The Pittston Township Volunteer Fire Department picnic will be back at the old location of the former fire hall on Bryden Street in June. This is the fire department’s 100th anniversary.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The pavilion and tennis court will be utilized for extra seating during the Pittston Township Volunteer Fire Department picnic from June 17 through 19.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
This year is the 100th anniversary of the Pittston Township Volunteer Fire Department and to celebrate the occasion, the department is bringing back the old fashion firemens’ picnic to be held at the former fire station on Bryden Street in June.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON TWP. — For the first time since 2001, Pittston Township Volunteer Fire Department (PTVFD) will be bringing back the longstanding summertime firemen’s picnic for the department’s 100th anniversary slated for June.
Jordan Consagra, PTVFD president said the picnic would return to its former site on 79 Bryden St., the site of the previous fire station across from Tony Attardo Park and next door to the Pittston Township Little League.
The PTVFD picnic had been held for years at the prior fire hall before going big in the early 2000s when it became the Northeast Fair predominately held on 42 acres in Suscon. The event was certified as a state fair in 2004 where it continued to grow each year.
In 2018, the Northeast Fair was cancelled due to the lack of volunteers and at that time, it was decided to never return again.
With the fair being canceled, the PTVFD picnic fundraiser was not held in 2019, as well as 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. Because 2022 is the 100th anniversary of the PTVFD, it was decided to bring back the old fashioned picnic.
“We are on 100-years of service in 2022, so we are bringing back the old school firemen’s picnic that the PTVFD used to do on Bryden Street back in a day,” Consagra said. “So for our 100th anniversary the firemen’s picnic will be held this June back at 79 Bryden, just like the old days. So we’re going right back to where we started.”
Consagra said the firemen’s picnic would be held on from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, June 17, from 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 18, and from 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday, June 19, which also happens to fall on Father’s Day weekend.
The residents of Pittston Township expressed interest in having the picnic back at the Bryden Street location. “They are ecstatic it’s coming back,” Consagra added. “We’re giving the residents what they wanted.”
According to Consagra, the picnic will have live entertainment, beer stand, multiple food vendors, ice cream trucks, small games and rides for children, carnival games, raffles including the Big 6, and plenty of seating at the pavilion and tennis court.
In order to alleviate parking issues, Consagra said the PTVFD are in talks with a local bus company to have people shuttled to and from the former Kmart site parking lot.
Bryden Street will also be a one-way during the picnic.
Consagra added other events might be possible in celebrating the department’s 100th anniversary.
