The festival will celebrate “the miracle of garlic, ‘the stinking rose’” the weekend of August 20 & 21, 2011. Visitors can learn about cooking with garlic during live chef demos and enjoy the music of Better Dayz. Other activities will include hay rides, a play area for children and, of course, plenty of homemade garlicky food.

“Visitors are sure to have a ’stinking good time’,” says Mary Faranda. “[Visitors can] sample garlic flavored foods such as wings, pierogi with garlic butter, pulled pork, and mushroom sandwiches, learn how to cook with garlic from local chefs, learn the varieties of garlic, and shop at the booths of garlic growers, specialty garlic gadgets and garlic tees and aprons.”

The garlic festival is on August 20 & 21, from 10AM to 5PM each day. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 2 years. Click here for a map to Faranda’s Farm, which is located at 1171 Penn Ave Hollsopple, PA, ½ mile off Route 219 and 15 miles from Johnstown and Somerset.

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

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.

A tradition that started in the 1940s, the maple festival brings in crowds to celebrate maple syrup, local talent, history and small town life.

Visitors can take a tour of Maple Manor and attend a performance of The Legend of the Magic Water, a pageant telling the story of maple syrup’s history. For a more sensory educational experience, tours of a real “sugar shack” provide live demonstrations of maple syrup productions. The sugar shack is also where you can find spotza – a local taffy-like treat made from boiling syrup poured over shaved ice.

Local crafters show off their talents in the Quilt Show, the Maple Fair and amongst the many vendor stands where handcrafted items can be purchased.

Of course, no festival could be complete without plenty to eat. The Lions Club offers their famous pancake and sausage breakfast at the Meyersdale Lions Pancake House. Maple syrup, sugar and candies can be purchased at several locations around the festival. A variety of festival foods are also available.

Other events in the maple festival include a parade, the Maple Festival Dance, a horse pulling contest, the Maple Run 5K, and an antique auto show.

Starting on March 26, the Pennsylvania Maple Festival continues through April 3. The festival is located throughout downtown Meyersdale, centered in Festival Park. Click here for a map of Meyersdale.

For more information, visit the PA Maple Festival website or call (814) 634-0213. Click here to view pictures taken during last year’s Maple Festival in the Do Johnstown! Flickr photostream.

This year’s event is open to the public Saturday and Sunday (September 4^th and 5^th, 2010) from 10:30AM to 6:00PM. Admission is free.

The festival, now in its 40^th year, is held annually at the Community Arts Center, located at 1217 Menoher Boulevard, in Johnstown, PA’s Westmont neighborhood (click here for a map to the Community Arts Center, Johnstown, PA).

Free parking is available at the Memorial Medical Center parking lot on Menoher Boulevard, approximately ¼ mile away from the Community Arts Center (click here for a map to the Memorial Medical Center parking lot), with free shuttle transportation running every 10-15 minutes.

The Log House Arts Festival has historically been one of the best ways to spend the day with friends or family, featuring great food, live music performances and a children’s area with face-painting and crafts for the little ones.

For more information, including photos from previous years’ events, visit the “Events” page on the Community Arts Center’s website.

From 6:00PM to 10:00PM this New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2009) revelers will be treated to free entertainment, festive surroundings, and food and refreshments from several downtown churches and the Cambria County Library.

Throughout the evening carriage rides will provide the public with a classic tour of our downtown streets. The evening will cap off with a fireworks display scheduled to begin at 9:45PM.

Venues and scheduled entertainment are:

First Presbyterian Church
309 Lincoln Street (click here for a map)

• 6:00PM to 7:30PM—Jazz in Your Face
• 8:00PM to 9:30PM—Whiskey River Panhandlers

Cambria County Library
248 Main Street (click here for a map)

• 6:00PM to 8:00PM—Classic Clowns
• 6:00PM to 7:30PM—Kulani (drumming, African dance)
• 6:30PM to 7:30PM—Storytelling
• 8:00PM to 8:45PM—Sherry Lynn ballroom dancing
• 8:00PM to 9:00PM—Magician John Robertson

