"And I can't help but wonder where I'm bound..."

Johnstown, a small city an hour's drive east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been known primarily for one thing, and that is the terrible "Johnstown Flood" of 1889. During the centennial year, they introduced an "Ethnic Heritage Festival" on Labor Day weekend, in the Cambria City neighborhood. The following year, it was combined with the "National Folk Festival." Sponsored by the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the annual National event is held in one location for three years, then moves on to another, leaving a local event in its wake. The result has been the Johnstown FolkFest, which I have usually attended since its inception. This year will be no exception. My friend and I are going to go see Terrance Simien and the Mallet Playboys, one of the first zydeco bands I ever encountered. In addition, there's also a big favorite of my son Paul, that band of non-electric mauraders from Austin, Texas, The Asylum Street Spankers. And while we're at it, we'll catch some of the local action, including blues, swing, gospel, and ethnic cooking.