President Ulysses S. Grant is coming to Penn Area Library on Monday, July 16 at 6:30pm!

Kenneth J. Serfass, gunnery sergeant USMC (ret.) is a first-person impressionist who will portray President Grant. With over 40 years spent studying his self-avowed childhood hero, Serfass is a full-time professional living historian portraying Ulysses S. Grant as both General Grant and President Grant. It is with a profound honor that he tells the story of one of America’s greatest military leaders. Serfass reaffirms Grant’s place of honor among the most respected people of our nation’s history. He will talk about Grant’s legacy and answer questions.

To register please call the library at 724-744-4414, ext. 101.

Join us on July 23 at 6:30 for Alan Irvine’s Tales of Music and Musicians, a program of folk tales and legends, history and tales of the creation of music and songs!

Alan tells his tales at many diverse venues, including libraries, schools, colleges, and festivals. He was a Commonwealth Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council for many years. He has appeared at Renaissance festivals, Irish festivals, and science fiction conferences.

In addition to performing, Alan helped found the storytelling group StorySwap. He has produced numerous storytelling shows, and was the chair of the 2006 National Storytellers Conference, held in Pittsburgh. Alan has numerous recordings, many of which have won Storytelling World and NAPPA awards. He has twice won the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival Liars contest (2013 and 2016).

Alan also leads walking tours of Pittsburgh. He works with Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, where he tells stories of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as hosting the popular Bring Your Own Bard reading series. He is the co-founder of Brawling Band Theater, a troupe specializing in high-energy comedy and stage combat. Alan writes and directs for the company.

This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To register, please visit the library or call 724-744-4414, ext. 101.

Rachel Allen & Johnny Bayush

Join this mother/son duo in a lovely, eclectic musical journey through Americana music, indie, folk and world music! Johnny and Rachel have performed on three continents together!

Renowned Johnstown music duo Johnny & Rachel will perform at the library on July 9 at 6:30.

This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To register, please visit the library or call 724-744-4414, ext. 101.

For more information about Rachel Allen and her music, please click here.

Libraries Rock! the summer of 2018

On June 25th at 6:00pm, Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the Kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. He will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the Kora’s musical repertoire, in addition to some of his own personal compositions.

Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh, both of Brikama, Gambia. Gaskell has been featured at numerous festivals in the United States, Gambia, and Senegal.

To register please call the library at 724-744-4414, ext. 101. This program is suitable for adults and older children.