The Firefighters Memorial Bridge was closed early morning on Mother’s Day for ribbons placed on behalf of graduating seniors from Wyoming Area and Pittston Area.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Parents decorate Firefighters Memorial
PIttston Area parents work carefully in placing ribbons on the Firefirghters Memorial Bridge their graduating seniors. Left to right: Tammy Gali (son, Louis), Tiffany Costagliola (daugther, Sofia), Lori Savoy (daughter, Lily).
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Ree Ree DeLuca (son, Dominic) sets a Wyoming Area ribbon on the south side of the Firefighters Memorial Bridge.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Cheryl Scavo (son, Nick), left, and Becky Zambetti (daughter, Nicole), battle unseasonably cold temps as they attempt to tie Pittston Area ribbson to the Firefighters Memorial Bridge on Mother’s Day morning.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Area parent, Debi Maguire (daughter, Sydney), fought of a stiff windchill as she ties off another ribbon on the Firefighters Memorial Bridge.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Signs congratulating the graduating classes of Wyoming Area and Pittston Area – normally fierce rivals – were placed on the Firefighters Memorial Bridge on Mother’s Day.
PITTSTON – Wyoming Area and Pittston Area have been cross-town rivals since the fall of 1966, but on this past Mother’s Day, the two schools became one and joined forces to show unity for the class of 2020 about to graduate under difficult time in a month with COVID-19.
Senior parents associations from both schools rallied around an idea by Ree Ree DeLuca, whose son Dominic is heading to Penn State University and will be graduating from Wyoming Area in June, came up with the idea to decorate the Firefighters Memorial Bridge with bows and ribbons representing each school district.
“We used to be heavily involved for football with putting bows on the bridge and it kind of got dropped and I thought we have to do something and we have to do something with both sides,” DeLuca said. “I made one phone call to my friend at Pittston Area to see whom their senior representative was to reach out to them and when they heard the idea, they were in, it all happened really fast.”
“One of the parents from the Pittston Area Class of 2020 Parents Association reached out to me letting me know Ree Ree was interested in decorating the school,” Franceen Carabetta, mother of Pittston Area senior and future University of Miami student, said. “Of course, we were very interested in participating. We had about 24-hour notification the bridge was going to be closed and we had an abundance of volunteers come out and help.”
Carabetta said the senior parent association has been brainstorming on decorating the east side of the river honoring graduating seniors and student/athletes who did not get to participate in their sports due to COVID-19 and decorating the bridge was a great idea.
“Dr. Haas has been open to our ideas and is trying to approve anything he could in celebration of the class of 2020,” Carabetta said.
Ann Becker of West Pittston, better known to many as the bow lady, had been making bows for Wyoming Area’s graduation so half the job was done, she had to make Pittston Area bows for the bridge project.
Senior parents from both schools assembled at 7 a.m. at the bridge appropriately on the morning of Mother’s Day to put up the bows and ribbons. Pittston and West Pittston Police departments closed the bridge temporarily so parents could install the bows.
Parents started at the center of the bridge and worked back to their perspective side of the Susquehanna River decorating the north and south sides of the metal structure.
DeLuca said signs were being made for both ends of the bridge congratulating each respective school showing a sign of unity.
