PITTSTON — Fridays are going to get artsy again.
The Second Friday Art Walk will return to Main Street for its fourth year Friday, May 13 and will feature familiar activities, but also a few new things.
The event will be held from 5 to 9 p.m.
Lori Nocito and Joleen Lazecki, both involved in the city’s Tomato Festival, are doing pubilcity for the art walk this year.
Nocito and Lazecki were approached by art walk organizers, Randazzo and Art on Main owner Maria Livrone, about using their Tomato Festival resources to help promote the event to areas beyond Greater Pittston.
“I would said that since Joleen and I are always attending the art walk and we’re so close with the organizers of it, I think it was sort of an easy transition,” said Nocito. “We’re used to publicizing the Tomato Festival, so this is just another event in the city of Pittston, and I think we’re all passionate about the city, so we’re speaking from the heart when we talk about this.”
Nocito and Lazecki said one new thing about the art walk is there will be a section specifically for children by the clock on Broad and Main streets.
In the kids’ area there will be face painting by Happy Faces, a balloon artist, crafts under the YMCA tent and an interactive 8-foot mural for children to paint with Jan Lokuta.
“We want to make it interactive and fun for the kids,” said Nocito. “So, this particular mural will be blank and the kids will be able to paint it.”
Nocito said in years past there were various activities for children in different locations, but this year they are all condensed to one area to make it easier for families.
“We are consolidating a larger area for kids so that it will be really pleasurable for kids to come and go from one thing to another without having to go all the way down the street,” she said. “Having that spread out wasn’t really a good thing, so we have more for the kids.”
Entertainment throughout the evening includes Chelsea Smarr on the harp at the Purple Squirrel Pastry, Ed Apnel and Friends on the sidewalk in front of Tomato Festival lot, James Orfanella on didgeridoo in front of Paint N’ Pinot, Leno Terzi and Music Scene Musicians in pocket park, Aarika Whittle in front of the Majestic Restaurant, and Eclectic Circus Street Performers.
Musicians will also be busking up and down Main Street and there will be a party bike for people to ride and enjoy a beverage.
The tentative list for artists include jewelry artist Cindy Spitzman; painter Janie Kishbaugh; acrylic and oil artist Piera Marotto; photographers Pat Transue, Stephanie Engel and Tony Traglia; woodturner Sonny Jones; fiber artist Marfisa Argento; origamist Peter Uritz; and abstract artist Lou Ross.
Other artists include Elaine Engel, Erin Jordan, Mariana Russo, Vianney Aranda, and Marie Brennan.
The lineup for artists is subject to change.
One thing Nocito said for people to look for throughout the evening is “yarn bombing,” which will be done by Peggy Burke and members of the knitting club from St. John the Evangelist church.
“You’ll see yarn art pop up in different places throughout the event,” said Nocito. “You never know where it’s going to appear, and that’s sort of a fun thing being done across the country.”
Those attending to the art walk can pick up maps at Art on Main for artists’ and musicians’ locations. They will also be able to see the works of over 50 Pennsylvania artists when stopping in the shop.
“We’re more confident and this year was an easy preparation,” Main Street Manager Rose Randazzo said. “We’re more experienced now and we have a huge following of artists. We used to have to call and solicit artists to come to the event, but now they call and ask us to be part of it.”
Randazzo said that thanks to the help of Nocito and Lazecki that her and Livrone can spend more time organizing the event and worrying less about getting the word out.
“It’s been fantastic because we’re so busy booking the artists, street performers and bands and coordinating with all the merchants,” she said. “It’s such a relief for us for this partnership with the Tomato Festival.”
