First Posted: 5/4/2015
WEST PITTSTON — With trees in full bloom, comfortably warm temperatures and a blue sky checkered with clouds that were picturesque rather than ominous, May 3 offered an ideal spring setting for the second day of West Pittston’s 44th annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
By noon, the festival grounds were already starting to fill with people who came to enjoy the food, live entertainment and dozens of vendors displaying their arts and crafts or complimentary business services.
On one end of the lot, which borders the west side of the Susquehanna River, stood the festival stage, where all performers showed off their talents throughout the weekend. On the side of the grounds opposite the stage, a cluster of carnival games, a bounce house, and pony rides brought amusement to younger attendees.
Terri Zezza, the chairperson of publicity for the Cherry Blossom Festival Committee, was pleased with the weekend’s turnout, noting that the Little Miss Cherry Blossom pageant drew a great crowd. She added that many people showed up for the food such as the homemade chicken wings and french fries, but she also said the committee is trying to attract more people every year.
This year, the committee sold banners at $150 each to raise money and to widen their spectrum of advertising for the event. They also arranged an appearance by Scout, the mascot of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, hoping to bring in baseball fans during the beginning of the season.
Currently an Exeter resident, Zezza is originally from West Pittston and she intends on moving back there, but she said that since the flood in 2011 it has become somewhat of a “ghost town.” “We’re trying to make West Pittston come back since the flood,” said Zezza. “We’re trying to bring it back and let it be stronger.”
Strong voices could be heard throughout the grounds as the Wyoming Area Drama Club kicked off Sunday’s entertainment performing songs from their production of “Beauty and the Beast” for an audience that nearly filled out all of the available chairs. Ray Hopkins and Matt Bohn, two Wyoming Area seniors, warmed up their voices backstage while their fellow thespians captivated the crowd. The pair grew up together in West Pittston and it was special for them to perform in front of a local audience.
“It gives us another chance to perform our music,” said Hopkins. “Personally, as a senior, I wasn’t ready to be finished with drama (club), and to give it for the community, more people are able to see it than if they hadn’t been able to go to the show.”
Gina Malsky, the entertainment coordinator for the Cherry Blossom Festival Committee said that all of the acts did a great job and that the performances are a big draw for people who attend the festival.
In addition to the Little Miss Cherry Blossom Pageant and the WA Drama Club, crowds were entertained by the Perfect Harmony School of Music under the direction of Beth Connor, the Dance Theatre of Wilkes-Barre (Malsky’s own dance troupe), the David Blight dancers, the Rockstreet Trio and the Jeanne Zano trio among others throughout the weekend.
Malsky called the lineup “community-oriented” meaning that even the acts that would normally be considered headliners accepted very little for their time and effort. “What we generate and what we give back is growing,” she said, noting that much of the money raised goes back to community organizations and the few hundred dollars that is left over is given out in a scholarship.
Ralph Salerno, the president of the committee, also stressed a sense of altruism among organizers and participants. “Community involvement was big,” he said, explaining that the Wyoming Area Key Club and local Kiwanis Chapter were instrumental in the operation of the food tent, which was run by Bob and Pat Messina.
Tim Fenner of Exeter said the food is one reason that he attends the festival, but this year he and his wife, Pam, brought their 2-year-old granddaughter, Ellery. Ellery got to experience her first Cherry Blossom Festival and her first pony ride in one day.
“It’s very nice,” said Pam Fenner. “There’s something for everybody.
The variety of things to do brought Bill Harry, of Exeter, and his three children, 10-year-old Bryce, 9-year-old Kayla and 6-year-old Bree to the festival grounds to enjoy the day together.
Bryce said that his favorite part of the event was the food and the games and Kayla enjoyed the lip-syncing the most. Traditionally, a lip-syncing contest was part of the entertainment, but this year it is an option to perform a lip-syncing piece in Cherry Blossom’s Got Talent, a new feature of the festival.
“It’s just nice to come out with the kids,” said Harry. “They like to come out here and have a good time, see what’s going on and see the shows.”
For Zezza, seeing the community come out to enjoy what the festival has to offer is about more than a good time on a spring weekend. For her the event symbolizes her home and her past, and a culture that she intends to preserve.
“I love everybody here, and I love West Pittston,” she said. “It’s hard to put into words, but when you love something that much, you hate to see it die.”
