The annual Ebensburg Homecoming will be held Saturday at sites throughout downtown Ebensburg and at Lake Rowena.
The homecoming will kick off Friday with a new event, the Downtown Shutdown, a street party featuring the band Midnight Special that will close down the streets of downtown Ebensburg from 7 to 11 p.m.
“This isn’t yet an annual event, it’s our first,” said Shawna Drop, Ebensburg’s community development director. “We’ll see how it goes.
“Midnight Special is a band from Ohio we had for the 20th anniversary of the PotatoFest. They were popular, and we wanted to invite them back.”
North and South Center streets and East and West High streets will be closed for the block party.
Downtown businesses will provide outside dining, and parking will be available on outlying streets.
On Saturday, the homecoming will kick off with a community yard sale throughout the borough beginning at 8 a.m. and a farmers’ market from 9 a.m. to noon at Penn Eben Park.
A book sale, flea market and food and bake sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ebensburg Public Library.
Drop considers the homecoming a regional event, attracting those from outside Ebensburg as well as those who call the borough home.
“It will be packed,” she said. “The traffic flow in town will be difficult, so be careful.”
A new event this year is Phoenix Pro Wrestling, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the Young Peoples Community Center, 300 Prave St.
Tickets are $8 for ringside and $5 for general admission.
Athletic events will include a homecoming 5K beginning at 9 a.m. and a duathlon beginning at 10, both starting at the community center.
The duathlon involves two miles of running, eight miles of biking and two more miles of running.
Both events are hosted by Ebensburg Rails-to-Trails.
“Our athletic events do well every year,” Drop said. “I think our running grows by the hundreds. We’re fortunate to have the facilities to hold these events. We utilize what Ebensburg has to offer.”
Children’s activities will include a fishing derby hosted by the Kiwanis Club from 9 to 11 a.m. at Lake Rowena, and games beginning at 5.
Those who wish can play tennis for free with equipment provided from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ebensburg Tennis Center, 257 Lakeview Road, where an exhibition match will be held at 1.
Call 471-2980 for reservations.
A roller hockey tournament will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ebensburg Borough Skatepark at Lake Rowena.
Drop said the free concert at Lake Rowena, with guests permitted to bring their own picnic and sit with family and friends, is a pleasant way to end the day.
Mike & Nudy, an acoustic act from Johnstown, will perform from 7 to 8, followed by Flood City Brass Band from 8 to 11 p.m. and fireworks at dusk.
Bash in the borough
What: Ebensburg Homecoming.
Where: Sites throughout downtown Ebensburg and Lake Rowena.
When: Saturday.
Admission: Free.
Information: 472-8780 or ebensburgmainstreet.com.
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