Joel Skursky and family were the top prize winners claiming the Griswold Award for best decorated house in the City of Pittston for the 2020 Christmas holiday sesason.
Submitted by MPK Photography
The City of Pittston’s People’s Choice Award went to Debra Hughes.
Submitted by MPK Photography
The Merrick family took the Most Creative Award for the first annual City of Pittston’s Christmas Holiday Decoration contest.
Submitted by MPK Photography
PITTSTON – The city conducted its first-ever Christmas decoration contest during the 2020 holiday season. City officials said they were pleased with the participation from the community and look forward to the 2021 holiday season.
Mary Kroptavich, Pittston’s Main Street manager, said there were four judged categories: People’s Choice Award, Most Creative Award, the Clark Griswold Award and Most Original Business Award.
“We had a great turnout for the very first one,” Kroptavich said. “I believe we had about 20 houses participate this year and about 15 businesses taking part. I was quite happy, and hopefully next year the word gets out for next year to get more participants.”
The Skursky family took the Griswold Award, the Merrick family was the Most Creative Award winner and the Hughes family was the People’s Choice Award winners.
Best decorated business winners were Loliposh and Reilly and Associates.
The winners received gift cards to local Pittston businesses such as Sabatelle’s, Callahan’s, Morgan’s Butcher, Vince’s Pizza, Arcaro’s the Next Generation and Fuji.
“We wanted to help restaurants when Gov. Wolf shut down them down for three weeks during the holiday season. We thought we better go with food for participants,” Kroptavich explained.
Joel Skursky, who resides on Center Street, has been proudly displaying his Christmas décor for the last 10 years. At 53 years of age and only one good arm, the other with a torn bicep, he put up his display.
The final tally showed Skursky’s house won two of the awards, but was given the choice of picking one of the awards, choosing the Griswold.
“This was the first year doing and I thought it was nice for the community,” Skursky said. “I do like the fact that all the local businesses in town donated gift cards.”
Skursky said he received a donated gift certificate from each of the donors and is thrilled they won. He has been without an income since COVID-19 hit in mid-March. The Skursky’s received $250 in gift certificates as top prize.
Skursky works as a bartender at Sliders, in Exeter, and the bar decided not to reopen when Gov. Wolf allowed businesses to be open. Skursky said he hopes Sliders will reopen in the near future.
The program was such a success; Kroptavich said she is already thinking of enhancing it for the holiday season of 2021.
“Next year, participants will be asked to submit photos of their home,” Kroptavich said. “We may even put out a list of participants so people could drive by the houses to vote on.”
