Utica’s Santa Rosalia Feast set for August 24-25
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Utica’s annual Santa Rosalia Feast will again take place at the Santa Rosalia Chapel, at the corner of Mohawk and Jay Streets, on Saturday, August 24, and Sunday, August 25.
From 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, visitors will be able to purchase Old-World dishes like pole beans and sausage, sausage and pepper sandwiches, mushroom stew, eggplant and meatball sandwiches, steamed and raw clams, pizza, and lobster rolls made by Joey’s Restaurant and pizza fritta made on the spot by the Santa Rosalia Society.
Food from Stathis Greek Restaurant, the Grape Vine Restaurant, the East Utica Food Truck and La Bamba Mexican Restaurant will also be available, and various vendors will offer barbecue chicken, hotdogs, hamburgers, and an old East Utica favorite, fried bologna and pepper sandwiches. Attendees will also be able to purchase cannoli, cookies and other Italian sweet treats, as well as espresso, lemonade, soda and beer.
Music will be provided by the Coro Italiano and Utica’s historic Banda Rossa, and there will be games for children and other stands. There will also be cash and prize basket raffles.
Sunday’s events include a Solemn Mass at 11 a.m. at Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Church followed by the traditional procession of the statue of Santa Rosalia to the Chapel and a recitation of the centuries-old “poesia,” or poem to Santa Rosalia. A pasta dinner, open to the public, will be available following the procession; tickets for the dinner will be available at the feast on Saturday.
“We’re very happy to again offer the feast,” said Santa Rosalia Society president Jim Delitto, “which in recent years over 1,000 have attended on Saturdays. It’s been much like the old days, as people from families with old connections to our Society return to celebrate with us. But in some ways the feast is even better now, because people of all ages, ethnicities and races also attend and have a great time.”
Utica’s Santa Rosalia Feast was first celebrated in 1915 when immigrants from Sicily’s Province of Palermo held Festa di Santa Rosalia in the “Old-World” style. In the 1930s, the feast had become such a fixture in East Utica — then the center of local Italian immigrant life — that the Society was formally incorporated.
As the older generation passed on, and as more Italians moved from the old neighborhood, the festival dwindled and eventually ceased for several years. In 2021, a group of veteran participants, joined by many newcomers, revived the Society and its feast, and it has been a great success since then.
The public is welcome, and tents, tables and chairs will be provided for those who choose to dine at the feast. The Chapel, built in 1951-53, will be open to devotees and other visitors.
Santa Rosalia — Saint Rosalie — was born into a noble family in Sicily in the 12th century. A pious young woman, she lived as a hermit in a cave on Monte Pellegrino, overlooking Sicily’s capital, Palermo. In 1624, her remains were processed throughout Palermo during a plague, which ceased thereafter. Believing her intercession ended the plague, Rosalia was proclaimed the patron saint of Palermo, where her feast day is celebrated to this day in grand style.
“This feast gave so many local people joy and fun over the last few years,” said Delitto, “and we can’t wait to celebrate it again this year.”
Utica’s Santa Rosalia Society is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the traditional commemoration of the saint’s festival as both a religious and cultural event. Membership is open to all interested parties, irrespective of ethnicity or faith. For more information about membership or how you might help with the Society’s work, contact Jim Delitto at 315-796-6511 or write to the Santa Rosalia Society, PO Box 4114, Utica, NY 13504.
