St Anthony’s 24 Annual Feast & Festival in Northport long Island
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Newton Shows Your Partner In Fun
St. James festival brings parish together
By Arielle Dollinger
Tom Campo, 82, is no stranger to the thrill of amusement park rides. In fact, he says, he has known a thrill much more intense than those produced by the Ferris wheel or the Tornado — he spent six years working as a test pilot in the Air Force.
But for the past 55 years, the husband, father of six, grandfather of nine and great-grandfather of three has spent his time working as a parishioner for the St. Philip and James Church in St. James. The Stony Brook resident is now a key figure in the planning of the annual St. Philip and James Church Festival — a festival that gives him the opportunity to put names to familiar faces, he said.
“It’s so great to have the — just the social get-togethers with everybody,” he said. He estimates that about half of the fair’s hundreds of attendees are members of the church’s parish.
The festival, which took place Friday through Sunday, completed its 15th consecutive year.
Coordinators said that the festival is the parish school and church’s biggest fundraiser of the year, along with an annual car raffle.
“It’s a parish festival,” said David Werner, 47, of St. James, who is also on the planning committee. He said that the festival provides a safe environment for kids who might otherwise congregate in malls or at festivals without security.
St. James resident Anna Gambino, 33, came to the festival this year with her daughters, Ava Grace, 6, and Maria, 3. The three have attended in past years, as well.
“It’s a great night out for the kids,” Gambino said. “It’s great for the community.”
Carol Terlaga, 69, of Nesconset, read about the festival in the newspaper and decided to attend with her grandsons, Roy, 7, and Ryan, 5.
“I love it, they love it,” Terlaga said, while watching her grandsons slide down the “Flying Carpet” ride. “It was good because you pay one price, they can go on all the rides.”
Selden resident Gian Fanelli, 22, works for Newton Shows, the company hired to bring games and rides to the event. Having traveled the festival circuit, Fanelli stood in a carnival game booth and said that the St. Philip and James festival was “one of the better ones.”
“Good group of people,” he said. “Everybody’s happy, even when they lose, which is nice.”
Campo shared a similar sentiment.
“Everybody works with a smile in this place,” he said…smiling.
THE CHURCH OF ST. ROCCO PRESENTS
The Best Feast in the East
St. Boniface Feast by the Shore draws thousands
By Brittany Wait
Camille Miritello was brought up attending St. Boniface Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Sea Cliff.
She married her husband, Neil, there and their children were baptized and took communion there.
Her family stopped going to the church for 15 years. But when Pastor Bob Romeo took over five years ago, a letter he sent asking them to return pulled them back in.
Since then, she has volunteered at the St. Boniface Feast by the Shore, a four-day celebration at Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing, which has run for almost 50 years.
“It’s just been really great. It builds fellowship between members of the parish,” Miritello, of Old Brookville, said.
Romeo said the money raised from the feast goes toward putting together meal baskets for those in need during the holidays, youth activities at the church and sending out gift cards to community members.
“This allows the parish to share their gifts, volunteering to give them a sense of ownership of their community,” he said of the event.
Lifelong church member Mary Ellen Kerr said the feast is its major fundraiser of the year, with close to 200 volunteers helping out and thousands enjoying the live entertainment, games, rides and home-cooked food.
“It really builds the whole atmosphere of community in all aspects of life, rather than solely in prayer,” said Kerr, 52, of Sea Cliff. “We used to have it in the church’s parking lot, now we’ve really built it up.”
Kerry Araoz, of Bayside, watched as her 4-year-old daughter, Gracie, spun around on the Fire Engine ride, in front of her 3-year-old niece Morgan Sullivan.
“It’s our first time here. It’s just gorgeous out and we’re near the water,” Araoz said. “My daughter loves it, so that’s really all that matters.”
Larry Krieb has belonged to the church for 35 years, and has volunteered for the event just as long, serving what he jokingly claims as “the world’s best” sausage and pepper and meatball heroes.
“We’re going through a lot of food this year. It has to be a record,” said Krieb, 59, of Sea Cliff. “It’s a great day out for the family and you can ride cheap, eat cheap. It’s not exactly Woodstock, but it’s as close as we’ll ever get in Sea Cliff.”
Sunday is the last day of the feast and it will run from 1 to 6 p.m.