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Newly-signed Noesen makes fast first impression in WBS Pens win

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Dogs have their day at SPCA walk

<p>PITTSTON &#8212; Paint Pittston Pink wrapped up on Saturday with a series of events that brought residents to its Main Street for competition and camaraderie, while raising money for breast cancer research.</p><p>The day&#8217;s 5K race and gentlemen&#8217;s dash are becoming tradition for many Pittston area residents, the &#8220;Hammer Out Cancer&#8221; event, in its first year was very well received.</p><p>Mary Kay Jones, who lost her daughter Lisa Jones Kutra last year to breast cancer, opened the day reminding those attending of the importance of both faith and friends when experiencing a loss.</p><p>She also emphasized the importance of funding for cancer research, which she said she believed lengthened her daughter&#8217;s life.</p><p>&#8220;She was diagnosed in 2012, and though she had beat it,&#8221; Jones said. &#8220;She was rediagnosed in 2016.&#8221;</p><p>Research and clinical trials, she said, often offer new treatments to battle cancer, but they cost money.</p><p><strong>Running with purpose</strong></p><p>Barbara Sciandra, who founded Paint Pittston Pink with Qiana Lehman six years ago, knows well the benefits of clinical trials and aggressive research.</p><p>Sciandra was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, participated in a clinical trial and is now seven years cancer free.</p><p>On Saturday, surrounded by about 100 runners and 400 walkers readying themselves for the 5K and the family run, Sciandra said she was more than grateful that the Greater Pittston community stepped up to raise money for cancer research.</p><p>Friends Emily Wanko and Caitlyn Inglesby, were running in a 5K race for the first time on Saturday, decked in pink and looking forward to being covered in pink chalk before the race was over.</p><p>The two friends, who said they had &#8220;practiced once,&#8221; said they decided to participate because the event raised money for such a good cause.</p><p>&#8220;My Nan had breast cancer, so it did affect our family,&#8221; Wanko said. &#8220;Now we run for other families who have been affected by cancer.&#8221;</p><p>Members of the Pittston Area volleyball team were on hand to make sure that everyone running got their share of pink chalk dust, which of course, stands for breast cancer and brought a smile to pink dusty racers and walkers.</p><p>Pittston Area Junior Tiara George, accompanied by dozens of her teammates, were headed with buckets of the pink chalk dust over to Kennedy Boulevard to &#8220;throw pink&#8221; at raise participants.</p><p>Jarrett Ferrentino who has been participating in Paint Pittston Pink activities throughout its six-year history, said the day was special because he was running with his son Dominick, 13.</p><p>Ferrentino, remembering the first year of the race and other activities, said organizers had hoped it would grow and are overwhelmed with the support the events have garnered from Greater Pittston area residents and beyond.</p><p>&#8220;Every year, it gets bigger and bigger,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a great cause.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Dashing for a cause</strong></p><p>Following the 5K, 12 men decked in tulle, leotards and high heels who made their way down the city&#8217;s Main Street on Saturday were deemed the &#8220;$84,000 men,&#8221; by organizers of Paint Pittston Pink.</p><p>The number reflects the amount raised by participants of the Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash, many who said they had been touched by the effects of cancer in their own lives.</p><p>Peter Adonizio&#8203;, a lifelong resident of Greater Pittston, donned pink shoes and a great smile. He saidhad been practicing in the high heels which had been chosen by his wife Maria.</p><p>Adonizio was running in honor of his mother and aunt, who are breast cancer survivors.</p><p>Times Leader publisher Mike Murray, also donning high heels and pink tulle, said he was participating because cancer affected the lives of nearly everyone, making research so necessary.</p><p>Murray, whose late mother battled cancer, said his open-toed heels had been handed down from a previous dasher.</p><p>&#8220;I think they may have been worn by one of the winners,&#8221; he said smiling.</p><p>Murray said the company is always willing to support the community, recently making a donation to the PPP effort.</p><p>Participation in the Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash seems to go far beyond simply the time it takes to run 50 yards down the city&#8217;s main street.</p><p>Jason Ferentino, who helped welcome participants from the the grandstand and himself a past participant, also called previous participants to the front for a round of applause.</p><p>&#8220;Once you run, you&#8217;re part of a brotherhood,&#8221; said one participant.</p><p>The streets were lined with onlookers when the signal was given and the high-heeled dozen went galloping down the street at a pretty good pace.</p><p>The race ended with a bit of controversy, with a &#8220;photo finish&#8221; having onlookers and &#8220;dash&#8221; officials looking at videos to see who would take this year&#8217;s title.