Thirteen-year-old Emily Fitch, Mountain Top, is shown enjoying an ice cream at the 40th Annual Tomato Festival.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Food vendors from all over northeastern PA set up shop for the four-day Pittston Tomato Festival.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON – For the 40th time, the City of Pittston celebrated the fruited tomato at the Pittston Tomato Festival.
Over the years vendors and musical acts have come and go, but many festivalgoers have returned year after year like Hazel and Jimmy Pepe of Wyoming.
The Pepes are usually found front and center at the bandshell listening to act after act of all genres and styles. It never really matters who is playing or the type of music, they just enjoy being at the festival and listening to great musicians from all over.
The couple is very fond of Elvis and would love it if an Elvis tribute artist performed including Pittston native Shawn Klush, who is the king of all Elvis tribute artists all over the world and on the local level, Jimmy-T as Elvis.
“We have been coming at least 15-years or longer,” Hazel said. “Oh it’s longer than that,” Jimmy said. “I love the food and we usually eat then go listen to the music,” Hazel added. “We like Sabatelle’s porketta sandwich and I enjoy white pizza too.”
Hazel said she misses listening to The Poets, who used to perform every Saturday for as long as the Pepes could remember, have disbanded but the Luongo Brothers, who were in the Poets, have taken over the Saturday slot.
John and Karen Takacs, of Massachusetts, make sure they make it back to Pittston for the festival each year. Karen grew up in Dupont where her mom, Irene Coco, still resides and makes sure she plans her vacation around the festival.
“We’ve missed a couple, but we’ve been coming back for at least 10-years or more,” Karen said. “I get to see a variety of what’s offered in the area when we come back.”
Karen’s husband John did not grow up in Greater Pittston loves the food at the festival.
“I’ve been coming with her for at least 10-years but we love it,” John said. “We love the vendors and the food.”
The Takacs were practicing what they preached as they carried a bag filled with food purchased while at the festival on Thursday evening including stopping at Down Home Homemade Pudding stand.
Chef Patti Brown, owner of Down Home said she loves being a part of the Pittston Tomato Festival, a summer stop on their schedule of many fairs, festivals, carnivals, and bazaars.
Chef Brown and her husband are in their 40th year in business and the 18th year participating at the Tomato Festival.
“This is our money-maker for the year,” Brown stated. “We are in 200 groceries stores with our products, but this kind of puts up over the top. The fairs are nice because we can bring our flavors. The stores just carry our original rice puddings.”
Brown went on to say, “The Tomato Festival is the best fair and it’s the only fair where I come out of the kitchen and sit here one night. Everyone is nice and it’s a different atmosphere then the big fairs.”
