The third annual Wang Dang Doodle street festival will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday along Derby Street, next to Roxbury Park in Johnstown.
During the festival, one block of Derby Street will be closed from Franklin Street to Roxbury Avenue.
The free festival, which features live music, children’s activities, food and a car cruise, will be held rain or shine.
The name Wang Dang Doodle was taken from the title of a classic blues song.
Proceeds will support Dylan’s Heart Fund, which assists families who cannot afford pediatric medical costs, and Roxbury Bandshell Preservation Alliance.
The first two festivals in 2010 and 2011 resulted in several thousand dollars in donations and matching grants to these causes, said Bill Karson, owner of APT Systems in Geistown and one of the event’s organizers.
Wang Dang Doodle began with businesses around Roxbury Park joining together to raise funds for Dylan’s Heart Fund.
Organizers then thought they would add the preservation alliance since the park was the site of their event.
“We wanted to call attention to Roxbury Park, which used to be called Luna Park,” Karson said.
“They had various races, a Ferris wheel, a hotel and a boardwalk along Franklin Street. This is a gem that is underutilized. We want to try to make it more visible. It’s an asset in the middle of an urban area.”
Karson said the festival was started in 2010 with no real organization.
“We had a nice success for the first one, but didn’t know if we were going to do it again,” he said.
“We didn’t know what the response would be, and we got 2,000 to 3,000. We also were surprised by how much help we got. We have a list of supporters who will do it again.”
This year’s festival will feature the Rumpke Mountain Boys, a bluegrass group based in the Cincinnati area.
Using banjo, mandolin, bass and acoustic guitar, the band has molded its own style of bluegrass/jamgrass that it calls trashgrass.
The main stage also will showcase musicians from the local area, including Jody Perigo and Laura Totten with vocal harmony and ukulele accompaniment; Johnstown singer/songwriter Justin Garman on guitar; Wine of Nails with fantasy rock; Whiskey River Panhandlers with Americana; and Jeff Perigo and Black Cat Moan with blues-based rock and cover songs.
“We get one big act from out of town that we pay for, then the rest are local musicians who donate their performances,” Karson said.
The Wild World of Animals, an exotic animal show from Westmoreland County which has made appearances on “The David Letterman Show,” will be onstage at 1:30.
Children’s activities will include clowns, balloons, face-painting, air-cushioned bouncies and slides and two military Hummers, which will be available for kids to see inside and out.
Johnstown Street Survivors and other car owners will display classics, rods, and customs, including a full-race sprint car, from 3 to 6:30 at Roxbury Park.
“The city lets us use the park, and we get between 125 to 135 cars,” Karson said.
Total Mobility Services of Boswell, which is helping to sponsor the event, will demonstrate its ramp vans for physically challenged drivers.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Dively’s Tavern, Roxberry Creamery, Tony’s Subs and other booths.
Fundraiser
What: Third annual Wang Dang Doodle street festival.
When: Noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Derby Street, next to Roxbury Park in Johnstown.
Admission: Free.
Information: www.jtownwdd.com.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat e-edition.
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
