downtown and business community, has become well known throughout the borough for putting on a host of events catering to residents. “We put on a series of annual events and every year we have different things going on. It is almost one per month throughout the year which highlights the downtown district,” Koss offers. “Our largest event which drew around 37,000 attendees last year, is the Potato Fest, the last Saturday in September. We also have a Dickens of a Christmas weekend in December and an Art and Bloom art show at our Cambria County Courthouse the last weekend of April,” Koss adds. Thousands of people attend Ebensburg’s Wheels and Wings event and the Main Street Partnership puts on other smaller events regularly including the Downtown Shutdown, the Ebensburg Homecoming, and the Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony in Veteran’s Park, located within the borough. “These events add vibrancy to the downtown and establish a sense of community for our residents and visitors to come back for these events and enjoy them with family and friends. Also, our businesses benefit, opening their doors for people to come in and see what they have to offer which is a win-win for the community,” Koss remarks. HOMETOWN BUSINESS PULL When asked about local business success stories, Mayor Datsko draws attention to an influential business that traces its roots back to a small ‘mom and pop’ business that started as a small architectural and engineering firm. “Mr. Kimball had been a pilot in World War Two and he then came back and rented a second-floor office space from an attorney and developed his business, formerly known as Kimball Engineering and after being bought out by Gannett Fleming, it is now operating under the name Trans Systems. At one point they had 400 employees at the building that was the summer home for the Bissell family,” Mayor Datsko states. Other notable success stories include an Ebensburg doubling as an event space and where the popular concerts in the park series is held. The Ebensburg Main Street Partnership, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that works alongside the borough to improve the vitality of Ebensburg’s 166 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12
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