Night Music 2 Go Cambria County Library will hold drive-through format for musical benefit

Apr. 10—Take your dinner and music to go.

Night Music 2 Go will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. April 30 at the Cambria County Library, 248 Main St., downtown Johnstown.

The event will be a modification of the library's annual Night Music @ the Library, which features three floors of musical performances and food.

Modified event

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions that canceled the fundraiser in 2020, changes were made to this year's event to include all the elements of the musical celebration, but in a drive-through format.

Night Music 2 Go will include a catered meal and online music.

"We're really trying to honor our past event in a way that would be both safe and enjoyable for our current situation in the world," said Ashley Flynn, director of the Cambria County Library System.

"We know we have a lot of folks who have been with us since the beginning and may have been present for all 16 years of the event, so we want to honor that tradition and try to incorporate the same feel as Night Music even though the details are different. We're excited to put a fresh spin on it and hopefully people will still enjoy the experience."

Ticket-holders will be able to stop at the library between the designated hours to pick up a dinner that will be prepared by TC's Country Cookin' of Stoystown.

"People will enter through our back alley and we'll have spaces in the parking lot where staff will come out and take tickets and then bring them their bagged food and drink," Flynn said.

"With the meal, they'll receive a brochure with information on how to access the entertainment for the evening."

The menu includes a choice of roast chicken or vegetarian stuffed peppers, parsley potatoes, stuffing balls and green beans.

"Everyone also will be getting an individual mini cheesecake from Lambcakes," Flynn said.

A choice of wine, beer or a soft drink will be included.

While eating dinner at home, people will be able to listen to music from previous Night Music @ the Library performers along with new acts.

'Two types of entertainment'

"There will be two types of entertainment — a YouTube curated playlist that will have a link or QR code to follow that will take you to the playlist and feature videos from the performers, and the other element will be our Freegle Music database that's free to any library card holder and we'll have a curated playlist with things related to literary and book themes and music and that's only auditory," Flynn said.

Artists in the playlist include Rachel Allen, Wally and The Beavs, Tree, Jazz in Your Face, Dany Vavrek, Scott Blasey, Striped Maple Hollow, The Evergreens, Felix and the Hurricanes, Jeff Webb and the Delectable Sound, Atomic Blonde, Walt & Jackie, Johnstown Renegades, Cam & Mary and Ole 97.

"We sent out an email to some of our past performers letting them know of our situation and asked if they'd be interested in participating," Flynn said.

"Some of them are doing an original special recording for us and some are sending things they already have. We're compiling them all together into a playlist."

She said the playlist offers an array of musical genres.

"There's tons of variety," Flynn said. "Probably the most well-known performer is Scott Blasey from The Clarks, but we have Striped Maple Hollow playing bluegrass, Felix and the Hurricanes with classic rock and Atomic Blonde with '80s music and Ole 97, a Johnny Cash cover band, so no matter what you like, you should be able to find something that you want to crank up on our playlist."

Interspersed between the music videos, there will be clips about the Cambria County Library.

"We're trying to showcase a little bit about what we do here but also help our ticket purchasers understand exactly how their ticket helps fund programs that we do all yearlong at the library," Flynn said.

"Typically, we have folks who might not be regular library users who come to Night Music and they're able to get a taste of what the library is like and what we have to offer.

"We'll be missing that from this year, so we're hoping by having these library service segments, they'll be able to get some of that just the same."

She said the event is vital for the library.

"This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, both in terms of the financial impact for the library and the physical scale and scope, so the loss of this last year was really significant," she said.

"The past year hasn't been easy for anybody and we appreciate how much people are willing to do to financially support the library."

Funds brought in help the library to balance its budget.

"It enables us to do some services that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford, so things like virtual programming, newer adult programs and technology in the building are supported by the funds from the event," Flynn said.

"Our library services would look very different if we weren't able to bring in this additional income."

For those who participate in Night Music 2 Go, Flynn hopes they have an entertaining evening.

"If they're a longtime supporter, I hope it reminds them of Night Music in the past, and if they're new to the event, I hope they get a taste of what the event is like," Flynn said.

"I also hope everybody takes away a little bit more information about the library — whether it's a program or service they didn't know we offer."

The goal is to bring back Night Music @ the Library for 2022.

"I think everybody is longing for that personal connection that you get when you're enjoying live music together and we're eager to offer that again," Flynn said.

Tickets, which are $40 per person and can be purchased through April 22, are available at the library's circulation desk or online at cclsys.org.

For more information, call 814-536-5131.