BERKELEY – While San Gennaro is commonly associated with a feast, there was more than food at the township’s recent festival.
Veterans Park was once again the site of the day long event. A ring of vendors surrounded the field. As you walked through the ring, food was being cooked on the left, and crafters and other vendors were on the right.
There was Italian favorites, of course, but there were also selections for every palate, from funnel cake to food trucks. Like other large gatherings at Veterans Park, local organizations like the Cub Scouts and Knights of Columbus used it as a fundraising opportunity.
Picnic tables were set up for meals, and some people just brought their food to blankets and chairs set up on the green for concerts. Slap Happy, Sketchy Medicine, and the Infernos performed from the late afternoon to the evening.
It was cool and a little windy in the afternoon as folks shopped for fruit and vegetables at a market booth or looked at jewelry or 3D-printed toys.
Berkeley held it’s first San Gennaro Festival last year, inspired by the one in New York City. In 1926, Neapolitans who had settled on Mulberry Street decided to have a one-day block party for their patron saint. This has grown into an 11-day event which stretches throughout the 11 blocks of Little Italy.
According to the New York festival’s website, Saint Gennaro was Bishop of Benevento, Italy. He died a martyr on September 19, 305 AD. While being tortured, he refused to disavow his loyalty to Christ. A statue and poster about his story were posted by the bandshell at Veterans Park.
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