanent and temporary displays, with new work brought in monthly. Over the years, the artwork shown has included portrait artists, mosaics, photography and historical exhibits, to name just a few.

But there is much more to the Arts Center than the artwork on display. In addition to the gallery, the facility features a theatre and studios which are used for a host of functions, including performances, workshops, cooking classes, lectures and more. “We don’t believe ‘art’ needs to be defined as ‘fine arts’,” said Jessica. “People don’t always see that the fact that their grandmother taught them to cook pierogies as an art; but we do.”

Another active part of the BOTTLE WORKS calendar is the various festivals they hold throughout the year, for which they select a particular ethnic group and structure a day- or weekend-long event around that cultural heritage.  This includes representative artwork and exhibitions and the availability of related music, food and crafts.

The exhibits are always open to the public for free, but there are fees associated with classes, etc. For an up-to-date listing of coming events, visit the BOTTLE WORKS “Coming Events” page (we highlight key events in the Do Johnstown! calendar, too).

To learn more, visit the official BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center Web site. You can also contact the BOTTLE WORKS by calling (814) 536-5399 or via email at bottleworks (-at-) floodcity.net.

Click here for a map to the BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center (which is located at 441 Third Avenue, Johnstown, PA). Regular hours are: Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Ethnic Festival continues to delight residents of and visitors to the Johnstown-area by providing traditional ethnic food prepared by local churches and free concerts by a wide-range of bands. “There will be copious amounts of food,” says Paul Kushner, Festival Committee Chairman for Holy Cross Lutheran Church, one of the participating churches.

Scheduled to run this year from Friday, September 4th through Sunday, September 6th and affectionately referred to as “Ethnicfest”, the heritage festival is the outcome of the hard work of local churches, their parishioners and other local volunteers and local organizations. The event limits Chestnut Street exclusively to pedestrian traffic and encourages attendees to further their knowledge of the historical significance of this part of the city by hosting tours of the area churches on Saturday and Sunday, from 1:00-7:00PM. “We’ll have ambassadors on hand to guide tours of the structure and sanctuary, and we have prepared an accompanying pamphlet with historical information,” says Mr. Kushner.

Churches participating in this year’s festival are the newly-formed Resurrection Parish, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church and Visitation Church. Each will prepare a mountain of ethnic food for the enjoyment of festival-goers. “Our parish has prepared 9,000 stuffed cabbage, 2 tons of haluski, and over 30,000 perogies,” says Monsignor Raymond Balta, Pastor of St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church.

The weekend will be long on entertainment, with more than 40 live performances (both music and dance) scheduled at participating churches, Ace’s Lounge and the Bottleworks. Other highlights of the weekend include a polka mass, East European dancers, and a special ceremony to honor the public safety personnel that served during the September 11th attacks on America. For a full schedule of events, visit the Calendar area Cambria City Ethnic Festival Web site.

For this one weekend every year, all of Cambria City transforms into a family reunion, reports Monsignor Balta. “It’s really become a homecoming event. People look forward to coming to Cambria City on Labor Day weekend and getting the ethnic food like their mothers and grandmothers made. It gives them a chance to reminisce with friends and family.”

To learn more, visit the Cambria City Ethnic Festival Web site or view the official page on Facebook.

The Cambria City Ethnic Festival is held along Chestnut Street in Johnstown, PA’s Cambria City neighborhood (click here for a map).

What’s more of a tip-of-the-hat to our area’s ethnic roots than Sunday polkas? Why, a whole weekend of polkas, of course! Now in its 11th year, Johnstown’s annual PolkaFest provides a great opportunity for kicking off a summer of music and fun in the city.

Located in Johnstown’s historic Cambria City, this free festival offers plenty of bands, food and opportunities for dancing both indoors and out. Keeping in form with previous festivals, this year’s lineup includes more than 20 live performances over four days for a full weekend of music (see our Events Calendar for the performance schedule).

Festivities run from Thursday, May 28th through Sunday, May 31st and are based at Saint Mary’s Parish on Power Street (click here for a map) and Ace’s Lounge (click here for a map).