Groups drawn to arts fest for evening out, Ditko exhibit

Jul. 31—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Amy Regan and coworker Makenzie Croyle decided after a day's work at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association that they'd go support another area institution, Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, on Friday for the 3rd Avenue Folk and Arts Fest.

"It's really cool stuff to look at," Regan said.

The Johnstown native noted that the new "Hometown Heroes — Steve Ditko" exhibit was the main draw, but she and her friend were happy to get out to do something.

"It's Spider-Man," Regan said. "It's Steve Ditko — come on, you have to come down for that."

Ditko, who died in 2018, grew up in Johnstown and is the co-creator of the web-slinger as well as other famous comic superheroes, such as Doctor Strange.

Before wondering through the exhibit, which takes up the first floor of the Bottle Works, the pair stopped to peruse the local art on sale.

Friday was the first day of the three-day festival and was held in conjunction with the public opening of the Ditko exhibit, as well as the Ditko Inspired area and Guild of American Papercutters exhibit in the black box theater next door.

"We've been working really hard to make sure we're broadcasting our local artists," Bottle Works advancement and operations director Melody Tisinger said.

The festival has been rebranded to reflect the organization's role as the folk and traditional arts infrastructure partner for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Tisinger said there's a level of nostalgia when dealing with folk arts because of the medium's roots in community.

She added that the group at Bottle Works is making sure that type of art and tradition is carried through the generations.

The festivities began at 5 p.m. and continued until 11 p.m. with a host of attractions.

An opening reception featured comments from Tisinger and Ditko's nephew, Mark Ditko, before Michael Allison provided a Laurel Highlands' folklore lecture about "white ladies, hairy beasts and things that go bump in the night" at 8 p.m. and The Ne'er Do Wells took the stage at 9 p.m.

"It's so fun being open to the public again," Bottle Works creative director Matthew Lamb said.

He said there's a "nice mix of things" available all weekend, including several vendors, live music, a encore of the "Ditko" stage play at 1 p.m. on Saturday, food trucks and more.

Ashlee Fecko and her husband, Dan, brought their children out to see the exhibits and check out what else was available.

"We're excited that things are happening again," Fecko said.

The family moved through the Ditko exhibit, stopping briefly here and there to look at comic panels and original drawings.

Jack Fecko, her 5-year-old son, was surprised to hear that Spider-Man's co-creator hailed from Johnstown.

His eyes lit up at the idea that the man who dreamed up one of his favorite superheroes came from the area he lived in.

Jami Nanassy, of New Florence, and her husband Charles were just as excited by the idea.

"We knew we wanted to see the Steve Ditko exhibit," she said.

Nanassy described Johnstown as a hidden treasure and spoke about how important attractions, such as those put on by the Bottle Works, are to revitalization efforts.

The festival continues from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday with the play and performances from The Evergreens, Matt Otis and the Sound and Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root with Dirk Miller and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday featuring West African dancing from Kulani, and music from Denise Baldwin and Mosaic of Voices and Striped Maple Hollow.

For more information, visit www.bottleworks.org.