Even though the eighth annual Pittston St. Patrick’s Day parade did not take place this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers held a reduced and unannounced procession along the usual parade route along Main Street on March 6.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Unannounced event follows traditional parade route
As an annual custom of the Pittston City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, fire departments from Pittston City and West Pittston, stop and pay homage to two lost firefighters from each fire company. John Lombardo, of the Pittston City Fire Department, and Len Insalaco, of West Pittston Fire Co. No. 1, perished on March 15, 1993, fighting a fire less than 100 yards from where the memorial stands.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston firefighter John Lombardo, left, and West Pittston firefighter Kevin Dushok, lay flowers at the Firefighter’s Memorial honoring Lombardo’s cousin, John Lombardo, and Len Insalaco who perished in a fire in 1993.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Sarah Donahue, Pittston City St. Patrick’s parade organizer, waves to the camera along the procession route. Far right is Pittston City Mayor Michael Lombardo and Pittston City Main Street Manager Mary Kroptavich.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Joanna Fusco, left, Jack Long, center and Debbie Monteforte represent the Jacquelines Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus in the St. Patrick’s Day procession.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Kimberly Rosentel, a member of the Wyoming Valley Pipe & Drum Band, took part in the St. Patrick’s Day procession, along with members of the Emerald Isle dance troup, the Knights of Columbus, the Jacquelines Auxiliary of the Knights, Pittston City police and fire department and city officials.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
PITTSTON – With the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade being cancelled this year, an unannounced procession along the parade route took place on Saturday, March 6, the day the actual parade was to be held.
Sarah Donahue, co-chair of the parade, said the committee wanted to commemorate the event with a small procession made up of the parade committee, Pittston City Police, Bureau of Fire, and Greater Pittston Regional Ambulance, and portion of the Wyoming Valley Pipe and Drum Band and the Emerald Isle Step Dancers, Knights of Columbus and the Jacquelines Auxiliary of the Knights.
“We always knew that we would do something to commemorate our parade day,” Donahue said. “It wasn’t going to pass without us recognizing and celebrating – as best we could in this trying time – the day.”
As per parade day, the procession kicked off exactly at noon making their way down Main Street, turning left at William Street followed by another left onto Kennedy Boulevard.
Once on Kennedy Boulevard, the procession stopped at the Firefighter’s Memorial monument honoring John Lombardo (Pittston City Fire Department) and Len Insalaco (West Pittston Hose Co. No. 1) who lost their lives fighting a fire in March 1993, barely 100 yards from the monument.
Firefighter John Lombardo, representing Pittston City, and Kevin Dushok, representing West Pittston, laid a flower at the monument during brief ceremony.
The Wyoming Valley Pipe and Drum Band played Amazing Grace to close the ceremony.
“The committee is thrilled with how the procession turned out,” Donahue added. “It was exactly what we wanted. No big fanfare, just a simple nod to what should have been our day.”
Each year since 2013, the St. Patrick’s Day parade has attracted more than 100,000 attendees to downtown Pittston.
Donahue said the St. Patrick’s Day committee opted not to postpone the parade until a later date this year but looks forward to holding the eight annual parade in 2022 on March 5.
