It's festival time again at Saint James Parish, 27 Allen St., Jamestown, under the big tent. The festival will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Members of the church have been planning this festival for more than 10 months. The women of the parish have been making baked goods for the traditional Italian bakery.
This is the church's 64th year of having some sort of summer picnic, fair or festival. In 2001, the festival moved from the backyard of the church to the front parking lot, just off Foote Avenue.
Article Photos
Pictured are the Italian Dancers of Saint James Church. Standing from left to right: Andre (Andrew) Liuzzo, Lucia Guarnieri with daughter Francesca, Maria Gullotti, Tommy Liuzzo, Andrew Liuzzo, Vince Liuzzo, Gennaro Manocchio, Pasqualina (Patty) Franco, Katie Peterson, Tina Liuzzo, Luigi Isabella, and Sally Donisi.
More food booths have been housed, serving fried dough, pepperoni balls, ham and cheese balls, arancini (fried rice balls), eggplant parmesan, pasta and meatball, tripe (made by Sam Boscia), Italian sausage, Irish corn beef, hot dogs, pizza, stromboli, cardooni, and many cold beverages.
The festival is full of music and dancing. On Friday night the tent opens at 6 with an "a la carte" menu of meatball sandwich, and new this year is the Sandwich of the Year in Bon Appetite magazine: the "porketta," an Italian slow cooked pork sandwich. Take 2 will provide music, and there will be dancing until 9 p.m. New this year will be a live auction by Himes Auctioneers at 9 p.m.
The festival continues on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Doc & Bill will perform Irish folk songs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., from 1:30 to 3 p.m. will be The Lettieris' "It's Broadway," from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. will be the Saint James Italian dancers with Joe Iucalano, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. will be Catholic Mass at the church, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. will be the Grand Larceny band.
Sunday's lineup is full of faith, food, music and more. Catholic Masses will be held in the church from 8 to 11 a.m. Joe Iucalano will perform music from noon to 1 p.m. The Italian Dancers of Saint James Church will perform from 1 to 2 p.m. Rockin' Robin will play from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Raffle drawings will be held at 5:30 p.m.