Published: September 17, 2009 03:35 pm      

Events | Musical gala

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

Johnstown Symphony Orchestra’s Opera Festival will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Richland Township.

In addition to the orchestra and Johnstown Symphony Chorus, the program will feature four world-renowned singers: Meredith Hansen, soprano; Paula Rasmussen, mezzo-soprano; John Daniecki, tenor; and Eric Jordan, bass.

This year, the intermission will be eliminated so that patrons can arrive earlier at the post-concert party at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center in downtown Johnstown.

Tickets for the concert only are $60.

Tickets for the concert and post-concert reception are $150.

Tables seating as many as 10 are available.

Proceeds from the opera festival support the symphony’s annual operating budgets, which include the annual season of concerts and the talents of the symphony chorus and youth orchestra.

Information: 535-6738.

Last blast

The 12th annual Last Blast O’ Summer Cars, Trucks and Bikes Cruise-In will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Conemaugh Valley Elementary School, 1451 Frankstown Road, Johnstown.

The show is for fun, with no judging or trophies.

The event is sponsored by Cover Hill Auto Club, and proceeds will be divided between the school’s activities fund and Special Olympics.

Two highlights will be an English double-decker bus and an aircraft from Helicopter Squadron 773, Detachment B.

Music will be provided by classic rock bands Itch and Who’s Your Daddy.

Haluski, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, baked goods and beverages will be available for purchase.

Car registration will be $5, and parking will be $1.

The rain date will be Sept. 27.

Festive festivals

The 24th annual New Germany Arts & Crafts Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at New Germany Grove, off Route 219 North at the New Germany exit.

There will be more than 150 craft vendors.

The festival is sponsored by the Summerhill Borough Volunteer Fire Company.

Firefighters and auxiliary members provide a large portion of the food, and their fresh-cut ribbon fries are a big hit.

A sandwich stand will feature hamburgers, hot dogs, hot sausage and pizza.

There also will be musical entertainment each day.

Children’s activities will include a caricature artist, face painting, sand art and balloon animals.

Admission is free, but there will be a $2 charge for parking.

Western Pennsylvania District Church of the Brethren Heritage Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Camp Harmony, 1414 Plank Road, Hooversville.

Breakfast will be served from 7 to 9.

Activities will include a wagon train, an antique car show, children’s activities, musical entertainment and craft and flea market booths.

A quilt and basket auction will be held at 3:30, and there will be a pastor’s bake-off.

Admission is free.

Doggone good time

Dogs will get to walk with their owners during the fourth annual Bandshell Bark, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Roxbury Park, Franklin Street, Johnstown.

Registration will begin at 10 a.m., with each dog receiving a yellow Bandshell Bark bandana.

The walk will begin at 11 at the bandshell and continue around the park’s walking trail.

After the walk, there will be a finish-line festival, with photos, vendors, contests, pet services, food and refreshments.

The cost to register is $25.

Proceeds will benefit the Roxbury Bandshell Preservation Alliance and Conemaugh Health System’s pet therapy program, which is funded through Conemaugh Health Foundation.

Information: 241-9004 or www.roxburybandshell.com.

Basement basics

The musical comedy “Church Basement Ladies” will be presented at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Richland Township.

William Christopher, who portrayed Father Francis Mulcahy on TV’s “M*A*S*H,” will play the pastor of a church, where the women who work in the church’s basement kitchen are organizing functions and solving problems.

Tickets are $37 and $35, with group discounts available.

Information: 269-7200 or (800) 846-2787.

Wild side

The third annual Women in the Wild Weekend sponsored by the YWCA of Greater Johnstown will be held today through Sunday at Summer’s Best Two Weeks Que Campgrounds, Jenner Township.

Registration will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. today and from 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday.

Featured activities are a drum circle, an empowerment speaker, yoga, origami, West African dancing and canoeing.

The cost is $75 for YWCA members and $100 for nonmembers.

