Pennsylvania asserts itself as the birthplace of the nation, home to the mushroom capital of the world and the creator of myriad iconic foods. But did you know that a small town in NEPA calls itself the “Quality Tomato Capital of the World?” That’s right. Pittston, PA is a historic landmark for tomato production, and it celebrates this designation with an all-out tomato celebration every summer.
The Pittston Tomato Festival mascot, Stew
Pittston is a small but vibrant city in the Wyoming Valley of northeastern Pennsylvania. It sits smack in the middle of the “Tunkahannock Shickshiny Strip,” a fertile crescent of land that sits along the Susquehanna River. In the 19th Century, this area grew a reputation for its delicious tomatoes, which benefit from the rich soils that are high in minerals from the river and anthracite coal. They were flavorful and also bruise-resistant, which made them ideal for shipping. Italian immigrants in the area applied cultivation skills to further improve this tasty, ruby-hued crop.
Pittston
During the 1800s and into the first half of the 20th Century, tomatoes were often shipped up north from southern states, plucked while green and left to ripen along the extensive journey. The Pittston tomatoes offered a delicious alternative, with high-quality fruit ripening on the vine in much closer proximity to metropolitan centers like New York City, with a texture and flavor that beat the more distant imports.
By the 1930s, “The Pittston Tomato” was a thing, designated so by wholesalers in New Jersey and New York who used the name of the city in the middle of the Tunkahannock Shickshiny Strip to refer to the area’s top crop. Tomato pride and innovative recipes persisted over decades and, in the 1960s, two brothers (and tomato growers) teamed up with the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce to promote this tiny slice of PA as the greatest tomato-growing region in the country.
Margaret Yonski holding large tomatoes she grew in nearby Inkerman in 1960
About 20 years later, a small committee formed, which included local tomato enthusiast Valentine “Val” Delia, who became the heart of the festival they first launched in 1983 with the support of then-mayor Thomas Walsh. The festival put Pittston on the map with droves of attendees and one-of-a-kind events and programming.
The Pittston Tomato posing with kids at the 1989 Tomato Festival.
Today’s Pittston Tomato Festival offers the same community pride and local flair it always has. It’s a four-day festival jam-packed with events, family fun and food. This year, the celebrations kick off on Thursday, August 21 at 5 p.m. and wrap up on Sunday, August 24 at 8 p.m. The festival is free, so visit more than once if you have the time! Over 100,000 attendees are expected in 2025.
Signature events include a parade, a 5K race/walk, tomato contests, a spaghetti-eating competition and a polar plunge. The festival mascot, Stew the tomato, will be waltzing throughout the events for meet-and-greets and photo-ops.
The Pittston Tomato Festival Parade, now in its 42nd year, is held in downtown Pittston on Saturday at 11 a.m. following the 5K run. Floats of all kinds will meander the town’s center along a two mile route.
PTF Parade goers
There’s a healthy spirit of competition at the festival, with ribbons for the largest, smallest, ugliest and most perfect tomatoes, a Little Miss and Little Mr. crowning and the spaghetti eating contest, a hand-free, three-minute noodle binge to determine the Prince or Princess of Pasta. This year the spaghetti showdown will be held on the Main Stage on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., with a donation receptacle for food given to Pittston Meals on Wheels. Those who like spice should check out the Ring of Fire Chili Pepper Eating Contest, a new competition this year.
Curtis Lewis, Pittston resident and winner of the 2024 Spaghetti Eating Contest, with Stew
The festival offers a fun, carnival-like atmosphere with live music, food vendors aplenty and exciting rides. Local favorites like Sabatelle’s Market, Gramma Aita’s Kitchen, Carmella’s Italian Deli and Pittston Popcorn will be on hand with tasty bites, and a solid rotation of live music will keep spirits high.
Jason Sabatelle and Sue Henry at the Sabatelle’s Market stand, where they sell porketta and chicken sandwiches
Of course, no tomato festival would be complete without tomatoes! Sample the famed local crop for yourself as you explore the festival, and see what creative dishes and culinary inspiration you find. Check out our eight must-try tomato recipes for some delicious ideas.
A tomato monument in downtown Pittston
Head downtown to check out the Pittston Tomato Festival August 21 – 24 and follow it on Facebook and Instagram for updates and announcements. We’d love to hear what you think of the experience!
- Feature image, overhead festival view, parade and Curtis Lewis photos: Pittston Tomato Festival
- Pittston photo: Canva
- Tomato photo: Bigstock
- Margaret Yonski photo: Stephen Lukasik for the Sunday Dispatch
- 1989 Festival Photo: Sunday Dispatch File Photo
- Sabatelle's Market stand photo: Aimee Dilger / WVIA News
- Monument photo: Mel Lamphere
