With this seemingly mild winter, daytime temps in the 40s and the sun shining, I have a case of spring fever.
I happened to be in downtown Pittston Wednesday and the sun was shining with a slight breeze. If I didn’t know it was Feb. 19, I could have sworn it was the middle of March.
I sat down to chat with Mary Kroptavich of Art e Fekts, MPK Photography and, in her spare time, the city’s Main Street coordinator.
Mary gave me a rundown of all things spring and summer happening downtown.
I was getting excited about the line up of activities in the works, including the world famous Pittston Tomato Festival.
It seems like winter lasts forever and summer flies by so fast it makes your head spin.
It’s all perspective, of course. In my youth, summer lingered but, these days, the only thing that lingers is my wish for summer to arrive.
Today, you’ll read about The Slope. If you don’t know what that is, you will by the end of the summer.
The Slope is a 300-seat amphitheater located behind the Pittston Memorial Library. When Mayor Michael Lombardo and all decided to build an amphitheater, they knew it wouldn’t sit idle. This summer will see a ton of movies, 20 in all, shown free to the public at The Slope.
The quality of the movies is excellent and the sound is fantastic. After all, Richie Kossuth, of Rock Street Music, set up the sound and those guys know all about setting up great quality sound.
Of the 20 movies on the schedule, mainly Friday and Saturday shows from May 8 through Oct. 24, will be a series of Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies, as well as late-run flicks such as “Little Women,” “Toy Story 4,” “Knives Out,” Abominable,” “Frozen 2” and more.
Folks, these movies are free to the public. No longer can people of Pittston, young or old, say there’s nothing to do downtown.
Fred Astaire was probably the first superstar entertainer. He could sing, dance, act and play an instrument. If you are too young to know who Astaire was, I suggest taking in one of the 10 movies that will be shown this summer. He was dancing with the stars long before the TV show was ever conceived.
The Art Walks have always been popular and the first one this year will be held on May 8. Look for plenty of entertainment, artists and vendors. It’s fun walking up and down Main Street looking at the talent that lines the sidewalks with plenty of art for sale.
The Farmers Market seems to be popular but, this year, it’s going to get a boost with more entertainment, more vendors and, hopefully, more farmers on hand.
The sad fact is we still have to get through the rest of winter and spring and, as we know from past experiences, even though we can have a mild winter, we’ve had some crazy big snowstorms in March.
In the meantime, I have to be patient, hope for the rest of winter to be mild, hope the Groundhog was right and have an early spring.
Person of the Year, Lifetime of Service Award
Last week, the Sunday Dispatch announced the Greater Pittston Person of the Year Award for 2019. Wyoming Area head football coach Randy Spencer was chosen for the award. This week, you’ll read about Kathy Healey, Pittston Area girls basketball coach, who has been chosen to receive the Joseph A. Saporito Lifetime of Service Award.
It’s been rare in the 19 years or so of choosing people deserving of these awards that both are athletic coaches. As a matter of fact, the only other sports figure to receive the Person of the Year award was Stephanie Jallen, of Harding. Stephanie defied all odds and brought home two bronze medals from the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia four years ago.
Some people may say either recipient shouldn’t get an award for doing their job. In both cases, though, coaching sports is just part of what makes both Randy and Kathy deserving choices.
Both do a great deal of working with children off the field and off the court. Randy is very interested in how his players perform in school, he wants them to give back to the community that supports their team and, most importantly, he knows the role of a coach and doesn’t take it for granted. He knows he’s a mentor, a figurehead and a teacher and, after sports are over, a friend.
Kathy instills the importance of public service in her players. She teaches them the value of philanthropic pursuits and the value of humanity whether young or old. Above all, she teaches respect.
Quote of the week
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” – Arthur C. Clarke
Thought of the week
“Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven.” – John Lubbock
Bumper sticker
“A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into.” – Ansel Adams
