Heritage Johnstown regularly opens the Ethnic Social Club to the public on the last Friday of the month at 5:00 pm, with music starting at 5:30. (Sometimes we move the Friday earlier in the month, due to a holiday or other conflict — also, Last Fridays take a hiatus in the summer months as our focus shifts to events season at Peoples Natural Gas Park.) This casual, relaxed event is free, and is a great way to end the month. Guest bartenders from a variety of local organizations and businesses add to the fun!
Visit our special events page for Last Friday information, as well as other events for the whole family.
Here are the dates for the 2025-2026 season:
The Ethnic Social Club was added to the Heritage Discovery Center during its 2007-2008 renovation. Located on the fourth floor of the building, the club’s bar, furnishings and decorations create the authentic atmosphere of a Johnstown ethnic social club. This space is used for special events that are sponsored by Heritage Johnstown and other organizations, and is available to rent for private events.
The bar and backbar in the social club date from the 1940s and were designed in the Art Moderne style, and have been carefully restored. They were part of the West End Polish Citizens Club, which was originally founded to help Polish immigrants become citizens. The club was located on Fairfield Avenue before it closed in the early 1990s. Other furnishings in the club, including the tables and a blackboard, come from the Slovenian Home in Lorain Borough.
The red and black linoleum tile floor was chosen to complete the atmosphere of an authentic social club. Other decorations include a metal poster for Grossvader Old German Lager, which was once brewed in Johnstown by the Emmerling Brewing Co.
Ethnic social clubs played a major role in Johnstown’s history, and many are still active today. At their peak, more than 100 clubs were active in Johnstown. Initially, they were founded to help recent immigrants adjust to life in America, providing needed social and economic support, including insurance benefits, citizenship classes, English classes and more. By the end of World War II, most clubs filled a purely social function, and as the clubs’ native languages shifted into disuse many clubs began admitting members of other ethnic groups.
