Published: October 08, 2009 12:47 pm      

EVENTS | Historical holiday

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

The 50th Fort Ligonier Days will be held from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in downtown Ligonier and Fort Ligonier.

Quantico Marine Corps Band will perform at 7 tonight at Ligonier Valley High School and will participate in a community parade at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Artillery demonstrations will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with re-enactments of the Battle of Fort Ligonier at 2 and 4.

Chuck Blasko and the Vogues will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday.

A free shuttle bus will be provided from the high school.

Information: www.ligonier.com/fld.html or (724) 238-4200.

Holy humor

“Altar Boyz,” a musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy band, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Richland Township.

In the play, five small-town boys are looking for their big break in the forbidden apple of New York City.

“Altar Boyz” is the winner of the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for the best off-Broadway musical.

Tickets range in price from $25 to $35, and discounts are available.

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

Amazing mazes

The corn maze at Weakland Farms, Route 164, west of Portage, will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 1 to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1.

The cost is $6 per person.



A fall harvest and corn maze at Barr Ridge Farms, Route 271, north of Nicktown, will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays through Oct. 31.

The cost is $4 for adults and $3 for children.

The corn maze will be open at Faranda’s Farm, 1171 Penn Ave., Hollsopple, from 4 p.m. to dusk Fridays, 11 a.m. to dusk Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 30 and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 31.

Flashlight Nites will be held Oct. 16-17, 23-24 and 30-31.

Admission to the maze is $10 or $8 for groups of more than 20.

Snapshot study

“Through the Lens,” an exhibit of photographs by members of Greater Johnstown Camera Club, will be on display through Oct. 23 at Community Arts Center of Cambria County, 1217 Menoher Blvd., Westmont.

Multiple entries from the group’s 30 members include landscapes, macro, portraits and wedding photos.

Admission is free.

Information: 948-5982.

Festive festivals

The 45th Bedford Fall Foliage Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in downtown Bedford.

More than 400 artists and crafters will display their handcrafted works, and musical entertainment will include tributes to the Blues Brothers and Rolling Stones, and The Vogues will perform at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday.

Parking, which is $5, will be available at Bedford County Fairgrounds and Old Bedford Village, with free shuttles running nonstop to the festival.



The 25th annual Autumnfest will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Oct. 17-18 and 24-25 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort near Champion.

Guests will be able to view fall foliage while taking a chairlift to the top of the mountain, and a traditional Bavarian-style buffet will be served.

Chairlifts are $5 per person per ride and the alpine slide is $7.

Halloween happenings

Hallowboo will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 25 at Idlewild Park, Ligonier.

Guests will enjoy trick or treating through Story Book Forest and hay bale and hedge mazes.

Admission is $21.99 with guests ages 2 and younger admitted free.

Coupons for $4 off are available at participating Giant Eagle locations.

Information: (724) 238-3666.



Pumpkin Patch festivities will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 18 at Vale Wood Farms, 517 Vale Wood Road, Loretto.

Free kid-friendly activities will include meet the baby calf, interactive games, a fall maze and giant corn box.

Admission is $2 per person, with children ages 2 and younger admitted free.

Hayride farm tours will be available for an additional $2 a person, with children ages 2 and younger riding free.

Group hayride farm tours are available weekdays for a minimum of 15 people. All groups must book in advance.

Information: 886-7171 or (800) 861-MILK.

Frightful hauntings

Hauntings at Huston’s Haunted Hollow Campground, Route 281, Rockwood, will be held from dusk to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

The hollow is not recommended for children younger than ages 7 or those with medical conditions.

The cost is $13 for adults and $11 for children ages 10 and younger and group discounts.



Ghostly and ghastly spirits will take over Kennywood Park for Fright Nights from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

A special haunting will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday.

Fright Nights are not recommended for those younger than 13 years of age.



Ghosts & Goblins Tours at Lincoln Caverns near Huntington will combine the good and evil of the season Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

Family-friendly tours will be offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, while haunted, scary adventures will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Tickets for the friendly tours are $11.95 for adults and $6.95 for children ages 4-12.

Tickets for the haunted cave tour and trail are $11.95.

Art awareness

“Kids’ Nite at the Museum and Theatre” will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto on the campus of St. Francis University.

Guests will enjoy exploring the current exhibit, a scavenger hunt, clowns, puppets and refreshments.

The second stop of the evening will be at Cresson Lake Playhouse, 279 Shapiro Road, Loretto, where guests will see a full-scale production of “Ghosts: The Musical” at 7:30.

The cost for the entire evening is $10. Children must be accompanied by their parents.

Information: 472-4333.

