By Jimmy Fisher
jfisher@timesleader.com
PITTSTON — As the calendar turns to July, the Second Friday Art Walk will invade Main Street in Pittston once again.
Special guests are a common theme for each art walk with last month’s event featuring the return of nationally-publicized photographer Laura Kiselevach.
A former Pittston resident, Kiselevach received national recognition with her published works in newspapers such as the New York Times and magazines such as Roadside Fiction.
Main Street Manager Rose Randazzo says Kiselevach’s return went better than expected.
“She sold out of her photos,” Randazzo said. “She couldn’t even have dinner and she stayed at her post from 5 to 9 p.m. and never left it. (Laura) said it was like a whirlwind experience for her. She loved it and she wants to come back again.”
This month’s Second Friday Art Walk will feature a special guest in Mike Pilato, whom Randazzo said will begin work on the Inspiration Mural.
“He wants to be involved with the art walk and this is it,” said Randazzo. “He’s installing the mural for the next few weeks and this is the beginning of the installation. He’ll be painting until about 8 p.m. and then he’ll be at Palazzo 53 for a meet and greet and answer questions about the mural.”
Randazzo said people can come and watch Pilato paint if they wish, although he will only paint certain parts for the mural. She doesn’t want too much to be revealed before it’s Sept. 5 unveiling.
In addition to Pilato’s appearance, new features include a hoola hoop troop, which will be all over Main Street entertaining people with their hoola hoop tricks.
One cool feature Randazzo says will be “Mike the Bike.”
“‘Mike the Bike’ is a 10 person bike that has a table in it and he picks up people at the bars and you can go down the streets drinking your drink,” she said.
Well-known oil painter William D. Hobbs will also make an appearance at the art walk and will be located in front of Live With It.
This month’s Second Friday Art Walk will extend further up North Main Street to accommodate the number of artists on hand.
Randazzo said the art walk has grown beyond just a neighborhood gathering for the Greater Pittston area
“A lot of out-of-towners come in from Clarks Summit, Back Mountain, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre,” she said. “This is a central location for Luzerne and Lackawanna County; it’s no longer a neighborhood block party and now it’s very regional.”
Randazzo also wants to remind everyone to stop at Art on Main to pick up a map of participants artists and their locations.
The walk will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, July 10 with face painting for children in Pocket Park and musicians busking up and down Main Street.
There will also be music in the lower Tomato Festival lot.
After July, the Second Friday Art Walk will go on a one-month hiatus due to the Tomato Festival in August. The art walk will return on Friday, Sept. 11 for its last of the year.
Reach Jimmy Fisher at 570-704-3972 or on Twitter @SD_JimmyFisher
