This weekend, people will get the chance to learn about a major piece of history that forever changed Johnstown.


This is the second year that the Johnstown Area Heritage Association and the National Park Service will put together a bus tour to mark the anniversary of the 1889 Johnstown Flood.

Organizers said even those people who are history buffs might be surprised at what they can learn by taking the tour.

Shelley Johansson, director of marketing and communication for JAHA, said a lot of people know the story but want to know it better.

JAHA and the park service will give the public a deeper look at the flood and its impact by offering a bus tour on Saturday, hosted by costume interpreters portraying survivors and heroes of the disaster.

"As you driver from the downtown sites to the Johnstown National Memorial, you're traveling the actual path of the flood and people will be telling you stories," Johansson said.

This year, the tour will also include the Grand Army of the Republic building in downtown Johnstown, which Johansson said is an area that people don't normally get to see.

On Sunday, people will get the chance to take part in the presentation of an iconic statue that's restoration has taken eight years.

"Morely's Dog is a whimsical symbol of Johnstown -- a really difficult episode in our history but everybody love's Morely's Dog and he has recently been restored," she said. "It has not been the fastest process. It was a really difficult process. There was a lot of things that needed to be fixed and solved, but the dog is in wonderful shape now (and) looks beautiful."

The restoration of the statue has taken eight years to complete.

For those who would like to take to tour, reservations are encouraged. For more information, call the Heritage Discovery Center at (814) 539-1889.