JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A lively party on Thursday evening brought literary fun to downtown Johnstown.
The Cambria County Library hosted a block party along Main Street to celebrate the opening of the library’s expansive patio and the installation of a large-scale mural.
“We consider this a celebration and we’re excited to be in downtown Johnstown, and I think the community is seeing the change at the library,” said Alan R. Metzler, president of the library’s board of directors.
“We’ve worked hard to increase our community outreach, and I think this is a direct result of that. This library is a community center, and we really appreciate our community and want to do more.”
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Cambria County Library hosts a “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Patty Heilmann, Cambria County Library marketing and outreach coordinator, dishes out cake during a “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Ashley Flynn, Cambria County Library executive director, addresses the public during a “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023. Accompanying Flynn, from left to right, Alan R. Metzler, library board of director’s president, Mike Kane, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies president and executive director, and Cambria County commissioner Thomas Chernisky.
Robert Forcey, Vision Together 2025 executive director, mans the grill as a large crowd gathers for the Cambria County Library’s “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Cambria County Library hosts a “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Patty Heilmann, Cambria County Library marketing and outreach coordinator, dishes out cake during a “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Ashley Flynn, Cambria County Library executive director, addresses the public during a “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023. Accompanying Flynn, from left to right, Alan R. Metzler, library board of director’s president, Mike Kane, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies president and executive director, and Cambria County commissioner Thomas Chernisky.
Robert Forcey, Vision Together 2025 executive director, mans the grill as a large crowd gathers for the Cambria County Library’s “Block Party” event celebrating the installation of murals around the building and opening of the patio at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Attendees were treated to refreshments, along with children’s games and activities and musical entertainment by Jeff Webb.
Ashley Flynn, library executive director, said the two projects have been in the works for quite some time.
“We want people to know how much we appreciate their support, so we’re celebrating the patio and mural together,” she said.
The patio broke ground in November and is now officially open to patrons.
“We wanted to think of the library as another comfortable place for people to be, so having that outdoor space is really critical, and we wanted it to have that front-porch feeling,” Flynn said.
“People can enjoy it at their own leisure, and we do have some programming that we schedule out there as well, so we’re hoping in the future to have more events with music and camaraderie to bring our community together. Our mission is to educate, entertain and empower, and we think the patio is another great space to do that.”
When the installation is complete, the mural will consist of over 30 panels of books that face the Main and Walnut streets sides of the library.
“We wanted to make sure the building was getting a fresh facelift and make something that looks a little more inviting than the previous concrete,” Flynn said.
“We wanted to have a diverse representation of our community, so we tried to be very thoughtful in the books that were selected. No matter what you like to read and how you might identify, there’s something you can find on the mural that reflects your experience.”
Public painting days were held in July at Bottle Works.
Community members were invited to contribute to the mural project.
“The concrete spines of the building sort of resemble the spines of a book on a shelf,” Flynn said. “We thought books would not only be a good way to identify us as a library, but it also lets us have that representation where we can reflect different types of stories in different types of people who make up our community with the books that we chose.”
She said the goal is to make the library a more enjoyable place.
“We want this to be a very attractive and welcoming space for everyone in the community to find what they need,” Flynn said.
Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at (814) 532-5073. Follow her on Twitter @KellyUrban25.