Planet Earth On Edge

25/08/2026

🇮🇹✨ Holy Cannoli, It’s Almost Time for La Festa Italiana! ✨🇮🇹​ Please Share This Post and Tag Your Friends 🧡

❤️ Downtown Scranton is about to fill up with the unmistakable, mouth-watering aromas of fresh garlic, sizzling sausage, and sweet pastry cream. That can only mean one thing: La Festa Italiana is returning to Courthouse Square for a massive 50th Anniversary Celebration all through Labor Day Weekend! Get your stretchy pants ready to celebrate half a century of incredible food, rich culture, and community spirit.

📍Where: Courthouse Square, Downtown Scranton, PA

🗓️ Dates & Hours:

Friday, Sept 4: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, Sept 5: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday, Sept 6: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Monday, Sept 7: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM

🍕The Food Lineup:

Come with a huge appetite! Walk past nearly seventy bustling vendors dishing out authentic Italian specialties: legendary local porketta sandwiches, piping hot plates of homemade pasta, classic sausage and peppers, fresh-baked pizza, rich cappuccinos, crispy zeppoles, and of course, mountains of the festival's famously irresistible cannoli!

🎶 Daily Entertainment & Special Events Schedule:

❤️ Experience four days of non-stop live music, cultural showcases, and entertainment spread across multiple stages.

❤️ All Weekend Long: Catch strolling traditional Italian musicians and vocalists performing across the grounds, plus explore the special Heritage and Cultural Tents marking 50 years of regional history.
​🇮🇹 Friday, Sept 4: Kick off the milestone 50th year with the official Opening Ceremonies at 5:00 PM on Alfredo's Main Stage, followed by high-energy performances from Ray Massa's EURORYTHMS Italian Show Band, the Scranton Civic Ballet Company, and The Untouchables Band, plus opening night tunes at the Wayne Bank Stage on Adams Ave! ❤️ 🇮🇹 Saturday, Sept 5: Start your morning at 10:00 AM with the annual Captain James R. Minicozzi Memorial 5K and Fun Walk. Head over to North Washington Avenue starting at 1:00 PM for the fantastic La Festa Car Show (featuring a parade and awards at 3:30 PM), then stay into the evening for incredible live band performances on the main stages.
❤️ 🇮🇹 Sunday, Sept 6: Begin your morning with the traditional Italian Mass at 10:00 AM over at the Cathedral of St. Peter just a block away. Spend your afternoon and evening enjoying dynamic regional dance troupes, local favorites, and a huge Rat Pack tribute lineup featuring a Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra showcase, capped off by Daddy-O and the Sax Maniacs.
❤️ 🇮🇹 Monday, Sept 7: Wrap up the milestone weekend with the timeless sounds of the legendary Gene Dempsey Orchestra, cheer on contestants at the hilarious annual Cannoli Eating Contest, and catch the festival-closing high-energy performance by Popstar Drive!

Best of all, admission is completely FREE! ​👇 Check the comments below for the full day-by-day entertainment schedule and stage lineups!

📣 Spread the Word & Join the Conversation!

Help us make this 50th anniversary the biggest one yet! Hit share to spread the word to your friends, and tag your festival squad in the comments below. Then, drop your answers to these three questions:

1. What is the absolute FIRST food item you buy when you walk onto the square?
2. Which day's lineup or special event are you most pumped to experience?
3. Who are you bringing with you this year? Tag your festival buddy! 👇

Scranton Strong

25/08/2026

My gift to you! 🌅🧡⛵️❤️🔥💜

©2026 Vicki Norton Photography
Vicki Norton

24/08/2026

16/08/2026

Scranton

The Changing Face of Scranton: A Look at Our Growing Diversity! 🏙️✨Please Share This Post 📫
❤️ When people think of Scranton, they often picture our rich industrial roots, but our community’s story is continuously evolving. Recent U.S. Census Bureau and migration data show that the Electric City is becoming an increasingly vibrant, diverse, and globally connected place to call home!

Here is a snapshot of Scranton’s modern demographic makeup and how it compares to a decade ago:

🌼 Neighbors from the Tri-State: The single largest pipeline of out-of-state newcomers comes right from the greater New York and New Jersey metro area, with roughly 4,600+ people a year relocating to our region for Scranton's welcoming community, unique culture, and housing value.

❤️ Global Roots & New Neighbors: Approximately 12.6% of Scranton residents today were born outside of the United States, bringing international perspectives, cultures, and traditions to NEPA.

🌼 A 10-Year Comparison: Back around a decade ago, the foreign-born population in Scranton hovered closer to 8.3%. Over the past ten years, our international community has grown significantly, enriching our local fabric.

❤️ A Growing Cultural Mosaic: Scranton’s Hispanic or Latino community has expanded to 17.9% of our population a notable rise from roughly 9.9% a decade ago.

🌼 Broader Diversity Metrics: Overall, the city's racial and ethnic composition features 64.9% White (Non-Hispanic), 6.6% Black or African American, 5.3% Asian, and 4.6% multiracial residents, reflecting a much more diverse mosaic than ten years prior when the population was over 84% White non-Hispanic.

❤️ Languages Spoken: Nearly 19.3% of our residents now speak a language other than English at home, up from about 14.2% a decade ago.

🌼 Scranton is more diverse than Pennsylvania's overall state average in several categories making our neighborhoods, local businesses, and community spaces richer and more dynamic than ever.

Let’s celebrate the traditions, cultures, and diverse backgrounds that make the Electric City unique! 💙🤍

👇 We want to hear from you:

Are you a longtime local, or did you recently move here from out of state (like NY or NJ)?

What changes have you noticed most in your neighborhood over the last few years?

What is your favorite local spot or annual event in Scranton that brings people together?

How can we as a community do an even better job of welcoming and celebrating all of our new and longtime neighbors?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below! 💬

Scranton Strong 💪 ♥️ 👏

16/08/2026

🌅 Nothing quite beats an Electric City sunset! Did anyone else catch these incredible colors over Scranton last night?
​
​Mother Nature really showed off for us yesterday evening! Looking back at this stunning view has us ready to take on the new day.
​Today's Weather Forecast (August 16):
​High: 74°F | Low: 61°F
​Wind: South 11 mph
​Conditions: Light rain during the day, cloudy night.
​. ❤️ What are your plans and activities for today? Drop what you're up to and share your favorite photos in the comments below! 👇📸
​ Scranton Strong

11/08/2026

A sailboat sunset in Petoskey! I hope you're having a great week and thanks as always for sharing!