This is it! Pittston’s Super Bowl week is here and the 36th annual Pittston Tomato Festival will start Thursday, Aug. 15. It promises to be a great festival and the long-range forecast looks fabulous … keep your fingers crossed.
Don’t forget to check out the upper tier of the festival behind the Pittston Memorial Library where the new amphitheater will be hopping from 5 p.m. on and the art for sale tent will be filled with plenty of treasures for your home or office.
There will be food vendors on the top tier, as well, including wood oven pizza and Pittston Popcorn, among a few. If you enjoy Pittston 2nd Friday Art Walk, you’ll love the top tier, for sure.
This year’s festival committee is on a mission — to get Ben Tielle a new kidney. It’s a big ask for someone to donate a kidney, but I’m sure there is someone out there with B+ blood type who isn’t a diabetic and doesn’t have high blood pressure and who is not an alcoholic willing to give the gift of life.
If you see Lori Nocito on the grounds, be sure to thank her for her 22 years of service as the chair of the festival and wish her well as she steps down from that volunteer position.
Keep in mind, every committee person is a volunteer and, as Lori said in an interview, “Our committee is second to none.”
If you’re looking for the Tomato Festival Queen Contest or Sauce Wars, you won’t find either and, on a sad note, we won’t see Pittston fashion plate, great doctor, friend to everyone and the best master of ceremonies and unofficial Tomato Fest volunteer Dr. Joseph Lombardo due to his untimely passing earlier this year. He was the best and will be sorely missed.
Ron Faraday and his crew have done an incredible job maintaining and securing the site for this year as they have in the past. This year, they have more real estate to deal with at the top tier.
Richie Kossuth has, once again, done a great job at securing the entertainment at the bandshell at the first tier, on lower level lot and Mary Kroptavich has done the same with third tier music. You just might catch some acoustic music at the new stage on the middle tier at the James Zarra Tomato Festival Building.
The Tomato Fights, parade, Little Miss and Mister Tomato Contest, along with the Miles for Michael/Tomato Festival 5K run and 1.5 mile Walk are still on the schedule, so follow the 2019 Sunday Dispatch Festival Guide special section that came with today’s paper.
This year will be a transition year with, as noted above, some changes underway. Next year will be a pivotal year with a new person in charge, being Mayor Lombardo, the new stage in place on the second tier with an overhead cover and possibly a new layout for the entire festival.
The festival has always been about progressing, even if in little steps, but this year and next could have some bigger changes. And change is good.
As many of us know, especially school-aged kids, this is the unofficial end of summer before everyone heads back to school – sad to say or even to admit.
It’s the last hurrah and the last summertime event in Greater Pittston as we celebrate the tomato and say good-bye to glorious summer.
When the weather cooperates, the festival is a magical place where you can eat your way into autumn, buy gift items for yourself or someone else, listen to great music by area musicians, buy local produce, including the tomato which we honor.
Don’t forget to say hello to Jerry and Linda Mancinelli at Brace’s Orchard tent. Jerry loves Pittston and he loves the festival, especially on his birthday, Aug. 18.
There’s a lot crammed into a four-day festival and it’s always sad to see the festival close on Sunday evening.
The City of Pittston will always be progressive and Mayor Lombardo and former Mayor Klush have been setting the tone since 1998.
Over the years, you’ll see more art about town, a new movie theater/stage being built, continued improvements to Main Street, more housing, riverfront improvements and so much more. There is so much to do and Pittston officials will not rest. That’s what government is all about — at little or no cost to taxpayers.
So, get out this week, spend time with family and friends, eat, drink, spend, support and thank the volunteers.
Don’t forget the bridges will be closed around 9:30 a.m. Saturday to accommodate runners.
And lastly, let’s hope Ben gets a kidney – he’s a great guy in a tough situation.
Quote of the week
“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.” – Haruki Murakami, Japanese writer
Thought of the week
“There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn the sound of it. Otherwise, you’ll never understand what it’s saying.” – Sarah Dessen, American novelist
Bumper sticker
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” – Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist
