AUGUST 2023:
Thursday, August 3rd – 6 pm - Come to see the full docudrama by Lenny Pinna – A Face from Uranus: The Hidden Life of Tedd Burr. Run time is approx. 2 hours.
Friday, August 4th –
Starting at 9 am, L. E. Martin will be here at the shop much of the day to sign her books.
First Friday in Johntown’s Central Park – 6 to 9 pm – Classic Elements will be selling wine. Come listen to the Smooth Sound Band and relax with a glass of our award-winning wines!
Monday, August 7th – Acclaimed author Idra Novey will be here at Classic Elements at 5:30 to do a reading and discussion of her newest book Take What You Need. You can buy the book here and have her sign your copy! Don’t miss it! Then – see August 17th entry – this is our book club book for August. Come join us for that too!
Wednesday, August 9th – National Book Lover’s Day – come get a book from one of your favorite authors or peruse our curated collection!
Thursday, August 10th – 5:30 pm - Dr. Charles Kupchella returns for another of his critical thinking presentations and discussions. The topic this time is The Challenge of Separating Church and State. Come join us for what is sure to be a very lively discussion.
Sunday, August 13th – Sunday on the Green – get your tickets at galleryongazebo.org. We will be selling our wines that day – and our lemonades and teas will be included in your meal options.
Thursday, August 17th – Classic Elements Book Club at 6:00 pm. We are reading Take What you Need by Idra Novey (see the August 7th entry above). Our book club meets the 3rd Thursday of each month. Come join us! We have a Facebook group called Classic Elements Book Club if you’d like to join that group, but you can also reach out to us any time for the current book club read.
Friday, August 18th – Wine & Rhyme with Margaret Brabham (one of our very own Spice Sisters whose delicious spreads, jellies, and spice mixtures are available here in the shop!). Come share poetry, read, or just listen! Everyone is welcome.
Holiday Wine Bottle Painting Class with Local Artist Jen Boden
Holiday edition painting class!
We’ll be making poinsettia wine bottle lights, and to boost the classy factor, wine available for purchase at the wine bar. All painting levels welcome, step by step instructions given, and hands on help as needed! All supplies provided, your choice of green or white bottle
2 hours, $40, limited seating so contact Classics to sign up!
ClasssicElementsJohnstown@gmail.com, (814) 254-4312, or stop by the store
Fa la la la la
Robert Jeschonek Book Signing & Discussion: Glosser Bros Holiday Tales
Robert Jeschonek Book Signing & Discussion: Glosser Bros Holiday Tales
Welcome back to the most classic department store of all, where every day is a sale, and every holiday is unforgettable. Grab your brown-and-white striped shopping bag, breathe in the smell of roasted nuts, and celebrate the good old days in Glosser Bros. style. This book collects, for the first time ever, the complete series of holiday stories set at the Glosser Bros. Department Store, plus two brand-new novelettes that you can find only in this volume—New Year’s Eve at Glosser’s and Saint Patrick’s Day at Glosser’s. If you adore reading about this legendary Johnstown, Pennsylvania retailer and the people who worked and shopped there…love classic department stores in general…or just can’t get enough nostalgic, heartwarming, and surprising stories, your prayers have been answered. Turn back the clock, turn up the magic, and lose yourself in this treasury of touching tales about a store like no other.
Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Class
$50 per person
Includes:
All Materials
Hands-on Learning
Artisanal Tastings
Hand Out
Finished 13" Charcuterie Wreath
Register by calling Classic Elements @ 814-254-4312
or by messaging our instructor, Ellen Mostoller or by texting her at 814-242-5394
Board contents subject to change.
Cancellation policy: No cancellations or refunds will be made after November 28 unless your spot can be filled
Book Club: The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
We have decided to give more time to complete this book as it is a bit longer than our typical book club picks. Copies are available at the shop
Charcuterie Class
Join us for our inaugural charcuterie board class. This fun and interactive class will teach you all the ins and outs of making a perfect charcuterie board!
$40 per person
Includes all materials.
Hands on learning.
3 expert wine pairings.
Artisanal Tastings.
Take-home handout.
