In 2017, then 9-year old Ava Swideski was volunteering at the food tent as she serves John Devine, West Pittston.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Sunday Dispatch
The 2021 Cherry Blossom Festival will take place later this summer on Sept. 11 and 12 that will include the annual parade. Shown in the photo is a float by UNICO during the 2019 parade.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Sunday Dispatch
The Wyoming Area Drama Club performs a few songs from the play, ‘The Addams Family’ at the West Pittston Cherry Blossom Festival in 2017. Entertainment will be held for the 50th anniversary Cherry Blossom Festival on Sept. 11 and 12.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Sunday Dispatch
The West Pittston Cherry Blossom entertainment chair Gina Malsky is shown crowning the 2019 Little Miss Cherry Blossom eight-yr. old Abigail Hribal. The contest will be held on Sept. 11.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Sunday Dispatch
WEST PITTSTON – The West Pittston Cherry Blossom Festival committee has decided to postpone the event from May until Sept. 11 and 12.
Lori DeAngelo, Cherry Blossom Festival president, said uncertain attendee participation and regulations set by the CDC are the main reason why the postponement.
According to DeAngelo, the festival will be complete with the annual parade, grand marshal, the Little Miss Cherry Blossom contest, entertainment, food stand and crafts vendors.
“We’re not going to be able to have as many vendors as we normally have,” DeAngelo said. “We used to have 60-plus vendors and now we’ll have 25 to 30 vendors, we will still have the entertainment, and the Boy Scouts will still have the food stand.”
DeAngelo admits the biggest change you’ll notice is the lack of vendors.
The vendors are a big part of the annual festival and last year, vendors had to be reimbursed once the pandemic was declared and the whole country and world was shut down.
“There were too many questions that had to be answered for the May event to happen, and we just didn’t want to do that to our vendors and cancel like we did last year,” DeAngelo admitted.
This year, the festival celebrates 50 years. The first festival was held in 1971. To note the milestone, the festival committee will have a cocktail celebration at Fox Hill Country Club on Sept. 8.
“Right now, the club can hold 75 people according to the current restrictions,” DeAngelo said. “It will be $35 per person and tickets will be sold on a first come-first serve basis.”
Tickets will tentatively go on sale sometime in April. You can find more information on the committee’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/s5anyvds. Tickets will be sold through committee members of the festival.
DeAngelo also said a 50/50 ticket raffle will be sold from now until the festival event in September through festival committee.
“For the month of June, we are going to see evening PA daily lottery number system,” DeAngelo said. “We are trying to raise some additional money due to the loss of so many vendors, and we are trying to spread it over the year.”
The committee may also entertain the idea of having a golf tournament during the summer, but details need to be ironed out at the next festival committee meeting.
“If anyone has questions or needs information about the festival, they can email me at loridee220@comcast.net,” DeAngelo added.
