Related Links:
The laurelight 2nd Sunday gallery
Satori Gallery

Moxham and culture: two words you would have never used together in a sentence back when I was waiting behind Diamond Drugs for the Old Man to come striding through the US Steel gate at the end of his shift: “Take me to the Stonycreek.” Moxham was Moxham and culture was the occasional Country and Western show tearing up Cochran’s auditorium on a tear through the nation’s third class cities.

Everything changes. Diamond Drugs, US Steel and Cochran Junior High School (what you young’uns call “Middle School”) are all gone, but Moxham continues to grow as a cultural center in Johnstown (yes, that’s what I said) when, this coming Sunday, June 14, Satori Gallery presents A Satori in Johnstown, an all day celebration of music and art taking place around the neighborhood’s Village Street Shops. Dave DiStefano, Satori’s proprietor, says it better than I can, so here’s the gist of his latest email:

“Satori Gallery on Village St. will be presenting “A Satori in Johnstown” an art & music street festival on Sunday, June 14. It will be taking place in front of the Village Street Shoppes in Moxham and will last from noon – dusk.

This is a free festival composed of all local talent showing and performing their own original works. ALL are welcome and encouraged to attend in hopes of raising awareness of our local art scene here in Johnstown.

The music lineup includes: The Wheels, Dave DiStefano w/Grand Hadron, Endless Mike & the Beagle Club, The Jeff Perigo Opus, Inside Out, The Sunflower Spectacle, Emmett and Mary, Dallas Zimmerman, Justin Garman, AM Radio, & Glenn Henry.

Johnstown’s Songwriting group “Songworks” will be performing as well as hosting an open mic all day. All artists of the area are invited to show their work. Registration with the gallery required. There will be an open drum circle at sundown, and refreshments by Village St. Cafe. Schedule updates and artist details are provided at www.myspace.com/satorigallery. Thank you all for supporting local art & music!!!!”

and theatre, too…

And, as long as we’re talking Moxham, culture and awareness, check out the Satori site (linked above) for details on this week’s presentation of When the World was Green, Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaiken’s “elegiac” and “stately” exploration of exhaustion and…sensual pleasures that exist only in recollection.” (Ben Brantley, New York Times). Performances are Thursday & Friday @ 8. Admission is $10. Proceeds benefit the Keystone Chapter of the American Red Cross. Reservations are strongly recommended. Reserve your seats by emailing unapologeticproductions@gmail.com or by calling (814) 244-3135.

Of course, I’ve got no photo’s from this week’s party (yet), so, to get you warmed up, here are some shots from August 08′s Second Sunday featuring, I think, Jazz in Your Face.

Related Links:
The Laurelight Big Oaks Gallery
The Front Porch Country Band
Green Valley Recording
The Midlife Cowboys
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Scores of hidden gems are waiting to be discovered in Pennsylvania’s Southern Highlands. One of these little-known jewels is the music and arts fest presented annually on Ridge Road by Dan and Geeg Eash. Of course the Eash’s use the event to showcase Dan’s hand-made pottery, but the primary purpose is to give back to the community and share their joy of music, antiques and the good life with neighbors, friends and friends-to-be.

Entertainment at the 2008 event included Dr. Gary Stoner, OB/GYN, singer, songwriter, member of the Midlife Cowboys and composer of the song Johnstown Pride, written in the wake of the 1977 Johnstown Flood; and Richard & Alison Rupert, singers, songwriters, members of the Back Porch Country Band, and proprietors of Green Valley Recording Studio. Dan Eash, as well as gracing the crowd with a tune, provided a pottery demonstration during the course of the day’s activities. Geeg was everywhere, organizing, introducing and worrying a little more than she needed to.

It was a wonderful afternoon, complete with flawless performances of classic country and bluegrass tunes, beautiful and original pottery, spectacular scenery, and the sort of friendly, casual company you would expect of a Highlands gathering. To top it off, the Eash’s are gracious hosts, going so far as to babysit for several months a piece of equipment forgotten by a neglectful photographer. I look forward to a similar event this year.