Big crowds turn out for Italian food and fun at 51st annual St. Rocco’s Fest

Photos by Tom Rivers

HULBERTON – Lori Richardson, left, and Noreen Ford have chicken parmesan ready at today’s St. Rocco’s Italian Festival in Hulberton.

There were big crowds for the event, with people showing up an hour early for the Italian food.

Ford co-chairs the food pavilion with her brother Bill Bower and his wife Rose Mary.

Ford graduated from the St. Mary’s School in Holley and has been at every one of the 51 festivals.

“We see a lot of people who we went to school with and their families,” Ford said.

The event is a fundraiser for the ONE Catholic Family of Churches.

Gail Christ works with other volunteers to get powered dough waffles.

The festival grounds were packed with people.

There were about 25 vendors selling arts, crafts and vegetables.

Chuck Maxon and Rachael Spychalski serve up spaghetti dinners.

Some of the spaghetti crew include from left Gary Maxon, Chuck Maxon, Rachael Spychalski and Jean Maxon.

Volunteers started preparing the food for St. Rocco’s on Tuesday.

They cooked 40 pounds of spaghetti, 45 gallons of meat sauce and 1,350 meatballs.

The volunteers also prepared 224 pans of eggplant with six servings a pan. The eggplant was donated by Vendetti Farms and Piedimonte Farms.

Jean Maxon is the overall festival chairwoman. She said the group promoted the festival more in the region. She was impressed by the big crowds.

There were 12 teams competing in the bocce tournament.

Enzio Molinaro, 1 ½ of Lockport, holds one of the bocce balls on an idle court. He was at the festival to watch his uncle and grandfather play.

Katie Robinson, a pianist and vocalist, performed hits from the 1970s and 1980s including Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Carole King, Seals and Crofts, Cyndi Lauper and James Taylor. Here she is singing, “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper.