PITTSTON -- Columbus Day is a holiday that's recognized every year in America, but some have been calling for it to be done away with.
For folks in part of our area, Christopher Columbus serves as an important symbol in the community.
For varying reasons, Columbus Day has been trending nationally on social media. Some view the holiday as controversial. To some folks in Pittston, where a Christopher Columbus statue was put back up after it was hit by a car last year, the holiday is looked at as historical.
"I don't see it as a controversial holiday in any way," said Knights of Columbus member Fred Orkwris. "You learn what you learn in history about it and that's what we learn. They still teach the kids the same things today."
For Curtis Lewis of Pittston, the statue being in place again is something to celebrate.
"Oh my God, I was waiting for this to go up. Now, it's well-protected and I'm glad. I'm glad it's up."
Around the country, many statues that have been deemed controversial have been taken down.
In Pittston where the Christopher Columbus statue was put back up, a lot of residents in the area believe that the statue is a landmark in the community.
"It's been here a long time, and we hope that it will be here forever," said Marie Griglock. "It's a beautiful statue and it brings back many memories for a lot of people in this area. I think they did a beautiful job with it."
"I'm a middle-aged guy, and it's been here as long as I can remember. Anybody younger than me, it's been here as long as they can remember as well, except for the several months it was down after it was knocked over in the accident," Orkwris said.
"I think it was more controversy when the statue got knocked down than coming back up. That shouldn't have happened, but now, it's fixed and that's a good thing," Lewis said.
One person Newswatch 16 spoke with said that the celebration Sunday involved many different societies and the overall consensus seems to be that the people are happy to see the monument is back and Columbus is honored in Pittston.