A lot of words starting with the letter "r" have been associated with downtown Johnstown over the past few years. Revitalization. Redefine. Restoration. On the third Tuesday of this November, the owner of Press Bistro used the word "revolution". Whatever "r" word you choose, the best way to describe it is "real".
The pep talk about revolution was part of a Progressive Dinner hosted by Press and Balance restaurants, a culinary collaboration of two small businesses that flank Central Park like suppertime soldiers. My restaurant resume consists of watching Netflix and then using Play-Doh to invent dishes for my daughters. Nailed it!
So, as you can imagine, Press and Balance wanted to impress me, the local Wolfgang Puck. Everything I've ever heard about owning a restaurant is summarized by the consensus that it is hard. Eating at restaurants is easy, especially when you get a babysitter for a Progressive Dinner where you don't have to order. The food just comes out. Nailed it!
This progressive concept, months in the making, was executed to near perfection by the masterminds behind Press and Balance. The fusion of food, family, and friends traveled from one restaurant to the next. Our table shared laughs and reviews. It felt like an episode of Chopped except there was no validity in voting a chef off the show. Everything was excellent.
Three days later, I dashed downtown. After a Progressive Dinner, one's weight progresses. Alas, the annual Ugly Sweater Run is an opportunity to run past Press and Balance and burn off seafood risotto. (I could have lived in that risotto. Built a house there...) Anyway, the Ugly Sweater Run is the 2-mile warm-up to Light Up Night hosted by Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership. This warm-up was in almost freezing temperatures with wind gusts. My Santa beard was disheveled yet children still offered their support as I maneuvered down Main Street.
Upon crossing the finish line, I freed my beard from the Santa beard. It was a lot of fun and a lot of beard. My family embraced me like an Olympian, partially because my mother was incorrectly telling people my goal time was 10 minutes. Even if I was offered a lifetime of seafood risotto, I don't think I could pull off 2 miles in 10 minutes. My children were not concerned about my time. It was time for the parade.
Parades are such a funny concept. I imagine the original parade pitch had some critics.
"We are going to get a bunch of people to participate in organized traffic. It will all move really slow. Spectators can line the streets and cheer for the traffic. Oh, and this is best in cold weather. We will throw some candy at them. It will be great!"
The 2019 Christmas parade featured some true entertainers. There was a Grinch on foot that did showstopping creepy work. A shepherd, dressed in blue, did some ridiculous and exceptional dancing on board the Environmental Tank and Container float. Imagine Bethlehem with a disco ball...and an environmental tank. The Peanuts always bring joy to the soul and of course high school band drumming never disappoints my offspring.
Post-parade thee tree light up in all thy glory. Central Park was full of anticipation as the countdown clock summoned a burst of red, green, and silver. My eldest daughter was on my shoulders, the warm-back-up workout after the Ugly Sweater run. There is nothing like having 45 pounds distributed on your shoulders as the colors of Christmas radiate in the autumn air.
The downtown experience is real. While there is a seasonal sensation downtown, a mighty big and bright tree, there are year-round businesses sparking the revitalization / redefinition / restoration / revolution.
Thank you to all those who made Light Up Night a success and to those lighting up downtown Johnstown day after day, all-year-round.
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