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<p>PITTSTON &#8212; It was Jeff Lyon&#8217;s first time at the Pittston Tomato Festival and he wanted to fully experience the event.</p><p>So Lyon, decked out in a white shirt, bravely decided to enter the tomato fights Saturday in the Cooper&#8217;s Seafood House parking lot.</p><p>As he watched the festival parade earlier in the day, he was quick to demonstrate how he would place the special tomato goggles over his eyes.</p><p>His wife, Miranda, also decided to tangle with tomatoes, but she wore a tomato-colored shirt, a much more pragmatic approach.</p><p>Before the actual &#8220;fight,&#8221; Jeff was busy planning his form and style.</p><p>&#8220;From what I understand, you have to &#8216;squish&#8217; the tomato before you throw it to make sure that no one gets hurt,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Lyon was also prepared for the &#8220;no-holds-barred&#8221; nature of the event.</p><p>&#8220;I figure, I&#8217;ll come out covered with tomatoes,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s OK.&#8221;</p><p>Ben Tielle, a Pittston Tomato Festival organizer, said the tomato fight has become increasingly popular over the course of its 20-year history.</p><p>In fact, many more would participate if they could.</p><p>&#8220;We had to set the limit at 150 people,&#8221; he said. &#8220;People register for the event early.&#8221;</p><p>The tomatoes used in battle were donated by local growers.</p><p>&#8220;We only use those that have been deemed inedible,&#8221; said Tielle. &#8220;We don&#8217;t waste any tomatoes.&#8221;</p><p>Tielle, who has volunteered at the event for 16 years, is often so busy he&#8217;s had only one opportunity a few years ago to actually see the tomato fights for himself.</p><p>&#8220;Even though I was only a spectator, I wore the special goggles to protect my eyes from the tomatoes flying through the air,&#8221; he recalled.</p><p>Lyon, from upstate New York, said he thoroughly enjoyed the entire &#8220;tomato experience,&#8221; from the food to the parade to the faux war.</p><p>He was accompanied by mother-in-law Mary Ann Saylor, of Hanover Township, and his son, Jasper, 17 months, who just loved the bagpipers in the morning&#8217;s parade.</p><p>Saylor said of her grandson, &#8220;He was pretending he was the bagpipe director when they passed.&#8221;</p><p>Tomato fights can be traced to 1940s Spain, when they became a tradition in the town of Bu&#241;ol. Truckloads of tomatoes are annually dumped in the town square, crushed and then thrown in a friendly competition.</p><p>The Pittston Tomato Festival brought a bit of organization to the event, but retained the fun and funky spirit.</p><p>The trick to tomato fight success, according to the festival&#8217;s website, is not only to gather and throw, but also to duck and weave.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not every day that you get to throw tomatoes through the air,&#8221; said Lyon. &#8220;It&#8217;s a pretty unique opportunity.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jeff Lyon, of Mohegan Lake, N.Y., toughs it out while tomatoes are thrown in his direction Saturday at the annual tomato fight that&#8217;s part of the Pittston Tomato Festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL082017TomatoFight1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jeff Lyon, of Mohegan Lake, N.Y., toughs it out while tomatoes are thrown in his direction Saturday at the annual tomato fight that&#8217;s part of the Pittston Tomato Festival. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL082017TomatoFight2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The remnants of the annual tomato fight in Pittston are cleaned up Saturday with a front-end loader in the parking lot of Cooper&#8217;s Seafood House on Kennedy Boulevard. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL082017TomatoFight2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>The remnants of the annual tomato fight in Pittston are cleaned up Saturday with a front-end loader in the parking lot of Cooper&#8217;s Seafood House on Kennedy Boulevard. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL082017TomatoFight3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tomato fight participants are seen battling it out Saturday in the parking lot of Cooper&#8217;s Seafood House in Pittston during the annual Tomato Festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL082017TomatoFight3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Tomato fight participants are seen battling it out Saturday in the parking lot of Cooper&#8217;s Seafood House in Pittston during the annual Tomato Festival. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Participants pummeled at Pittston event</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

As usual, Pittston tomato fight is a fun, messy time