Community Corner
Family Fun at St. Anthony’s Feast and Bazaar
The annual event is a fundraiser for the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Joseph.
The is holding the St. Anthony’s Feast and Bazaar, an annual staple of New Rochelle’s West End, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. through Sunday.
The outdoor fair, located at 280 Washington Ave., features games, prizes, raffles, arts and crafts, live music and, of course, food. Menu items include sausage and peppers, Philly cheesesteak, chicken cheesesteak, meatball wedges, burgers, hot dogs, ice pops, pastries, chocolate covered bananas, cotton candy and zeppole. Admission is free.
New Rochelle’s own Judi Parente and Antoinette Rossetti are the co-chairs of the event. Rossetti, co-chair for six years, was baptized at the church and attended its school from kindergarten through eighth grade. Parente, co-chair for 15 years, was married at the church, and her children were baptized there.
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“We have an incentive to keep our church going,” Parente said. The proceeds from St. Anthony’s Feast and Bazaar go towards the organization’s upkeep, she said. It is the organization’s biggest event of the year and is run entirely by volunteers.
The Rev. Philip J. Caruso, who has been with the parish for 12 years, said his favorite part of the fair is “seeing everyone coming together and enjoying themselves.”
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The band Backlash will play live music Saturday starting around 7 p.m., and A 2 Z will play on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, Mass is offered at 4 p.m., and at 5 p.m. a procession will parade around the neighborhood, ending at the fair.
Once the procession enters the fair it is “so crowded and it’s such a high,” said Parente. Rossetti jokingly added that if you’re volunteering at the fair “make sure you get your food before the procession comes in.”
While this weekend’s weather forecast is a little wet, the veteran co-chairs aren’t worried. They said they have a secret weapon: a statue of St. Anthony.
It was pouring on the Sunday of last year’s fair, but Parente said the sky cleared up “the minute St. Anthony came out of the church doors.”
The fair will still go on this weekend even if St. Anthony fails to work his nice weather magic.
