Rhinada Wiedlich holds a neckless in her hand that she picked out to purchase while her dad Bart looks on in 2022’s NEPA Day Downtown. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
At front, Pittston’s Day organizer Paul Stevenson, along side then co-host Giselle Dauchert, gets the crowd to participate in a dance at the start of PIttston’s Got Talent show at The Slope Amphitheater in 2022. This year, Day Downtown will be presented at Duryea Community Park on Saturday, July 29 at noon. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
DURYEA – NEPA’s Day Downtown by NEPA’s Summer in the City is back and this year will be featured at Duryea on July 29 from noon to 8 p.m. at Duryea Community Park behind the Duryea Borough building sponsored by Redline Renovations LLC.
NEPA Day Downtown was held at the City of Pittston’s Slope Amphitheater in 2022 and organizer Paul Stevenson was very happy with the event last year coming right out of the box in the inaugural year.
“It was a great event and a good start, but I knew we could do a lot better,” Stevenson said. “Last year we did all the groundwork as a festival and with expanding this year, we are still growing and this year will be the festival will take off.”
Last year, City of Pittston’s Shop was a Cop was the benefactor of the fundraiser presenting a check to the City for $5,000. This year Stevenson said he’s hoping to raise $25,000.
Due to logistics with the City of Pittston, the event has been moved to Duryea with the blessing of Mayor Bauman and council.
Stevenson was hoping to have the event at a permanent home such as The Slope Amphitheater but has changed direction and hopefully for the betterment of Greater Pittston.
“We are helping to move the festival to a different town each year in Greater Pittston so we picked Duryea as the first location,” Stevenson said. “The Duryea location will give us more space than last year and we are tripling the event. It’s looking good for this year with about 60 vendors coming, several food trucks, a larger committee and I describe it as a church picnic meets a mini festival.”
Last year’s event was four hours and this year will be doubled to eight starting at noon.
Entertainment has been tripled as well, according to Stevenson, including three bands, four different dance and theater groups and 10 talent acts for the NEPA’s Got Talent contest.
The children will be entertained with a larger kid’s carnival area with Cotton Candy, popcorn, carnival food, kids games, face paint, balloon art, balloon artist, fortune teller, and Alpacas.
For the adults, there will be games of chance from instant bingo and raffles to instant pull tabs and a Big 6 Wheel.
“We are going to have about 50-raffle baskets including a grand prize raffle of a 70” flat screen TV that was donated,” Stevenson added.
As last year, the event has been conceived and operated by high school students.
“It’s all high school students,” Stevenson said, who is a rising senior for the 2023 – 2024 school year. “We have kids from North Pocono, kids from Pittston Area, kids from Scranton Prep and most of us are juniors and seniors with the help of Duryea Betterment Committee.”
This year’s benefactor will be Food Dignity Movement, humanitarian organization addressing food insecurity and social reform on the ground in Luzerne Co. aiming to remove stigma, ignite compassion around hidden hunger, and support the development of programs and platforms offering dignified and equitable access to nutritious food, according to their website.
“All proceeds go directly to our annual 2023 Campaign supporting the local Food Dignity Movement,” Stevenson added. “As they seek to provide healthy, equitable food options for all families in the NEPA community when they need it most.”
The next big event for NEPA Summer in the City is a Summer Designer Purse Bingo on Aug. 5 with doors opening at 12:00 p.m. at Germania Hose Co., 430 Foote Ave., Duryea.
For more information on the purse bingo, go to https://tinyurl.com/3uamp6c9.
