St. Rocco's celebration draws people from near and far to enjoy Italy's food and culture Jo Paduano slices into fluffy dough quickly and evenly, then places the strips on a tray that's rushed over to Betty Robishaw, who fries the strips to a golden brown. She scoops up the pieces and places them on another tray that Joanne Mayer runs out into the bagging area. There, Joann Smith carefully weighs three-quarter pound bags of the delicacy that residents have anxiously awaited all year - pizza fritta. The women work quickly because they know that in only four short days, they will have to produce 800 bags of pizza fritta, of which they will sell every one. Prepared at St. Mary's Church in Holley, the pizza fritta is a sure sign that the St. Rocco's Italian Festival, always held the Sunday before Labor Day, is just a couple of weeks away. St. Rocco's is the mission church of St. Mary's, which means that because of a diminishing congregation, St. Rocco's is only kept open for weddings and funerals. "Some older Italian families want to see the church stay open because their parents and grandparents were parishioners," said John Dellaquila, festival co-chair. "In fact, the church is built from Medina sandstone that came from the local quarries where these people worked." The festival is a joint venture that benefits both churches. "It's our major fundraiser for the year, but more importantly, it's a chance for people to get together and socialize," said Dellaquila. The festival actually began as a family gathering on Labor Day and grew from there. "I believe it was the DeCarlo, Zappone and Valentine families who got things going over 25 years ago," remembers Jo Paduano. Now, people who no longer live in the area return for the St. Rocco's festival to visit friends and family. They even arrive by boat, taking the day to enjoy a ride down the Erie Canal. Preparations for the festival begin months in advance. Committees are formed to handle everything from setting up and cleaning up to running the food booths and maintaining the bocce courts. "About 50 to 60 people run the festival and they're not just parishioners. Our relatives and friends like to help out, too," said Joann Smith, festival co-chair. During the month of August, the big push is to get the pizza fritta made. For this, St. Mary's Social and Education Center in Holley is used. Four women arrive at 5 a.m. to begin mixing the dough, which is the consistency of pizza dough with some anise seeds mixed in. To ensure that the pizza fritta are light and airy, the dough is allowed to rise, then punched down, then allowed to rise again. In all, eight giant batches are made and each produces 100 pizza fritta. All the volunteers are assigned tasks, then switch off from time to time in this amazingly orchestrated operation. About four days before the festival, all other food preparation begins in the St. Rocco's Church kitchen. Sauce and 1,500 meatballs are made, along with eggplant parmigiana, which is put together assembly-line style. "We pretty much kiss the month of August good-bye since things are so busy getting ready for the festival. Forget about vacations!" said Richard Cary, volunteer. Festival organizers say they are fortunate that they can borrow equipment, such as cookers and grills, from the Holley Fire Department. The day of the festival, volunteers are up at the crack of dawn to get coffee brewing for the bocce teams. At 9 a.m., the bocce tournaments begin with between 20 and 25 four-person teams. As sustenance for a long day of celebrating, festival-goers can begin their day with a frittata sandwich, which is a portable omelet of sorts made with sausage, cheese, peppers and onions. Then it's off to a special mass held at St. Rocco's at 11 a.m. After mass, the real eating begins as festival-goers visit booths offering eggplant parmigiana, pasta faggioli, meatball subs, sausage with peppers and onions, pizza, and traditional festival foods like hot dogs and hamburgers. As if that's not enough, at 1 p.m. begins a spaghetti and meatball dinner at the church hall across the street. Of course, St. Rocco's Festival isn't all about food. There's also children's games, arts and crafts, raffles, and old-fashioned Italian songs performed by the Blue Notes. Area residents take advantage of the crowds and often schedule their garage sales the same weekend as the festival. "There are people who have helped make this affair a major fundraising and social success since its inception," said Dellaquila. "They work long, hard hours for days in order for this event to succeed - and they enjoy doing it." The St. Rocco's Italian Festival will take place on Sunday, September 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the festival grounds on Hulberton Road, Holley, across from St. Rocco's Church. |