Finished charcuterie board.
You can register with Classic Elements at:
345 Main St. Johnstown, PA 15901
814-254-4312
classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com
Cancellation policy: cancellations must be made within 7 days prior to the event for a full refund. Any cancellation after that time will receive a $20 refund unless your spot can be filled.
Book Club: Just Mercy
About the Book:
Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.
Rachel Allen Book Launch of Blessings Beyond Bypass
Rachel Allen’s Book Launch of Blessings Beyond Bypass
Monday, Sept 19th
4pm -6pm
Classic Elements - 345 Main St. Johnstown, PA 15901
This isn’t your typical book of blessings.
Find inspiration and encouragement to process and transform challenging emotions into action with blessings grounded in activism and spirituality.
Author Rachel Allen, a well-respected yoga instructor, and social justice activist, tenderly illuminates the way through (not around) individual and collective suffering to discover hope and possibility.
Blessings Beyond Bypass features small blessings that read like mantras and medicine bundles for moving through liminal times, processing anger and grief, stirring spiritual activism, discovering truth, and expanding capacity for growth, community, and resilience.
It is a must-have resource for yoga teachers, wellness leaders, mindfulness coaches, spiritual guides, and social justice activists for use in classrooms and at events and retreats.
Book Signing & Discussion of Disastrous Floods and the Demise of Steel in Johnstown with Pat Farabaugh
About the Book
Johnstown is synonymous with floodwaters and steel. When the city was decimated by a flood of biblical proportions in 1889, it was considered one of the worst natural disasters in American history and gained global attention. Sadly, that deluge was only the first of three major floods to claim lives and wreak havoc in the region. The destruction in the wake of the St. Patrick’s Day flood in 1936 was the impetus for groundbreaking federal and local flood control measures. Multiple dam failures, including the Laurel Run Dam in July 1977, left a flooded Johnstown with a failing steel industry in ruins. Author Pat Farabaugh charts the harrowing history of Johnstown’s great floods and the effects on its economic lifeblood.
About the Author
Pat Farabaugh is a professor of communications at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. He has also taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Penn State University. He earned his PhD in political and cultural communications from Penn State. His previous books include Carl McIntire’s Crusade Against the Fairness Doctrine and An Unbreakable Bond: The Brotherhood of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman. He is also a contributing author to American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. He and his wife, Jenna, live in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Graham Spanier Presentation/Book Signing for New Memoir: In the Lions’ Den: The Penn State Scandal and a Rush to Judgment
Graham Spanier Presentation/Book Signing for New Memoir: In the Lions’ Den: The Penn State Scandal and a Rush to Judgment
September 14th - 6PM
Classic Elements - 345 Main St. Johnstown, PA 15901
The Story
After sixteen years as president of Penn State, Graham Spanier found his life and career turned upside down almost overnight in November 2011 in a firestorm of breaking news concerning alleged child sexual abuse by Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach. Little did Spanier know that his life would unravel in a nightmare of false accusations and labyrinthine legal proceedings stemming from a scandal surrounding a man he barely knew and who hadn’t been in Penn State’s employ since 1998. In the Lions’ Den is a personal memoir, told by a central figure caught up in the crush of those events. It reveals how and why the university and many individuals, including Spanier himself and legendary football coach Joe Paterno, were unfairly targeted in a colossal miscarriage of justice.
In the Lions’ Den exposes those who made false accusations, either for political or financial gain, including the former Director of the FBI, whose investigation was widely condemned; the governor of Pennsylvania who was voted out of office because of his central role in the matter; the grandstanding NCAA president who imposed penalties that would ultimately be reversed; an attorney general elected on a promise to investigate the injustice who would soon be sent to prison for her crimes emanating from the calamity; the grand jury judge who would be accused of wrongdoing in the saga by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; the lead prosecutor whose license to practice law would be suspended by the supreme court for his malpractice; and the university’s general counsel who would be censured by the supreme court for her malfeasance in representing Penn State officials.
The book also touches on the infamous Pennsylvania “Porngate” scandal that revealed a pornography ring operated out of the Office of Attorney General by many of the same prosecutors, investigators, judges, and state police commissioner who relentlessly pursued Spanier.
