TimesLeader.com

Come together

The most charming thing about the people of Greater Pittston is the way we come together. Whether in times of tragedy or times of celebration, folks who live around here have a special bond.

Hard as it is to believe in today’s day and age, we actually seem to love (or at least strongly like) one another.

Sometimes it takes an “outsider” to remind of us that.

The latest – although he prefers the title “adopted Pittstonian” to “outsider” – is Bob Martin, a native of Massachusetts, who is familiar with our fair town through his marriage to the former Mary Frances Loftus, daughter of former Mayor Bob Loftus, who died recently.

Mary Frances told us her husband loves to come to Pittston and always marvels at the closeness of the people here. That was evident at the funeral services for his father-in-law, but she pointed out that Bob also happened to be in town on the day of the funeral of slain State Trooper Josh Miller. He was extremely moved as he witnessed the procession from Main Street as he walked to the YMCA.

Those were examples of how we come together to grieve and to honor.

We do that well and appropriately but we’d much prefer to celebrate. And summer here provides plenty of opportunity for that.

We are right in the midst of the summer festival season (see listings beginning on page 4) which culminates with the grandest of the celebrations, The Pittston Tomato Festival, August 20 through 23.

A newer addition to the list takes place Saturday, August 1, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Center. It’s the fourth annual Reggae for Robert. Tickets for this one are limited and we hear are going fast. For information and/or reservations, call Ron and Brenda D’Eliseo at 655-8515 or go to www.earthlyangels.org.

And this year there is a brand new and quite unique opportunity to come together.

A passenger train excursion (pulled by a restored steam locomotive) is planned for Sunday, Sept. 6, from Duryea to Jim Thorpe. There are 600 seats available at $75 each, but we understand these are also going fast. Call Kelly Carroll at 457-6558 or email her at mkmma@netzero.com.

As Manny Gordon would say: Enjoy! Enjoy!