Musical duet

Pianist Gerald Lee and soprano Lara Cottrill will perform as part of the Chamber Music Series of Greater Johnstown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 309 Lincoln St., Johnstown.

Lee and Cottrill are Pittsburgh Concert Society audition winners.

Tickets are $15 or two for $25 for regular admission and $10 for senior citizens and students.

Information: 467-7943 or www.johnstownmusic.org.

Poe sightings

“An Afternoon with Edgar Allan Poe” will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Crazy Alice’s Café, 101 W. Main St., Somerset.

The event, which is sponsored by the Works in Progress Writers’ Workshop, will feature a reading of “The Raven,” followed by a brief discussion.

Those who attend should bring a favorite story or poem to share during an open-mike poetry reading.

Information: purbaugh@comcast.net.



“An Evening with Poe” will be presented by the Parlor Players from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17 at Dillweed Bed & Breakfast, Route 403, Dilltown.

In celebration of the anniversary of Poe’s 200th birthday, Chris Collins of Ebensburg will present an interpretation of Poe, featuring excerpts from “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat.”

Kyra Kozielec-Gilmore of Johnstown will present “The Raven.”

Eric Shawley of Johnstown will interpret “Eleonora.”

Theresa Patrick of Indiana will present “The Premature Burial.”

A dessert and gourmet coffee hour will be held at 7, with performances at 8.

The cost is $16 per person, and advance reservations and payment are required.

Information: 446-6465.

Mining history

The 12th annual Johnstown Mining Collectibles and Antiques Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Comfort Inn, 455 Theatre Drive, Richland Township.

Mining lamps, mining-related artifacts and other mining antiques will be on display.

The public is invited to bring items related to mining history for appraisal.

Admission is free.

Information: 410-4052.

Call for auditions

Auditions for “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge” will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Cresson Lake Playhouse’s rehearsal hall, 526 W. Ogle St., Ebensburg.

In the trial of the century, Scrooge is suing Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

The play will be performed Dec. 4-6 at the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg.

Scripts are available at the rehearsal hall.

Information: 467-4333.



(un)apologetic productions will hold auditions for “The Santaland Diaries” and “Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the former St. Patrick’s activities center on Village Street in the Moxham section of Johnstown.

Information: 244-3135.

Knitters’ niche

Sit & Knit will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. today at Knit 1 @ BlackSmith Exchange, 608 Grove Ave. in the Moxham section of Johnstown.

Knitters will share tips, techniques and stories at this fun, free event, which is open to the public.

Information: 361-2049.

Quilted craft

A benefit quilt auction will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the main dining hall at Camp Sequanota near Jennerstown.

The quilts were made by women’s groups and individuals in local Lutheran congregations.

Proceeds will support the ministry of Camp Sequanota.

Barbecued chicken will be available for take-out or eating in following the auction, and re-freshments will be available all day.

Information: 629-6627.

Films and fun

Two presentations of CineMuse Hi-Def Cinema will be held this weekend as part of the children’s programming at the Children’s Museum at Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

“Creature Feature,” a fun and informative look at some of the world’s strangest creatures, will be presented at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

“Jack & the Beanstalk,” a comic retelling of the classic tale, will be presented at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The programs are free with museum admission or to JAHA members.

Children in grades one through three will make a dancing skeleton in the workshop “Dem Bones,” which will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

The cost is $5 per participant and free to JAHA members.

Information: 539-1889.

Released art

“Uncorked: The Bottled Up Emotions of Women Released Through Mosaic” will be on display through Oct. 28 at Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, 411 Third Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

Works by seven female mosaic artists from across the country will be featured.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Information: 536-5399.

Sister act

“Sister Strikes Again! Late Nite Catechism 2” will be presented through Sunday at Mountain Playhouse, Jennerstown.

The one-woman show starring Kim Richards is the second in a series of four “Late Nite Catechism” productions.

The two-hour production has a loose script, but relies more on improvisation and audience participation.

Tickets range in price from $15 to $32.

Information: 629-9201, Option 1 or www.MountainPlayhouse.org.

Cultural experience

Johnstown Regional Indian Subcontinent Association will present a scholarship benefit dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday at Westmont Hilltop High School, 200 Fair Oaks Drive, Upper Yoder Township.

The event will feature three Indian dance groups, a silent auction and a lavish Indian meal.

The group has made a commitment to support nontraditional students who have returned to school after a job loss or downsizing.

Tickets are $50 a person and are available at The Galleria information booth.

Information: 536-7741 or www.cfalleghenies.org.

Artistic luncheon

A Lunch a l’Art program featuring artist Harold K. Miller will be held at noon Thursday at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South, Ligonier.

The cost is $13 per person or $12 for SAMA members.

Reservations are required and must be made by Monday.

Information: (724) 238-6015.