October 24, 2019 at 11:46PM
PITTSTON — Children, parents, grandparents and guardians flooded downtown Main Street Friday evening as the city rolled out Trick or Treat Main Street for the fifth year.
Nearly 30 merchants up and down Main St. accepted hundreds and hundreds of children for two hours beginning at 5:30 p.m. Officials estimate 1,500 people were on hand for the well-attended event.
Brace's Orchard sold apple cider and other products at the Tomato Festival lower lot where the city's bandshell was set up for DJ Naro playing music and the costume contests.
The Pocket Park adjacent to Napoli's Pizza was busy with a Zombie Dance Party sponsored by The Music Scene with DJ Donnie providing the entertainment and balloon artist TJ Belt making balloon animals.
Cremard Brothers Excavating provided two tractors for rides from the festival lot.
"We are all prepared and everything's a go," Mary Kroptavich, Pittston's Main Street coordinator, said. "This is a big event for all the kids. Some even lined up at 4:30 p.m."
As a special treat and new for this year's Trick or Treat Main Street, the movie "Hocus Pocus" played at The Slope Amphitheater located at the Tomato Festival's third tier behind the Pittston Memorial Library. Pittston Popcorn sold popcorn during the movie.
Sarah Donahue, Halloween coordinator along with Kroptavich, teamed up this year to plan the evening's activities.
"I'm just excited to see the children and they are happy to see Snow White, the little ones especially," Donahue said.
Donahue, participating in her fifth Halloween event, dressed as Snow White as she's done every year.
"This year is our fifth year and this year we added the 'Hocus Pocus' movie in our beautiful amphitheater," Donahue said. "I just like seeing the happy costumed children have a beautiful night in Pittston in a downtown I never got to appreciate as a child because we didn't have as many businesses as we do now."
Teresa Luvender, of Pittston Twp., and her two children, Ella, 12, and Lydia, 7, come each year to Trick or Treat Main Street.
"I think it's awesome," Luvender said of the city's Halloween event. "I think it brings the community together; there's always so many people here and it keeps getting bigger and bigger."
Ella and Lydia both agreed getting candy was the best part of the evening.
Dominque Ardo, of Duryea, also has been bringing her children along each year.
"We love it. The kids enjoy it; they have fun," Ardo said. "They enjoy the stage and the bounce house and the rides."
Mila Wascavage, 7, and her brother Michael, 5, make their way down Main Street filling their bags with Halloween goodies.
These children take a moment from trick or treating to have cotton candy from Arcaro's Restaurant during Pittston's Trick or Treat Main Street. An estimated 1,500 took part in the 2019 Halloween event. From left, are Emily Hughes, 6, Brooklyn Groom, 4, Oakley Groom, 1, Spencer Diaello, 2.
Balloon artist TJ Bell has a captive audience as she makes balloon animal after balloon animal for two hours at the Pocket Park.
Pittston event now in its fifth year
PITTSTON — Children, parents, grandparents and guardians flooded downtown Main Street Friday evening as the city rolled out Trick or Treat Main Street for the fifth year.
Nearly 30 merchants up and down Main St. accepted hundreds and hundreds of children for two hours beginning at 5:30 p.m. Officials estimate 1,500 people were on hand for the well-attended event.
Brace's Orchard sold apple cider and other products at the Tomato Festival lower lot where the city's bandshell was set up for DJ Naro playing music and the costume contests.
The Pocket Park adjacent to Napoli's Pizza was busy with a Zombie Dance Party sponsored by The Music Scene with DJ Donnie providing the entertainment and balloon artist TJ Belt making balloon animals.
Cremard Brothers Excavating provided two tractors for rides from the festival lot.
"We are all prepared and everything's a go," Mary Kroptavich, Pittston's Main Street coordinator, said. "This is a big event for all the kids. Some even lined up at 4:30 p.m."
As a special treat and new for this year's Trick or Treat Main Street, the movie "Hocus Pocus" played at The Slope Amphitheater located at the Tomato Festival's third tier behind the Pittston Memorial Library. Pittston Popcorn sold popcorn during the movie.
Sarah Donahue, Halloween coordinator along with Kroptavich, teamed up this year to plan the evening's activities.
"I'm just excited to see the children and they are happy to see Snow White, the little ones especially," Donahue said.
Donahue, participating in her fifth Halloween event, dressed as Snow White as she's done every year.
"This year is our fifth year and this year we added the 'Hocus Pocus' movie in our beautiful amphitheater," Donahue said. "I just like seeing the happy costumed children have a beautiful night in Pittston in a downtown I never got to appreciate as a child because we didn't have as many businesses as we do now."
Teresa Luvender, of Pittston Twp., and her two children, Ella, 12, and Lydia, 7, come each year to Trick or Treat Main Street.
"I think it's awesome," Luvender said of the city's Halloween event. "I think it brings the community together; there's always so many people here and it keeps getting bigger and bigger."
Ella and Lydia both agreed getting candy was the best part of the evening.
Dominque Ardo, of Duryea, also has been bringing her children along each year.
"We love it. The kids enjoy it; they have fun," Ardo said. "They enjoy the stage and the bounce house and the rides."
Mila Wascavage, 7, and her brother Michael, 5, make their way down Main Street filling their bags with Halloween goodies.
These children take a moment from trick or treating to have cotton candy from Arcaro's Restaurant during Pittston's Trick or Treat Main Street. An estimated 1,500 took part in the 2019 Halloween event. From left, are Emily Hughes, 6, Brooklyn Groom, 4, Oakley Groom, 1, Spencer Diaello, 2.
Balloon artist TJ Bell has a captive audience as she makes balloon animal after balloon animal for two hours at the Pocket Park.
Pittston event now in its fifth year