</p><p>Raymond Capozucca was ultimately named the winner, with John Rebovich coming in second place very close behind.</p><p>The two seemed to be enjoying good-natured ribbing about who had won, and stopped to provide an opportunity for people to take photos.</p><p>Also in the winner&#8217;s circle were those who had raised the most money, with Matthew Latona coming in first having raised $14,300, Ray Capozucca coming in second with over $10,000 and Lindo Sabatini&#8203;, taking third place having raised $9,400.</p><p>The Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash has become a mainstay of the event&#8217;s fundraising, providing an opportunity for local businesses to participate in a well-attended unique event, Paint Pittston Pink organizers said this year.</p><p><strong>Hammer Out Cancer</strong></p><p>New this year the Paint Pittston Pink effort concluded with &#8220;Hammer out Cancer.&#8221;</p><p>A ticket for the event meant the opportunity to swing a sledgehammer at large pink, pickup truck parked in the lot behind the band shelter.</p><p>Jones looked out at the truck as her husband, Ned, took a sledgehammer and did a bit of damage to its finish.</p><p>Jones said she thought the new event was a great opportunity to take out one&#8217;s frustration with cancer out in a safe way.</p><p>Jones also credited the committee with coming up with new events every year, which meant that the entire effort appealed to more and more people of all ages.</p><p>Jeanette Roundtree, decked in a pink wig, took a bit of time to decide if she was going to participate, but when she finally did, she did so with enthusiasm, taking out part of the front bumper.</p><p>As fun as it might be to swing a hammer with all her might, Roundtree said the reasoning behind her participation, was to benefit cancer research.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s raising money for cancer research,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what it was all about.&#8221;</p><p>Latona took time to pose with his fellow gentleman dashers atop the pink pickup truck.</p><p>Latona said the event reflected the community&#8217;s commitment to cancer research and to their neighbors.</p><p>Event organizer Melissa Latona, who helped man the registration area for the &#8220;Hammer for Cancer&#8221; event, said she was pleased with the turnout, with dozens waiting to buy tickets for a chance to wield the hammer.</p><p>The event was open to those 12 and over, with those under 18 needing consent from their parents.</p><p>The event signaled the close of weeks of Paint Pittston Pink activities to raise money for cancer research.</p><p>This year, Paint Pittston Pink exceeded its fundraising goal of $100,000.</p><p>In its six-year run, the effort has raised nearly $500,000 for cancer research.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_Paint-Pittston-Pink-5K-TL-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Overall female winner of the Paint Pittston Pink 5K race, Aubriana Marranca, a junor at Wyoming Area, crosses the Firemen&#8217;s Memorial Bridge heading into Pittston while being showered in pink chalk. Her winning time was 20:52:88. The top runner was Michael Branley, 16 of West Pittston, with a winning time of 17:14:71. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_Paint-Pittston-Pink-5K-TL-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Overall female winner of the Paint Pittston Pink 5K race, Aubriana Marranca, a junor at Wyoming Area, crosses the Firemen&#8217;s Memorial Bridge heading into Pittston while being showered in pink chalk. Her winning time was 20:52:88. The top runner was Michael Branley, 16 of West Pittston, with a winning time of 17:14:71. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_Paint-Pittston-Pink-Hammer-TL-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ned Jones does his best to hammer out cancer during Paint Pittston Pink&#8217;s newest event held on Saturday. His daughter, Lisa Jones Kutra, lost her battle with breast cancer last year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_Paint-Pittston-Pink-Hammer-TL-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ned Jones does his best to hammer out cancer during Paint Pittston Pink&#8217;s newest event held on Saturday. His daughter, Lisa Jones Kutra, lost her battle with breast cancer last year. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_PPP-Gentlemen-s-Dash-TL-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Twelve men race in Paint Pittston Pink&#8217;s Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash on Saturday on Main Street. Participants race 40 yards. for the trophy. The Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash raised more than $80,000 this year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_PPP-Gentlemen-s-Dash-TL-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Twelve men race in Paint Pittston Pink&#8217;s Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash on Saturday on Main Street. Participants race 40 yards. for the trophy. The Gentlemen&#8217;s Dash raised more than $80,000 this year. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Hundreds come running to Paint Pittston Pink