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johnstown PA – Luv Saving Money

Category: johnstown PA

Harlem Globetrotters at 1st Summit Arena: Johnstown, PA

When I was growing up I remember hearing about the Harlem Globetrotters. Maybe the thing that stands out to me the post was seeing them in a couple episodes of Scooby Doo. I mean, they must be something if they were cartoonized with Scooby Doo right?

Fast forward years later. I have my own kids. And the Harlem Globetrotters are coming close to my little town. I had to take my kids. My littlest ones aren’t really into basketball but they were entertained the whole time. They were fascinated by the tricks and athleticism. Then of course they loved Globie and BIG G.

The Harlem Globetrotters newest event Spread Game did not disappoint.

Visiting the 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, PA is great too because the concessions are affordable, there’s plenty of seating for the shows they have, and it’s not hard to find.

I made a short clip on instagram with some of the play action. This was actually a mild part of the game/show.

You can hear my daughter and I laughing and commenting a little in the video.

My daughter favorite part was Big G though. She thought that was hilarious. It’s basically a big version of Globie. He bounces around on his head and everything else. She was laughing the whole time he did his performance.

They also have a merch stand available with Harlem Globetrotters basketballs, shirts, sweatbands, lariats, and more. Word of advice, bring something from home or consider making a purchase to get signed. All the players are available after the game to sign items and take pictures. They have small kids size basketballs for $20 and regular size basketballs for $30. That’s what we like to get. From each of the shows my kids went to they now each have their own autographed Harlem Globetrotters basketball.

Kids got a picture and signature from Buckets

I love that they have a diverse group of players on the team too. My kids each have their favorites. My daughter loved that fact that there was a female players. She was so excited to meet her.

Torch from the Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters Spread Game tour is still happening. Check out the Harlem Globetrotters site to see if there’s a show near you.

Then use this US Family Guide link for up to 20% off your tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters near you!

This is definitely something to do with the family, with the grandkids, or as a fun and unique date night.

We received complimentary tickets from the US Family Guide to facilitate this review.

Affordable Family Fun: Johnstown Tomahawks Games + tips when attending the game

A couple years ago, I was looking for something to do with the kids. I asked the little ones if they had any interest in going to a Johnstown Tomahawks hockey game. They said, yea sure. For some reason I found that the tickets were actually cheaper through Tickemaster than buying them directly from the 1st Summit Arena site, like half the price cheaper.

I was able to get really good seats, 2nd row from the glass seats, for $13 for adults and I think it was $10 for the kids. I wasn’t a huge hockey fan, but it was something to do. I could not believe how much the little ones and I enjoyed the experience. They really knew how to make it fun. The kids were cheering, there was a lot of action, they got the crowd involved, it was really a good time. Even the refreshments were reasonably priced. The experience made me a Johnstown Tomahawks hockey fan.

We had such a good time I had to tell my husband (who couldn’t go because he had to work). We decided for the whole family to go, even take my older boys girlfriends. That was 8 of us going and it still was under $100 for all 8 of us to get tickets when buying through Ticketmaster. To be clear, this was for regular season games not playoff games.

The Johnstown Tomahawks do theme nights. We planned that big family trip for the Star Wars themed night. All kids 12 and under received a free Star Wars light saber toy. They had tons of costumed characters and lots of vendors set up.

Since then we’ve made it a point to try to get to a couple games a year at least. Season ticket are still a little out of our reach for a family of 6 but there are definitely perks to getting season tickets.

We hadn’t made it to a game this year and we actually won a 4 pack of tickets from a facebook giveaway thanks to Pennhighlands Community College. These weren’t just any tickets though, they were Robertson cup playoff tickets! The first time we had a chance to go to a playoff game. A lot of action at this game. I have no idea how much playoff tickets usually run since we won our tickets. We had a good time though. My husband and I have talked about doing a couple Tomahawks games for a date night here and there.

Tomahawks hockey season runs from about the end of September and can run into April with playoffs. Get a Johnstown Tomahawks schedule to see when their theme nights are. They have lots of them: Star Wars, hero and princesses, and more to get more bang for your buck for the kids.

