JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Downtown Johnstown Culture Crawl and National Banned Books Week were once again intertwined Saturday as they have been since the local event’s inception in 2021.
Multiple organizations, including the Cambria County Library and Chameleon Bookstore, put on discussions and displays about censorship.
“We wanted to really sort of have just a statement that we think it’s important for people to read freely,” Joyce Homan, the library’s reference supervisor, said.
“It kind of grew out of that and just kind of evolved over the years. … It’s important for the library. I know it’s important for the bookstores. Especially this past year, we have seen a lot of censorship all over the country. We find it important as citizens of a free society to be able to read without censorship.”
The event wasn’t just about banned books and censorship, though.
There were also activities, food and drink, art displays, history lessons and music spaced out through 23 different locations.
“It’s about culture,” said event organizer Mike Messina, owner of Chameleon Bookstore. “It’s about what’s happening downtown and how many fun things there are to do.”
Michele Kupchella Adams and Jennifer Galiote, co-owners of Classic Elements cafe, gift shop, bookstore and wine bar, see the gathering as a sign of growth in the local arts community.
“The cultural aspect of any small city like this brings more and more business down here, more and more people down here,” Adams said. “A lot of times it’s just the cornerstone of the renaissance of a place like this.”
Galiote added: “The arts in general are really what revitalize a downtown. It’s proven in multiple towns in Pennsylvania – coal towns, or mining towns, steel towns – that have been dead towns that have come back because of the arts.”
Dave Sutor is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5056. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Sutor.