“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. We also have a Christmas weekend which is coming up in December and an Art and Bloom art show at our Cambria County Courthouse,” Koss adds. Thousands of people attend Ebensburg’s Wheels and Wings event and the borough puts on other smaller events regularly including the Downtown Shutdown, the Evens Homecoming, and the Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony in the borough’s Veterans Park. “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 resident who, after working for Henry Ford for a number of years, came back to the borough to set up a machine shop. Mayor Datsko relays that during the 60s and 70s, this Ebensburg-based company employed around 400 people. doubling as an event space and where the popular concerts in the park series is held. Koss has become well known throughout the borough for putting on a host of events catering to residents. 166 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12
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