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<p>PITTSTON &#8211; The 2019 Little Mister and Little Miss Tomato contest got off to a delayed start on Sunday morning due to power issues from the night before when a heavy thunder cell landed over the Pittston Tomato Festival site.</p><p>Once power was restored, the contest began with under a blazing sky with nine boys and 17 girls vying for the title were there was the boy&#8217;s category saw a second-generation winner.</p><p>Mia Lispi, 2, from West Pittston, took the 2019 Little Miss Tomato crown while 4-year-old Franco Ramiza was crowned Little Mister Tomato&#8217;s top spot. Ramiza&#8217;s mother, the former Cathy Argenio, was named the very first Little Miss Tomato during the inaugural Pittston Tomato Festival 36 years ago.</p><p>&#8220;I thought it was a good idea to put him in the contest because I was the very first ever Miss Tomato,&#8221; Cathy Ramiza said. &#8220;So thought it would be cute to put him in and see what he says, he&#8217;s pretty witty.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s excited. He said he wants to be Mister Tomato because he wants to be in the newspaper and TV and he even asked if he was going to win money,&#8221; Cathy Ramiza said laughingly. &#8220;I told him if he did a good job, he could go in the bounce house; that sealed the deal to get him in.&#8221;</p><p>Ramiza can&#8217;t recall who was crowned Mister Tomato along side of her, but she said her name comes up from time-to-time in the Sunday Dispatch&#8217;s Peeking in the Past weekly column.</p><p>Angel Noone, coordinator of the Little Tomato contest, has been involved ever since she could remember.</p><p>&#8220;My parents started the contest 36 year ago,&#8221; Noone said. &#8220;It&#8217;s been here ever since the start of the festival.&#8221;</p><p>Noone is no stranger to pageants when she, not only helped her parents, but she was crowned the Tomato Festival Queen in 1996, a pageant that no longer is held at the festival.</p><p>&#8220;I love when the kids have an opportunity to get on stage and go in front of people,&#8221; Noone said. &#8220;I love doing this and I wouldn&#8217;t be doing this for the last 24 years by myself and brought on Sarah (Donahue) a few years ago to help out,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Donahue also performs as the contest&#8217;s mistress of ceremonies.</p><p>The most rememorable moment in all the years Noone been involved was last year when, for the first time in the history of the contest, a co-winner was crowned.</p><p>In 2018, the contest crowned Mia Bartush along with Violet Pantucci, who is currently hospitalized at Children&#8217;s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Pantucci, 7, of Pittston, was born with lissencephaly, a rare brain disorder where the surface of the brain is smooth rather than having ridges and folds. She is very susceptible to having seizures.</p><p>&#8220;Violet has been having a tough time down at CHOP,&#8221; Noone said. &#8220;Just seeing the appreciation of the family last year and making her a princess and seeing what a remarkable young little girl she is has been the most rewarding thing that&#8217;s ever happened to me here in all my years.&#8221;</p><p>Seven-year-old Dylan Mlaker, the 2018 Little Mister Tomato, was prepared to hand over his crown.</p><p>&#8220;I was happy and excited,&#8221; Mlaker, said of when he won the crown. &#8220;I got to be in parades and it&#8217;s been fun. I waved to a lot of people after we ran out of candy.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Franco Ramiza, 4, was crowned Little Mister Tomato on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_thumbnail_2019-Little-Miss-Mr-Tomato-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Franco Ramiza, 4, was crowned Little Mister Tomato on Sunday. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_thumbnail_2019-Little-Miss-Mr-Tomato-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mia Lispi, 2, from West Pittston, took the 2019 Little Miss Tomato crown on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_thumbnail_2019-Little-Miss-Mr-Tomato-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Mia Lispi, 2, from West Pittston, took the 2019 Little Miss Tomato crown on Sunday. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tony Callaio</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Little Miss and Mr. Tomato crowned