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Businesses Hoping Things Heat Up During Lent

SCRANTON—The phones were ringing and the ovens were hot at Maroni’s Pizza in Scranton Friday night. It is especially busy at the business each Frida...

SCRANTON---The phones were ringing and the ovens were hot at Maroni's Pizza in Scranton Friday night.

It is especially busy at the business each Friday during Lent, the Christian observance before Easter when some people avoid meat, making pizza popular.

"Fridays is usually a pizza day and it's been like that throughout our families throughout the years and my mom, this is her favorite place," said Debra London of Taylor, who was waiting for pizza.

"It's the best thing, coming here on Fridays. Nice, hot, fresh pizza. Enjoy it if you can!" said Patricia Smith of Scranton.

The folks at Maroni's said the cold winter has been tough on business, keeping some people away.

"So hopefully from now on, it will get a bit easier for us. But still, we need to the good weather for people to start stirring around a little bit, you know it's lent but if the weather don't cooperate, it still puts a little damper on it, you know," said Carmen Pellegrino, owner of Maroni's Pizza.

At the Chinchilla Hose Company in South Abington Township, the kitchen was also busy.

For years now, the hose company has been selling pies during Lenten Fridays.

While it has been frigid outside, the guys inside the fire station said they are not worried about sales.

"We have steady customers who have been coming for years, they'll come regardless of the weather," said Bill Blakiewicz of the fire department.

Fish is also a popular choice during Lenten Fridays.

Kelly's Pub and Eatery in Scranton has a fish fry each Friday this time of year.

"Hopefully Lent will pick up with the fish fry that we have. We have all the fryers back there for wings, but it's lent and people don't eat meat so we had to do something over the years," said Trish Laboranti of Kelly's.

"We come here every Friday for Lent. We look forward to it. We're always mad on Ash Wednesday because it's wing night here and they don't start the fish fry," said Sheila Zeleniak of Taylor.

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