Festival finale

Michele Duell and her husband, Richard Duffy, were enjoying themselves Sunday afternoon at the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival in downtown Johnstown.

They also were waiting for the evening performance of the Robert Cray Band and their eclectic blues sound, Sunday night’s headline group which drew a big crowd.

The Springfield, Va., couple said the Robert Cray  and the Los Lobos bands were their favorites. Los Lobos performed Friday night.

Duell, formerly of Johnstown, said she has been coming to the festival since it began as the FolkFest.

This was the second year the event has been known as the Flood City Music Festival.

“I think this is a great way to see top name bands at a low price,” Duell said, referring to the admission that was charged for the festival.

Duffy said the couple came primarily to listen to Los Lobos and Robert Cray.

“And they have other big names here, too,” he said.

Julie Robards of Pittsburgh is no stranger to the annual event.

She served as coordinator for six years when it was the FolkFest. Her last year with the event was 2003, she said, but she comes back every year since. Up until this year, she was a volunteer, she said.

“I love it. I think it’s good for Johnstown,” she said of the change in name.

“To see it grow as it has is very rewarding,” she said.

James Quinn and his wife, Betty, didn’t have to travel far to visit the music festival. They reside on Decker Avenue in the West End of town.

“I liked it better when it was the old FolkFest,” James Quinn said.

“It seemed like 90 percent of those attending were local.”

Now, he said the event attracts a lot more out-of-towners. He said that was not a bad thing, but that he liked the event when it was held in Cambria City.

Betty Quinn said she and her husband planned to listen to the bands and walk around.

Shelley Johansson, Johnstown Area Heritage Association spokeswoman, said there was record attendance at the music festival on Friday and Saturday’s attendance was very strong.

She said Eric Tessmer of the Eric Tessmer Band and Stanton Moore of the band Galactic joined singer-songwriter Anders Osborne for an impromptu performance Saturday night. Billy Price sat in with Los Lobos on Friday night, she added.

“You only see that in this kind of setting,” Johansson said.

She said the festival received overwhelming support from the community, its sponsors and its volunteers.

“Something on this scale could not happen without the hard work of so many,” she said.