PITTSTON CITY — Pittston Tomato Festival Chairperson Lori Nocito said Tomato Fights are a great way to blow off steam.
“It’s where people can come and release a lot of stress and have a lot of fun,” Nocito said. “It’s fun to participate; everyone on the committee has probably done it once. It’s so different than watching it, but when you watch it, it’s a lot of fun to see people having such a good time.”
At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, spectators and participants will gather at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the parking lot near Cooper’s Seafood, 304 Kennedy Blvd., for the most delightfully violent portion of the Pittston Tomato Festival. Registration for Tomato Fights starts at 11 a.m. and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Cooper’s seafood is donating the tomatoes for this year’s free-for-all, but the Tomato Festival Committee has taken control of planning.
“It’s going to be the same as always,” Nocito said.
For the sake of first-timers, “the same as always” means a lot of people throwing a lot of tomatoes. Don’t wear the Sunday best — unless, of course, you plan to come in costume.
Nocito and the committee members are currently looking for volunteers to help with registration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, email Nocito at Lori@LeadershipWilkes-Barre.org.
Nocito said cleanup after the frantic, photogenic fight takes no longer than a half hour.
“We have Jimmy Zarra, he gets heavy equipment, like a bulldozer; he takes the bulldozer and the fire department helps us with hosing down the lot,” Nocito said. “We have big brooms, so the committee uses them to clean the lot. It’s fun to watch the cleanup, too.”