Charles Kupchella Book Launch of Our First Civil War: A Novel
Beginning at 2:15 PM, the author will give an illustrated 30 minute presentation followed by a group consideration of the question: "What is the likelihood of another Civil War in America?”
Book Summary
John C. Noel and Daan Morris Kiel are two young Pennsylvanians living through the American Civil War. Both have inherited a deep disdain for war. However, as they each grow frustrated by early Union setbacks and a mounting belief in the righteousness of abolition, reluctance gives way to inspiration, and they join the Union Army.
The two men meet in Castle Thunder Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Noel has already escaped from capture once, and both men have experienced the life-altering harshness of war. The two soldiers join forces to escape and get back into the fight as part of the force that brings about Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
From the author’s keen research emerges a historically detailed, thought- provoking fictional story inspired by the real lives of Noel and Kiel, who are connected to the author through the family history of his wife, Adele (Kiel). This epic, deeply human saga examines patriotism, altruism, and life’s difficult choices and offers readers a reflection on the lasting impacts of war on people and communities.
Watercolor Class with Local Artist Jen Boden - Foggy Mountainscape
Create your own watercolor painting with in-class instruction. All supplies provided! Beginner to intermediate skill level - $40/person. Sign up through Classic Elements via email (classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com) or via phone (814-254-4312). Come early to shop. Wine bar and cafe also will be open. Class includes an intro to watercolor basics, demonstration by Jen Boden, instructor, and step-by-step instruction and assistance. Class is expected to last for two hours, but may take a little more or less time.
Classic Elements Book Club: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Classic Elements Book Club: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Monday, June 20th at 6:00PM
Cost: $5
(snacks & coffee provided)
Please Register at Classic Elements at 814-254-4312 or classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com
About the Book:
Fifty-one years, nine months and four days have passed since Fermina Daza rebuffed hopeless romantic Florentino Ariza's impassioned advances and married Dr Juvenal Urbino instead. During that half-century, Flornetino has fallen into the arms of many delighted women, but has loved none but Fermina.
When Fermina's husband is killed trying to retrieve his pet parrot from a mango tree, Florentino seizes his chance to declare his enduring love. But can young love find new life in the twilight of their lives?
Grand Opening - New Wine Bar & Cafe Expansion
Join us for Classic Elements Grand Opening of the new Wine Bar and Cafe expansion on Friday, June 10th at 1pm!
Enjoy live music as the Kupchella Brothers perform an acoustic set. There will be tastings of our authentic New York bagels and drink sampling’s of our hand-squeezed lemonade, special recipe iced tea, and strong cold brew.
Classic Elements Book Club: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Classic Elements Book Club: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Monday, May 23rd at 6:00PM
Cost: $5
(snacks & coffee provided)
Please Register at Classic Elements at 814-254-4312 or classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com
About the Book:
Here is the unforgettable story of the Binewskis, a circus-geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities (with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes). Their offspring include Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious—and dangerous—asset.
As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.
Meet the Author & Book Signing Event with Author & Illustrator of The Enpirion Project- L. Bossi
Meet L. Bossi, the author and illustrator of The Enpirion Project!
Saturday, April 30th - 1pm
345 Main St. Johnstown, PA 15901
About the book:
Welcome to Aetrelys, home of the Seri.
Enpirion, a gifted soldier of his ancient, energy-wielding race, awakens, alone and friendless, in a new home after a terrible ordeal that has left him with both physical and mental scars. Placed back into active service, he finds himself struggling to overcome what he's been through and the problems it has left him with. Even while desperately trying to cope with his own deep-seated issues, Piri is drawn into a far-reaching dilemma that, while on the surface seems to be merely a fanatical human sector targeting his race, has much further reaching consequences.
With a threat arising from a vastly different domain governed by a unique, chaotic and conflicting energy source, the situation begins to quickly spiral out of control and Piri finds himself having to confront issues with his culture and loyalties, as well as fighting an internal battle with a newly arising realization of who and what he is as he struggles to save everything that he knows from destruction.
