Whatever happened to the saying about “working smarter and not harder?”
Well, in my case, it’s not working, and I had another jam-packed week with preparing for the City of Pittston’s St. Patrick Parade and the special edition the Sunday Dispatch will put out the week before the parade on March 1.
Just saying, March first warms me up. I can’t believe we will have temps in the single digits for the first part of this week. Did we ever have a January thaw?
Getting back to St. Patrick’s events, on Saturday, Feb. 22, the Little Miss and Little Mister Leprechaun contest will be conducted at the Pittston Memorial Library and later that afternoon/early evening the annual Pub Crawl will take place. Check this edition of the Sunday Dispatch for times and locations for the crawl.
The Pub Crawl is a pretty fun night, especially if you enjoy Irish music features the Wyoming Valley Pipe & Drum Corp.
I’m not going to lie, there’s a lot of laughter, music, and spirits, so if you like all three, then find your way to the Knights of Columbus, the Tomato Bar or The Red Mill. Luckily it’s on a Saturday night so you can recover on Sunday.
On a side note, the Pipe & Drum band will be warming up at the Susquehanna Brewing Co. from 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. before heading to the first stop, The Red Mill.
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will be gearing up for their St. Patrick’s Day dinner at The Waterfront Venue for March 17.
Jenkins Twp. native Kyle Gilmartin, of the Scranton Police Dept., will receive the Hometown Heroes award, Bob Linskey will receive the “Billy” Burke President’s Award, P.J. Adonizio receive the Gilmartin Achievement Award, and City of Pittston’s Mayor Michael Lombardo has been named 2025 Man of the Year.
Former Penn State and Miami Dolphin football star O.J. McDuffie is the principal speaker.
Let’s not forget the Irish Woman of the Year, Erin Burke Weiss, will be celebrated on Sunday, March 2 at the Banks Waterfront Venue.
I’m sure this is a bittersweet honor for Erin whose father Billy Burke was Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick present who passed away in 2024.
Billy’s veins bleed green 365-days a year and he will be missed, but not forgotten as the organization he once presided over has named a new award in his honor.
P.J. Adonizio is on fire these days with receiving an award on behalf of the Adonizio Funeral Home last Oct. by the Greater Pittston YMCA and he was named the Grand Marshal of the City of Pittston St. Patrick’s Parade as well as being named the Gilmartin Award recipient for the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
As I photographed him for the parade and St. Patrick’s Day dinner, I asked him will all these award coming his way if he was dying or something. He responded, “No, I don’t think so, but I’m starting to wonder.”
In all cases, he’s very deserving of whatever awards comes his way. As a funeral director, he has a very tough job when dealing with people under stressful times and has always handled himself in a very kind, gentle and compassionate way.
Congratulations P.J. on all your accolades and continued success with your family in the business.
Well, it’s playoffs time in local high school sports as we wind down winter sports in Greater Pittston. When covering winter sports, my line is always, “Is it spring sports season yet?”
Don’t get me wrong, I love covering boys and girl’s basketball as well as wresting and on occasion, swimming, but as you know, I do not handle the cold well.
Playoffs should keep me busy for the next few weeks and with basketball, it always ends with the championships at the Mohegan Pennsylvania Arena where I love to shoot sports.
I’m so glad we have a local arena in our area and ours is topnotch. There have been so many great events over the years and more to come year-after-year.
Victory Sports organization, started by Pittston Township’s Fred DeSanto in 1991, held the annual Valentine Dance, but not at the usual location of the St. Joseph Marello Hall, but the Mohegan Pennsylvania Ballroom.
Greater Wilkes-Barre UNICO stepped up and sponsored the event providing food, entertainment and as a special treat, handed out backpacks filled with gifts to each athlete.
As part of the program, Victory Sports Vice President Bill O’Boyle, made a special presentation to DeSanto for his 50-years of service and dedication to Pittston Twp. Little League, Little League Challenger Baseball, Little League Baseball District 16/31 and for founding Victory Sports.
Good-hearted Fred had no clue what O’Boyle was up to, and you could see it on his face as O’Boyle spoke. Fred’s eyes were as big as saucers.
For those unaware, Challenger Baseball is nationwide catering to special needs athletes from the ages of four to 18. When the teenagers felt lost after reaching the maturity date, Fred took it upon himself to create Victory Sports, which caters to special needs of any age. That was huge and before you knew it, there were dozens of athletes signing up for summer baseball.
Victory Sports have branched out to basketball and cycling and holds great holiday parties all free for the athletes.
Quote of the Week
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” —Albert Einstein
Thought of the Week
“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” —Oprah Winfrey
Bumper Sticker
“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius