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
335 Locust Street (click here for a map)

• 6:00PM to 7:00PM—Vivace Piano Trio
• 6:00PM to 7:30PM—Southside Strays
• 7:00PM to 8:00PM—Rodoljub (Croatian Educational Singing Society)
• 7:30PM to 8:30PM—Bo Moore
• 8:30PM to 9:30PM—Jennifer Drummey
• 8:30PM to 9:30PM—Magician Bob Beatty

Franklin Street United Methodist Church
510 Locust Street (click here for a map)

• 6:00PM to 7:00PM—Puppet show
• 6:00PM to 8:00PM—Bill Venet and the Cash Review
• 7:00PM to 8:00PM—New Mercies
• 8:30PM to 9:30PM—Church praise band

We at Do Johnstown! wish all of you the very best in the coming year and look forward to celebrating with you at this wonderful Johnstown custom. Happy New Year!

This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2009. From 9:00AM to 5:00PM downtown Ebensburg, PA will be filled with the sights, sounds and smells of one of Cambria County’s favorite annual festivals. Entertainment will be stationed at five downtown locations. For a full lineup of events, visit the “Entertainment” area of the Potatofest Web site.

“What makes this a great festival is its uniqueness—the food selection features items you wouldn’t typically find vendors serving,” says Christine Strugala, Community Development Director for Ebensburg Borough. “You’ll find sweet potato fries, pierogi lasagna and so much more.” Of course, there’s a lot more to it than the food. The event now features over 200 vendors of all types. “The craft show portion has really grown,” says Christine. “Potatofest attracts high-caliber crafters from all over Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio.”

The event’s popularity can cause some parking problems, so its recommended that you use one of the free shuttle services. Shuttles will be continuously running from Admiral Peary Vo-Tech (click here for a map), Penn Highlands Community College (Ebensburg Education Center) (click here for a map), Ebensburg Mini Mall (click here for a map) and Lake Rowena (click here for a map).

Now in its 18th year, the Ebensburg Potato Festival continues to grow, drawing other area organizations to schedule activities in conjunction with the event. This year Dauntless Fire Company will hold a “Wine Extravaganza” from 9:00AM to 5:00PM at their 209 W. Sample Street station (click here for a map); a quilt exhibit will be on display at the First United Church of Christ Educational Building (click here for a map); and Bishop Carroll High School will be holding a fundraiser in anticipation of their 50th anniversary celebration (click here for a map).

The Ebensburg Potato Festival is a wonderful place to spend time, especially for those with young children. The kid-friendly atmosphere includes a children’s museum, face painting, potato sack races and much more. A highlight of the event is the “Miss Tater and Mr. Tot” contest, open to children between the ages of one and seven. Registration is open until Noon the day of Potatofest and more details are available on the official 2009 Miss Tater and Mr. Tot Contest registration form (click here to download as a .PDF).

Christine recommends planning to make a day of it. “Plan on coming and spending more than an hour,” she says. “This is truly a day-long event.”

To learn more about the Ebensburg Potato Festival, visit the official Potatofest Web site.

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).

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.

The focus of the festival is the music. This year’s festival features multiple performances from nine bands, offering a variety of American roots music for festival goers to enjoy. “We’re looking to provide good, quality entertainment, at a reasonable price, in a nice, family atmosphere,” says event organizer Tim Custer.

In addition to more temperate weather, the 2009 festival is the first to showcase national acts on both Friday and Saturday nights. When Nothin’ Fancy takes the stage on Friday night, the audience will witness the show that earned the band the award of “IMBA Entertainer of the Year”. Headlining Saturday’s lineup is the hard-driving sounds of Audie Blaylock & Redline.

Each day will also feature performances from local and regional bands. Organizers are committed to providing a means for area talent to reach a large audience.
The Coleman Station Bluegrass Festival is located at 1144 Coleman Station Road, Friedens, PA (click here for directions).

Tickets are available at the gate and are $10 for Friday and $15 for Saturday. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. Attendees also have the option of purchasing a $25 weekend pass, which includes rough camping.

For more details, visit www.blue-grass.org/festival.