The event also will include the Women in the Wild Adventure Challenge, which will be held at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Information: 536-3519.

Friendly books

The annual fall book and bake sale sponsored by the Friends of the Cambria County Library will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday in the community room of the library at 248 Main St., Johnstown.

A members-only preview sale will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, and a $2-a-bag sale will be held Thursday.

Applications for the Friends group are available at the front desk at the library and may be purchased at the door Monday.

Information: 536-5131.

Go to the hop

The third of a series of sock hops sponsored by Windber Area Visioning Experience will be held Sunday in the ballroom at Windber Recreation Park.

A car and motorcycle cruise-in will be held at 3 p.m., with an oldies dance from 5 to 9.

Admission to the dance is $5, and hamburgers, hot dogs, soda and snacks will be available for purchase.

Creating motion

A children’s workshop, “Moving Through the Seasons,” will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johns-town.

Bri Lees, an instructor at Out of His Mind Dance Studio, will present the creative movement workshop geared toward kindergartners through second-graders. Parents and teachers also are welcome.

Participants will learn how to create a dance for all seasons using the inspiration of nature.

The cost is $5 per child and free for JAHA members.

Pre-registration is recommended, as space is limited.

Information: 539-1889.

Music times two

Identical twin disc jockeys The Zone Brothers will celebrate their birthdays at 8:15 p.m. Saturday at Chameleon Books, 144 Gazebo Park, downtown Johnstown.

The brothers play trippy techno and atmospheric music.

Doors open at 7:30, and there will be snacks and refreshments.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Information: 539-0699.

Music and theater

“Surprise Theater” with Dylan Fornoff and Curtis Caldwell will be held at 8 tonight at Satori Gallery-Studio, 155 Village St. in the Moxham section of Johns-town.

Local singer-songwriter Michael Simon will open the event.

Admission is $5.

Information: 659-1180.

Dramatic reading

A reading of “Kimberly” by local playwright Joseph M. Kockelman will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Cresson Lake Playhouse, 279 Shapiro Road, Loretto.

Kockelman’s drama deals with a man who must confront his parents’ aging difficulties and the friction that exists between his wife and his mother.

The public is invited, and admission is free. A reception will be held before the reading.

Information: 472-4333.

Imaginative art

“Things, Thoughts & Imagination: Visual Journeys of Soul Mates” will be on display through Nov. 7 at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto on the campus of St. Francis University.

The exhibition features the watercolor still lifes of Shirley Zampelli Sturtz-Davis and the graphite drawings and other media of the late William D. Davis.

Information: 472-3920.

Living large

“Artists at Large: Selections from the Permanent Collection” exhibition will end today at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Johnstown in the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Richland Township.

The display, which features 19 larger-than-life paintings, can be viewed from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Information: 269-7234.

Outdoor auction

Loyalhanna Watershed Association will hold its 25th annual dinner and art auction on Saturday at Laurel Valley Farm, Ligonier.

An open bar reception and silent auction bidding will begin at 5:30 p.m., with a dinner featuring locally grown food served family style outdoors at 7.

The silent auction and a live auction featuring works by artists known for their outdoor themes will be held in the barn.

Information: (724) 238-7560.

Upcoming

Artistic opening

An opening reception for the 77th annual Allied Artists Juried Exhibition will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 25 in the gallery of Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Johnstown, Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Richland Township.

The public is invited to attend the reception and view the exhibit, which will be on display through Dec. 6.

Information: 421-1525 or www.johnstownart.com.

Scrappy fun

Scrap the Day Away will be held from 5 p.m. to midnight Sept. 25 and from 9 a.m. to midnight Sept. 26 at St. Andrew School, 1621 Ferndale Ave., Johnstown.

Meals, snacks and beverages will be available, as well as work space, door prizes and a free gift with registration.

Pre-registration and payment are required to reserve a seat.

Information: 288-2811.