RSVP via messenger, by calling the shop at 814-254-4312, or email us at classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com
The Art of Crafting with Ellen
Shop - Chalk & Wine!
Fee: $22
This fun event will include the opportunity to shop after hours in Classic Elements & create your own unique & whimsical sign! Over 50 different images to choose from & light refreshments will be served!
Register in store or by calling us at 814-254-7702
Cancellations must be made 7 days before workshop date for refund. Cancellations made less than 7 days will not receive a refund, but will receive the finished project created by Ellen
Classic Elements Book Club: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Classic Elements Book Club: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Monday, April 11th - 6PM
345 Main St. Johnstown, PA
Cost: $5
Snacks & coffee provided.
Please register by one of the following:
- In person at the shop.
- Messenger
- Phone: 814-254-4312
- Email: classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com
Winner of the National Book Award and a New York Times Top 10 Books of the Year. A finalist for the Kirkus Prize, Andrew Carnegie Medal, Aspen Words Literary Prize, and a New York Times bestseller, this majestic, stirring, and widely praised novel from two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, the story of a family on a journey through rural Mississippi, is a “tour de force” (O, The Oprah Magazine) and a timeless work of fiction that is destined to become a classic.
Book Discussion & Signing with Joyce St. Anthony
Author, Joyce St. Anthony will be joining us on March 26th at 1pm to discuss her new book, Front Page Murder, that will be released March 8th.
About the Book: Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Rhys Bowen, FRONT PAGE MURDER (Crooked Lane Books / March 8, 2022 / $26.99) is a WWII-era historical mystery about a small-town editor with a nose for news and an eye for clues.
Irene Ingram has written for her father’s newspaper, the Progress Herald, ever since she could grasp a pencil. Now she’s editor in chief, which doesn’t sit well with the men in the newsroom. But proving her journalistic bona fides is the least of Irene’s worries when crime reporter Moe Bauer, on the heels of a hot tip, turns up dead at the foot of his cellar stairs.
An accident? That’s what Police Chief Walt Turner thinks, and Irene is inclined to agree until she finds the note Moe discreetly left on her desk. He was on to a big story, he wrote. The robbery she’d assigned him to cover at Markowicz Hardware turned out to be something far more devious. A Jewish store owner in a small, provincial town, Sam Markowicz received a terrifying message from a stranger. Moe suspected that Sam is being threatened not only for who he is…but for what he knows.
Tenacious Irene senses there’s more to the Markowicz story, which she is all but certain led to Moe’s murder. When she’s not filling up column inches with the usual small-town fare—locals in uniform, victory gardens, and scrap drives—she and her best friend, scrappy secretary Peggy Reardon, search for clues. If they can find the killer, it’ll be a scoop to stop the presses. But if they can’t, Irene and Peggy may face an all-too-literal deadline.
About the Author: Joyce St. Anthony was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. She is the author of the award-winning Brewing Trouble mysteries set in Pittsburgh. A native Pittsburgher, she now lives in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania with her husband.
The Art of Crafting with Ellen - Wood Bunny & Carrots
Wood Bunny & Carrots
$30 per person
Join us for this fun event! Shop after hours in Classic Elements, create your own wood bunny sign and two carrots all while enjoying some light refreshments.
Event will be featuring @armstrongvalleywinery wines for an additional fee.
Register today at Classic Elements, by calling the store at 814-254-4312, or emailing us at classicelementsjohnstown@gmail.com
Cancellations must be made 7 days before workshop date for refund. Cancellations made less than 7 days will not receive a refund, but will receive the finished project created by Ellen.
Classic Elements Books Club - The Things We Cannot Say
Classic Elements Book Club
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
Monday, March 7th - 6PM
345 Main St. Johnstown, PA
Cost: $5
Snacks & coffee provided.
Please register by one of the following:
- In person at the shop.
- Messenger
- Phone: 814-254-4312
- Email: classicelementjohnstown@gmail.com
About the book: In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the Russian refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century.
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents’ farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.
Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative that weaves together two women’s stories into a tapestry of perseverance, loyalty, love and honor. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.