Welcome to the official site of the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival! Produced by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.

August 5-7, 2011 -- Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Festival FAQs
What should I bring to the festival? Please bring: Your scannable ticket. The festival is working with ShowClix for the first time in 2011, which means we will have scannable tickets for all VIP packages and weekend passes sold in advance -- and for the first time, we'll be selling single-day tickets in advance (beginning July 2). Everyone who purchases a VIP package, 3-day pass, or single-day ticket in advance over the Internet will receive e-mail with PDF ticket(s). To expedite your entry into the festival, please print them out and bring them with you. VIP Package and 3-day pass holders, please note that you will receive a separate ticket for each day of the event. If you purchase a VIP Package, you'll also need your VIP lanyard to get into the sponsor lounge; you'll receive your lanyard(s), (and your parking pass, if applicable) via regular mail. Your ID. You will need your ID if you buy tickets/passes in advance but forget to print them out and bring them. Also, if you intend to purchase beer/coolers (available on festival grounds) and/or wine and other alcoholic beverages (available in the VIP lounge), you will need to show your ID to get a wristband at one of the ID check stations. Please do not bring: Dogs. Please, leave Fido at home for the health and safety of all our patrons. (Of course, service dogs in harness are welcome.) Folding chairs. The festival is general admission, so we can't guarantee a seat for everyone, but there is ample seating at all three of our stages. Coolers. Enough said. A/V recording equipment. Many of our artist contracts explicitly prohibit live audio or audiovisual recordings of any portion of their performances. Weapons. There will be a bag check as you enter the festival.
Where are the festival grounds located? Since 2004, the festival has taken place in what is now known as the Peoples Natural Gas Park (formerly festival park). This park is being developed by JAHA as a permanent home for the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival and other festivals, and will hopefully inspire more such events throughout the warm-weather months. The permanent park is bordered by the stone bridge made famous by the 1889 Johnstown flood, and stretches to the Johns Street bridge. The festival also encompasses the area stretching up past the train station, all the way to the Walnut Street bridge. The park is in a highly visible location adjacent to downtown, and if you can find Johnstown, you can find the new park. The Peoples Natural Gas Park will include a 600-seat pavilion with stage adjacent to the Oilhouse, landscaping, restrooms, the installation of pathways and new sidewalks, ornamental fencing and gates around the perimeter, and the installation of utilities to support vending. Presiding over the park will be a 40-foot tower bearing the Peoples Natural Gas Company logo. Visit the Peoples Natural Gas Park page for more on these plans.
How does ticketing work? In the past, the Johnstown Area Heritage Association has administered all sales of VIP packages, passes, and single-day tickets -- but as the festival has grown, it has become impossible for us to manage sales of 10,000+ tickets accurately. So in 2011 the festival is working with ShowClix, a Pittsburgh-based company, on all ticket, pass and package purchases, both those sold in advance (on the Internet and via direct mail) and at the gate. Click here to buy your passes/packages. Get your VIP package or 3-day pass before July 2 for best pricing! Also for the first time in 2011, single-day tickets will be sold in advance, starting on July 2. Click here for a detailed explanation of all ticket/pass options. Please note that all packages and tickets are non-refundable, non-exchangable and non-transferable. All performers are confirmed but not guaranteed. Interrupted performances due to weather or any other reason are not grounds for a refund.
Who produces the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival? Like its predecessor, the AmeriServ Johnstown FolkFest, the Flood City Music Festival is produced by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, a non-profit that exists to preserve and showcase Johnstown's nationally significant stories to the nation. To do that, JAHA provides high-quality educational, cultural and recreational experiences in the area's unique historic settings. We operate three museums, the Johnstown Flood Museum, which tells the story of the 1889 Johnstown flood; the Wagner-Ritter House & Garden, a house museum interpreting the domestic lives of 18th-century immigrants to the historic Cambria City neighborhood; and the Frank & Sylvia Pasquerilla Heritage Discovery Center, which tells the story of immigrants to Cambria City in the late 19th and early 20th century; and the new Johnstown Children's Museum. In addition, JAHA holds a variety of additional special events throughout the year as well. In this way, we support the local economy by bringing positive national attention and visitors to our area. The festival is a wonderful program that helps JAHA provide a great experience for local residents, focus national attention here and bring people to visit. Along the way, everyone has a terrific time. Click here for more information about JAHA as an organization.
How did the festival get its start in Johnstown? With the help of City and Commonwealth officials, JAHA recruited the National Folk Festival to Johnstown in 1990 for a three-year run, raising the necessary funds to do so. The National Folk Festival brings "legendary masters and the next generation of dynamic young artists to celebrate the musical soul and cultural roots of America." After the National Folk Festival's three years were over, JAHA picked up the reigns and began to produce the event on its own, renaming the event the Johnstown FolkFest; AmeriServ Financial became the title sponsor a year later, and the AmeriServ Johnstown FolkFest came into being. JAHA's music programming has continued the National Folk Festival's mix of legends and cutting-edge newcomers representing all genres of American music. In 2009, to better convey that all types of music, not just folk, are presented, the name was changed to AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival. Past performers at the festival read like a "who's who" in roots music, bringing artists to Johnstown who might never play here otherwise; the festival's multiple-stage format gives patrons the opportunity to sample types of music they might not have heard before. The festival has developed a national reputation for its high-quality programming. Click here to find out more about the festival's history.
How do I get to Johnstown? Johnstown is a small city in western Pennsylvania that's accessible from most major cities in the region, including Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C. It's an easy drive from much of Ohio as well. For detailed driving instructions, click here.
Where do I park? There is abundant parking available in downtown Johnstown -- simply drive into town and look for signage directing you to one of the city-owned garages. In addition, a limited amount of free street parking is available. Click here for more information on parking locations. As you're parking, please watch carefully for the many pedestrians making their way to festival grounds. Handicapped parking will be available; signage will direct you. To use handicap parking spaces, your car must be clearly marked with a state-issued permit or license plate tag. Violators will be ticketed or towed. If you'd like to park closer to the festival and also help support it, you can purchase an individual sponsorship that includes a space in a special lot close to festival grounds. For more about this program, visit the Tickets page on this site, or contact Gwen Hartnett at 814-539-1889.
Can I take the Incline? Festivalgoers are encouraged to take a free ride on the Inclined Plane during the festival -- it is free, thanks to the generosity of Somerset Trust and the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Click here for more information.
Where can I stay? The Johnstown area offers a wide variety of comfortable, affordable lodgings. Click here for a detailed list, including locations and phone numbers. You'll also find contact information for local tourist promotion agencies that can help you find accommodations not included on our list, as well as nearby camping facilities.
How can I support the festival? The festival is a $350,000 event, and there are a variety of ways you can help support it, ncluding: Become a member of JAHA. Depending on the level of membership you choose, you'll get a wide range of membership benefits -- including free admission to all our museums year-round. Click here to join online. Purchase an Individual Sponsorship/VIP Package. Details on 2011 Individual Sponsorships are available here. Become a festival volunteer. Hundreds of volunteers are needed before, during and after the festival -- it simply couldn't happen without them. Shop JAHA's online store.. Every purchase you make at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association's online store helps support all of JAHA's events and programs, including the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival. You can purchase festival merchandise online, too!
Does the festival go on rain or shine? Obviously we cannot guarantee that specific performances won't be delayed, interrupted or cancelled in the event of heavy rain, especially at the open-air stage. But no matter what, the festival will go on! The stage and audience areas of two stages are completely covered by tents (the third is open to allow for larger crowds), and there are several tented eating pavilions for our patrons' comfort.