Johnstown Tomahawks game April 13. 2019

Tips for going to the game:

  • You can purchase blue and red hockey pucks for a small donation. These will be thrown out onto the ice during an intermission. If you hit the target they put on the ice you can win big money!
  • There are tons of food vendors all around the building from funnel cakes, to shrimp and fries, to dippin dots ice cream. Some vendors are more affordable than others so shop around.
  • There are always lots of marketing tables with raffles to win things like hockey sticks, jerseys, gift cards, tickets, and more. Some are for a fee and some are free you just have to check.
  • There are always vendors giving away free stuff. The kids got yoyos, we all got free raffle tickets for a chance to win a hockey stick, I got chapstick, and a sunglass pouch. All free.
  • The Johntown Tomahawks merchandise is more affordable than you would think. The kids can easily get a souvenir like a branded cowbell, foam hand, and more for $5 or less.
  • PARKING: The 1st Summit arena itself doesn’t really have it’s own parking. There are many local businesses that open up their lots for parking for a fee. This usually ranges anywhere between $3 – $5. If you can find meter parking it’s free after 5 pm on week days, on Saturdays and Sundays, and federal holidays. You can see this info on the city of Johnstown website
  • Get a schedule so you can see when theme nights are scheduled for even more fun for the kids and bonus freebies.

Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown 2019 a Fun and Free Event

Every year the Children’s Book Festival is held at the Bottleworks in the Cambria City section of Johnstown. The area itself has become a cultural district featuring the Discovery Center, Ethnic festivals, and more. The Bottleworks itself displays art from local artists and offers many classes. The first weekend of April draws families from all over the area for the Children’s Book Festival.

This free event centers around children’s books with authors, illustrators, and local businesses and educational resources pregnant. In fact, I credit the Children’s book festival for helping us discover my son’s lazy eye. The blind association was there the one year and was offering free vision screenings. I took advantage of this with my kids. They had these cool, 3D goggle looking things that tracked the eyes and they noticed my son’s one eye was off. They suggested we take the info to an ophthalmologist. We did and found that my son has very low vision in his one eye due to a lazy eye! I got off track there but there are so many great services present to learn about.

There are craft tables galore for the kids to do for free. The volunteers are all so pleasant and helpful. The first station we stopped at this year, the kids got to make vests out of paper bags.

They have a number of special events available at different times throughout the weekend. Joe Wos, a professional illustrator and maze maker, offered an illustration workshop for kids in grades 3rd to 6th grade. An awesome opportunity for kids to learn some tips and trick from a real illustrator.

Camtran, the local public transit system, has been present the last few years. The kids have an opportunity to board the bus, talk to the bus driver, explore the bus a little. This year they also offered story time on the bus.

The Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown has a book sale with new books but they also have a used book sale. My kids each picked a book from the used book sale and they were only 50 cents each! Another awesome thing they do for the kids is, every kid that attends get a FREE brand new book. They have a table set up with all kinds of titles for babies up to middle school age. So no kids walks away without a book they got to choose. I think this is awesome that they do that.

It’s fun to interact with the businesses, authors, and illustrators. We enjoy seeing Julie from Macaroni kids for the Johnstown/Altoona/Laurel Highlands area. Always there with a smile and macaroni necklaces for the kids to make. They really enjoy this craft!

There’s so much to do at the Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown, we usually don’t get to do it all. They have food truck available outside, face painting, and more. This event really renews my kids’ interest in reading. It’s a great way for kids to meet the people that actually write some of their book. It’s a great way to learn about local resource for kids.

Huge thanks to all involved in this festival. It is definitely something my kids look forward to each year. Because it’s a free event and every kids walks away with a free book, it’s help bring people from all walks of life together to share in the joy of reading!

EcoKids Dollar Days Sale different size for $1 each day of the week

EcoKids is a consignment store in Johnstown, PA  They sell gently used baby and children’s clothes, toys, shoes, and baby gear like strollers, high chairs, etc.  I LOVE EcoKids especially for me, a mom of 4 on a budget.  I was super excited to see this sale.  Starting next week (Monday July 29) they will be having a different size of clothes on sale each day that you can buy for only $1.

Here is the sales schedule for next week:

Mon., 7/29 – Sizes Birth to 12 mos. – ONLY $1
Tues., 7/30 – Sizes 18 mos. to 24 mos. – ONLY $1
Wed., 7/31 – Sizes 2T to 4T – ONLY $1
Thurs., 8/1 – Sizes 5T to 7 – ONLY $1
Fri., 8/2 – Sizes 8 to 10 – ONLY $1
Sat., 8/3 – Sizes 12 to 16 – ONLY $1

You can find EcoKids on these social networks:
Twitter: @EcoKids_PA
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