More than 1,000 guests enjoy 'open house for the downtown businesses' at 10th Taste & Tour in Johnstown

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – There was food, drink, camaraderie, music and even some plein air painting Saturday during Taste & Tour in downtown Johnstown.

There were 1,200 tickets sold and 40 businesses open for the social gathering that kicks off the summer event season in the city.

“It’s pretty much an open house for the downtown businesses to show everybody all the great businesses that have been here for a while, as well as the new businesses that are opening,” Kayla Stephenson, the event’s co-coordinator, said.

The party is hosted by the Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership, which uses the money raised for its other activities, including The Christmas Tree @ Central Park, Halloween @ Central Park, First Fridays Concert Series and Bunny Hop Around Central Park.

“It keeps all the wheels on the wagon with the other activities,” co-coordinator Doug Puchko said.

It was the 10th year for Taste & Tour.

On the same day, Johnstown hosted the 10th Path of the Flood Historic Races. The upcoming holiday season will also be the 10th year for the Christmas tree in the park.

“This event, as well as others, really shows the strength of the volunteer effort in this community. … What a great decade it has been thanks to tremendous groups of volunteers,” Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership President Melissa Radovanic said.

Attendees, as they do every year, strolled through the city streets, stopped in the local establishments and enjoyed samples of items sold by the businesses.

“I like the event because it gets everyone down to a part of town that we don’t frequent as much as we should and we get to see all that downtown has to offer, come out with our friends, and patronize the businesses downtown,” said Jenn Valentine, not long before a storm rolled through downtown around 5 p.m.

Sarah Gayle, who moved to the region about two years ago, set up an easel on a sidewalk next to Central Park and painted, while promoting her upcoming Painting in the Park series that will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays from June 1 to Sept. 14.

“I thought tonight would be a great opportunity to see more people downtown, and tell them more about what we’re doing and try to get more people to come out every Saturday to be downtown,” Gayle said.

Lambcakes owner Chad Lamb also used Taste & Tour as an opportunity to promote his bakery.

“It’s absolutely great exposure for us because a lot of people that come for Taste & Tour don’t usually come for the regular day-to-day, so it really gives them a chance to experience everything that the downtown has to offer,” Lamb said.

Christopher Blair, a sales representative with Vapor Expressions, called Taste & Tour “a great way for people to come in, have a look around, see what everything’s about in a comfortable, relaxed environment.”

“There’s no pressure to buy anything,” Blair said. “They’re here to have a good time. They can look around. If they have a good feeling about it when they leave, they’ll come back and check in on it. Or, if they see something here that they like, nine times out of 10 they’ll buy it on the spot, or else they’ll come back whenever they have more time. But I think it’s a great way to explore places you haven’t seen before.”