The Cambria City Ethnic Festival is a way for Johnstown locals to celebrate generations of ethnic heritage, food, and music.
This traditional block party is being held Friday Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 2 and is being hosted and organized by two local non-profit organizations, the Bottle Works Arts on Third Avenue and the Venue of Merging Arts (VOMA). Community members will be able to enjoy live music, art, food, and kid’s games during the three-day event.
“This year’s lineup is the most exciting and varied that we’ve scheduled,” said Bottle Works Executive Director Laura Argenbright. “Adam Mundock, (executive director of VOMA) did a great job of bringing in a mix of local and regional bands, covering a variety of genres. People can listen to everything from indie folk and bluegrass, to blues, rock, and of course, jazzy funk, on the Third Ave. stage.”
New this year, Emmy-Award winning creator, Executive Producer and Supervising Director of Amazon’s Danger and Eggs, Mike Owens will host a reception and presentation in the Tulip Building on Friday at 6 p.m. The presentation follows the creative journey of Danger and Eggs from the initial sketches, to the success of a 26-episode animated series on Amazon prime, and winning an Emmy-Award for Outstanding Director in an Animated Series.
“My story includes the memories of growing up in Johnstown that inspired the shows main characters and the people that encouraged and supported me to pursue my dreams,” Owens said. Owens will hold a Q&A session after his presentation.
Springsteen-style Pittsburgh band, Bill Toms and Hard Rain with the Soulville Horns, is making their Johnstown debut, Saturday at 8 p.m.
The majority of the events will be outside at the Third Avenue Stage, under tent cover, but there will also be events featured in the Events Room inside the Art Works building.
Several entertainers will be performing in the Events Room, including: Kulani West African Dance Group on Friday at 7:30 p.m., the Johnstown Concert Ballet on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and Concepts Dance Studio on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Families will enjoy the Kids’ Zone including fun arts activities starting at noon on Saturday and Sunday.
There will be many food trucks on Third Avenue treating visitors to ethnic foods with a twist including Sarin Grill, with a variety of Thai cuisine from Pad Thai to Chicken-on-a-Stick. Festival staples will also be on hand such as Speals on Wheels, offering made-to-order Cubans, Philly Cheesesteaks, wraps and more. Pappy D’s Barbeque will be available all weekend and there will also be home-style cooking including Chicken Fried Steak, Chicken Tenders and Hand-cut Fries. TNT Concessions will be serving up funnel cakes and other sweet treats.
Featured Gallery Exhibits during the Ethnic Fest on Third Ave.:
-Emerging Modalities of the New Media Art World by Zone Patcher
-StudioWorks Resident Artists’ Exhibit
-Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition – collaborative show created for the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra (JSO)
For more details about these exhibits, visit http://bottleworks.org/gallery-theatre-info/gallery-exhibits/
