Excitement, entertainment, fireworks, fine food and music are some of the interesting ingredients that will make up the 2014 Feast & Festival of the Church of St. Rocco, which opens tonight at 6 p.m. in Johnston.
Co-chairmen John L. “Johnny” Ricci and Ray Montella, along with dozens upon dozens of proud parishioners, have put together a family festival that just may be the best ever.
This year’s event will feature many of the terrific traditions – and relationships – that date back well over four decades.
Take, for example, the carnival portion of the event, which began when Bob Webster first brought his family owned and operated show to Festival Field many moons ago.
“We’ve been with Amron Family Fun Fare for years,” Ricci was saying Tuesday afternoon while watching current owner Ed Browning put up decorations inside the Big Top. “Amron, which is Norma spelled backwards and named for the late Bob Webster’s wife, has been very, very loyal to our festival. Everybody loves their rides; they’re clean, safe and well operated. A lot of people call it a classy carnival.”
People who ride the “Webbie” engine-pulled train this weekend will be in for a treat. The engine, Browning told Ricci Tuesday, as been refurbished and even features a baseball hat on top with the word “boss” – obviously dedicated to Webster. Amron is now run by Browning, who married Webster’s daughter.
When the rides open tonight, it will mark the 27th Feast & Festival that Browning has headed as far as Amron is concerned.
“It’s fun,” Browning said while he and his staff took time for lunch Tuesday. “Excitement keeps building ... there’s lots of tradition here with our carnival and the feast.”
The Feast & Festival offers a chance for some lucky person to win $5,000 – the first prize in this year’s $7,500 grand raffle. There were will be two others cash drawings – one for $1,500, and another for $1,000.
Ricci explained that raffle tickets will be on sale throughout the festival and can be purchased at the raffle booth under the big top. Tickets are priced at $2 each, three for $5 and seven for $10. Proceeds benefit St. Rocco Church, and the drawing will be held Sunday evening at 9:30.
Like most events of its kind, the St. Rocco Feast & Festival has its signature foods, most notably the doughboys that are made from homemade dough, the famous sausage and pepper sandwiches and macaroni that’s served with either meatballs or sausages.
“We’ll also have our famous fried eggplant,” Ricci added. “Besides our Italian foods, we’ll have steak sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers, French fries, ice cream, soda and water. We don’t want anyone to leave here hungry.”
All of those foods, as well as homemade pastries baked by the women of St. Rocco Parish, will be on sale under the big top through Sunday when the Feast & Festival wraps up at 9:30 p.m.
This year’s event will also include a religious articles stand manned by parishioners, who will additionally be on duty throughout the four-day event selling special ride tickets and overseeing the Women’s Guild Straw Draw Booth, which Ricci said “doesn’t require any skill, just a little luck.”
In keeping with tradition, the four-day event will again offer a beer garden that will offer ice cold beer on tap in an area reserved for adults age 21 and over.
The always-colorful, gigantic fireworks display will go off Saturday night.
One of the new features this year is the first-ever bocce tournament, which will be played Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:30 at the parish’s new bocce courts.
While the Feast & Festival will run from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday nights, Sunday will mark the longest day beginning with a Solemn Mass with the parish choir beginning at 11 a.m.
The Most Rev. Angelo Carusi will be the main celebrant and homilist.
Following the Solemn Mass, a century-old traditional known as the St. Rocco Procession will be held with the statute of St. Rocco and the relic of the saint to bless the sick and elderly along the way.
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