By Ron Kuzlik
NORWALK—The St Ann Club of Norwalk celebrated its annual Italian Feast the weekend of July 25-28. The event was kicked off with a procession of the statue of St. Ann from the club led by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, followed by Mass a few blocks away with a Knights of Columbus Honor Guard at St Thomas the Apostle Parish in East Norwalk.
There was music and entertainment, rides for both kids and adults, raffles, and vendors booths.
Bishop Caggiano pointed out that events such as these serve many purposes.
“When we come together to celebrate a feast like this, we are recalling history and the marvels that God has done in history,” he said. “We also celebrate our culture and that our faith is alive and being passed on from generation to generation.”
The feast also featured Italian specialties such as pasta and meatballs, sausage and peppers, Italian pasties and, of course, “our world famous pizza fritta,” St Ann Club Financial Secretary Lou Imperato said with a smile.
Ken Prince was in charge of running the kitchen.
“We’re making pasta, meatballs, stuffing cannoli and making sfogliatella (so-called lobster tails) and other Italian pastries,” he said. “We make 50 or 60 pounds of pasta each day of the feast. And we’ve probably made about 1,500 meatballs for the weekend so far, and we’re not done yet!”
Sister Marie Lucie Monast, SSTV, is a member of the Sisters of St. Thomas of Villanova, who have operated the Notre Dame Convalescent Home in Norwalk since 1952.
“We have made over 800 pizza fritta today,” Sister Marie said. “The best part of the feast is having community and friendship, talking and laughing while we roll the dough. We all have so much fun!”
Charlie Hernadez attended the feast with his younger siblings, twins Dayra and Dayla, 5, and sister Jocelyn, 12.
“I like the vibe and the environment, all things Italian. The pizza fritta, the rides are a lot of fun and we’re having a great time,” he said.
St. Ann Club President Joe Tamburro explains that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that make this feast possible.
“We have anywhere from 50 to 100 volunteers working during the weekend,” Tamburro said. “But the planning starts months in advance of the four-day event. We have an entertainment committee that schedules the bands and the singers. Each booth has a chairperson to run it. And so many others are involved from initial setup to final takedown.’
According to Tamburro, the effort to make the feast happen is a multigenerational one.
“All of this takes place over weeks and involves many, many hours prep time.,” he said. “In fact, many of our volunteers are in their 70s and 80s, with younger folks filling in where needed.”
According to event organizers, proceeds from the Feast are given back to the club’s “Community Dinner” as well as other charitable, humanitarian and military organizations in the community.
For more information on the St Ann Club, visit www.stannclub.org.
