First Posted: 4/17/2014
When a couple of guys “finagled,” as he put it, Roy Speece into coaching junior football 40 years ago, he had no idea his involvement would last this long nor lead to his being named Grand Marshal of the 2014 West Pittston Cherry Blossom Festival.
But Speece, 76, is just that. He will preside over a gala parade Saturday, May 3, and all the festivities of the two-day celebration on the riverbank.
The parade begins at noon on Saturday, with activities including arts and crafts vendors, food, entertainment, Little Miss Cherry Blossom Contest and children’s games, all taking place along the Susquehanna River in West Pittston near Firefighters Memorial Bridge.
The 43rd annual festival will be open at 10 a.m. Saturday and continue to 7 p.m. On Sunday, May 4, the festival runs from noon to 5 p.m.
Chosen Outstanding Citizen in conjunction with the fesitval is Tony Denisco, who just began his second term as mayor of West Pittston. Both honorees are natives of the borough affectionately called “The Garden Village.”
Speece has served as a C-Team coach for the West Pittston Rams for four decades.
“It boggles my mind, is what it does,” Speece said of his selection. “I’m thrilled I have this honor.”
Speece started just two-years into the history of the football organization. “Louie Biscotto and Jake Sobeski finagled me in,” he said with a chuckle.
It’s been a great ride, he said, especially seeing many of those young boys who now have children of their own.
There were a lot more boys playing football in his early years, Speece said. “Last year we only had enough (players) on the A-team. The B-team had a lot of kids and C and D both didn’t have enough to field a team.”
Now retired, Speece worked at many crafts, but a little known fact is he was a racecar driver in his younger days.
“I used to drag race at the Pocono Drag Lodge with my ’56 Chevy and I drove one year of stock car and my sponsor wouldn’t sponsor me anymore because I kept rolling the car,” Speece said.
He garnered two trophies from drag racing. His racing days ended, he said, when his first son was born.
Speece and his wife, Mary Ann, are the parents of Eric and Jason. Eric and his wife Cathie have a son, Ethan, 9. Jason and his partner, Nicole Budzak, have two children: Gage, 7 years old and 20-month old, Tatiana.
Denisco will be doing double duty the weekend of the festival accepting accolades as Outstanding Citizen and overseeing the event as mayor.
Denisco said is honored and humbled to receive this year’s award. “I owe a lot to the West Pittston Borough, the taxpayers whom I’m very concerned about, and selection committee for choosing me,” Denisco said.
Denisco guided West Pittston through the flood of 2011 and battled a severe illness in May of 2013. The borough has been bouncing back from the flood and so has the mayor. He said he is blessed to be in good health today.
Denisco and his wife Carmella have two children: Lori Capozucca, Pittston Twp. and Tony Denisco, West Pittston. Lori and her husband Allan have two children, Cara and Anthony. Tony is the father of Dominque and Antonio.
