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SCHENECTADY — What holds a community together over several generations? For the parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, it’s tradition.
The church will hold its annual Festa today through Sunday. Community members will gather at the parish grounds on Pleasant Street over three nights, celebrating with Italian food, live music and family fun.
Marlene Mauriello, one of three co-chairs overseeing the event, said the tradition means a great deal to the parish community.
“We call [the Festa] the heart of Mount Carmel because it’s been done for so many years, and we’re just so dedicated to it,” Mauriello said. “It’s amazing, even people who are older and can’t do as much as they did in the past still come here and spend hours and hours preparing.”
That dedication has powered the Festa for decades. The event, which typically attracts thousands of people, is made possible by dozens of volunteers. Many of them have family ties to the church and childhood memories of the Festa.
“As we’re working, we reminisce about when we were little and what the Festa was like then,” said Marianne Cristello, another co-chair of the event. “Also, many of us volunteer for it because our parents have done the same for years. We’re following what they did and trying to honor their devotion to our parish.”
Putting on the Festa is no small task. Volunteers prepare various Italian dishes to feed the masses: meatball sandwiches, sausage and peppers, pizza, calzones, eggplant sandwiches and more. Dessert selections include lemon ice and frittelle.
In addition, the Festa team has planned entertainment for attendees of all ages. For the kids, there will be clowns, balloons, glitter tattoos and even a dance party. Raffles will be held each night, with $500 prizes on Friday and Saturday and a $5,000 reward on Sunday. Hands of Time, The Heaters and Grand Central Station will perform live music.
The church also coordinates a “giant” garage sale each year, featuring a large catalog of items donated by locals. Attendees will be encouraged to browse the sale during Festa hours: Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday 5-10 p.m. and Sunday 5-9 p.m.
Cristello said the event is worth the effort.
“A lot of people have worked really hard behind the scenes for months and months — cooking, baking, making arrangements, phone calls, all of it,” Cristello said. “When you’re there together and see everyone having a good time, it makes it all worthwhile.”
Mauriello added that the Festa is an occasion for families to reunite.
“It’s very exciting to see the children and grandchildren who don’t necessarily live in this area anymore come back. It’s great to see all the familiar faces that we don’t see every weekend,” she said.
Sunday marks the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of the parish. After morning Mass, churchgoers will take to the streets in honor of the saint. Parishioners will come together to sing and pray by a statue of their Lady, as they have for over 100 years.
“We hope to keep the spirit of the Festa alive, having people come and enjoy the good food, fellowship and entertainment that it provides,” Cristello said.
Categories: Entertainment, Food, Life and Arts, News, Schenectady, Schenectady County
