It’s Johnstown!
- Famous Coney Island Hot Dog Shop. Photo credit: Roxann Jones
Try a taste of Johnstown!
- Mmm! Sub sandwich
Subs: You may know them as hoagies, torpedoes, grinders, heroes, or any other name, but in Johnstown these delicious Italian sandwiches are known as subs, short for submarine sandwiches. Sub shops are available in just about any Johnstown suburb; popular chain shops and Mom & Pop locations. The sandwiches vary in size, but are most commonly served in a 12” version served on crunchy Italian bread and stuffed with salami, Italian meats and cheeses, veggies, and sprinkled with Italian dressing and spices. Eaten for lunch, dinner, snacks or during the big game, subs are often sold by local groups (i.e. Boy Scouts and church groups) as fund raisers. These delicious sandwiches can be found at several locations around Johnstown including Em's Original Sub Shop.
- Morley's Dog Art Project, replica of Morley's Dog
Morley’s Dog, located at the corner of Market and Main Streets in downtown Johnstown, this French bloodhound statue was owned by James Morley, who was the head of transportation for the Cambria Iron Company in the late 1800’s. Legend describes how the dog came to life during the Great Flood of 1889 and rescued victims swept away by the flood waters! In reality, Morley’s Dog simply served as a lawn ornament at the Morley home at the corner of Main and Walnut Street in downtown Johnstown.
Today, the beloved canine is part of a fund-raising campaign for Cambria County Crime Stoppers and the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center. The reproductions are purchased by area businesses and organizations, artistically rendered, and placed on display. The first Morley’s Dog Art Project is located at the Welcome Center in the Greater Johnstown/
Cambria County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 416 Main Street, downtown Johnstown. An exact replica of the original Morley’s Dog is located in the City of Johnstown’s parklet, located at the corner of Main and Market Streets.
- Chocolate Gobs
According to the Tribune-Democrat, folklorist and archivist Susan Kalcik believes that Johnstown’s Gob, the popular cake-like pastry, became a favorite dessert because of local coal miners and steel workers. Men carried them in their lunches and “the little cake with the icing on the inside instead of the outside served its purpose,” explained Kalcik. She is convinced that the name “gob,” often known as Whoopie Pies in other parts of the state, was derived from the miners. “Lumps of coal refuse were called gob piles. These working people adapted the name to the dessert,” said Kalcik.
Technically, the name “gob” belongs to Tim Yost, owner of Johnstown-based Dutch Maid Bakery, who ships cases of the treats across the country.
Although the most popular flavor is chocolate, gobs can be found in pumpkin, banana, peanut butter, and many other concoctions.
- Coney Island hot dog
Whether you go for the food or the experience, a trip to Johnstown is not complete until you have visited Coney Island! Operated by four generations of the Contacos family since 1916, Coney Island prepares their famous hot dogs topped with their secret chili recipe, hamburgers, and the popular sundowner sandwich — a hamburger topped with a fried egg, mustard, secret chili sauce, and onions. Order your hot dogs and watch apron-clad servers line up the hot dogs along their arm from wrist to bicep, quickly smearing on the works, and serving them up in record time! Whether you grab lunch or dinner, or visit Coney Island after the Chiefs hockey game, the food and fun promises to be an experience you won’t soon forget!
