It is so hard to get into the spirit of us entering spring after being slapped with a nuisance snow storm, but when you add a major conflict happening on the other side of the Atlantic, it just takes the edge off of knowing Mother Earth is on the verge of renewing itself.
What did make for a happy day was the annual St. Patrick’s Parade in downtown Pittston.
It was as I remembered back in 2020 with Main Street lined with people four and five deep at some locations.
Everyone was dressed in traditional St. Patrick’s garb making it a sea of green looking in every direction.
Again, the St. Patrick’s parade committee did a bang up job as always and even though I could not take part in after parade festivities, it seemed like all the eating and drinking establishments did very well. It was a great economic shot in the arm.
In between the St. Patrick’s Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church and 5K race, I ran to the Chamber of Commerce building with laptop in hand to edit photos of the Mass and to ready myself for the race and parade.
Michelle Mikitish and Brandi Bartush of the chamber held an open house with snacks and beverages for anyone interested in stopping by. They do this every year and are so gracious in hosting the event.
Once I set up shop at an empty desk, I began to edit and before I knew it, the ladies were off to participate on a float of their own in the parade.
The race had about 215 runner/walkers and this year’s race had a bit of a twist. The race was the usual course as they run for the Tomato Fest 5K and just about every other 5K held in the city, but this time, it was run in a reverse direction.
I’m sure it didn’t throw the runners off, but it was a bit odd for me shooting the event, but once they were off and running, I was fine.
The weather, a bit overcast, which was great from a photography point of view, was perfect for shooting. The weather cooperated with temps a bit warmer than usual.
Most years, I have a hoodie and jacket on as well as a hate and two pairs of socks. Not this year, thankfully.
Even though the parade was not as long as previous year, seventy units and five or six divisions was still not back especially coming out of a pandemic that we are still in to a lesser degree.
I believe Sarah Donahue, co-chair of the event and official scheduler of the line up said the biggest parade was over 100 units, this year was 70.
I’ll be next year will be one of the biggest events, providing there are no more medical scares to deter people from coming out.
It always seems the better the weather and the warmer the temps, the crowd number swells.
So cheers to the committee and we will see you back in 51 weeks.
Ukraine War
It’s so great to see so many people from Greater Pittston involved with helping those in need as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Tony Marranca and the Greater Pittston Santa Squad is having a clothing drive that you can read about in today’s edition.
The drive is today, tomorrow and Tuesday.
Also helping out is Pittston abstract artist Vincent Musto. Musto created a 30” x 40” abstract painting on canvas depicting his vision of what war is like in the Ukraine.
The painting is for sale for $500 with all of the money going to the Ukrainian Crisis Relief Fund.
If you want to see the painting, it’s available at Art e Fekts Gallery, Main St., Pittston during regular business hours or can be seen from the sidewalk in the display window.
Both the fundraiser and the clothing drive are going through St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Scranton, who will handle the money and clothing.
Of course the war has affected everyone globally and I know our government is doing everything possible to not get directly involved in the war.
The last thing we need is for the USA and Russia to get in direct conflict. The ending may not be so good for either country.
I don’t understand what’s going on in President Putin’s head. This war is going to mar his country for decades to come. It’s a bad public relations move for sure.
Between the economic sanctions the USA and other countries are putting on Russia, it could spell disaster for them financially.
So many companies from the west have pulled out of Russia or ceased operations that it’s bound to make a huge economic difference.
I heard the other day; the Russian ruble equals 0.0075 US dollars. That’s not a lot of buying power.
Russia is or has lost the respect of every nation in the world, especially those that defends democracy.
Peace talks between the two countries are breaking down and I don’t believe Putin will back down either. I hope I’m wrong.
Let’s hope peace prevails soon so we can focus on the days and weeks to come.
Quote of the week
“When you take risks, you learn that there will be times when you succeed, and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important,” – Ellen DeGeneres
Thought of the week
“Someday everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.” – John Mayer
Bumper sticker
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
