‘The Best Feast in the East’ celebrates Italian culture

Every summer, thousands of people from across Long Island and beyond make their way to Glen Cove for the Feast of St. Rocco, one of the North Shore’s most popular events. Guests can expect games, rides, prizes and, of course, an extraordinary diversity of food. The four days of fun and festivities that comprise “The Best Feast in the East” begin on July 26. 

The smell of meatballs will waft through the air, and the rides will soar outside the stone Church of St. Rocco. While the event will have outside vendors offering savory treats, most of the food will be prepared by the church. A dedicated group of woman affectionately called “nonas” has been feeding most of the visitors since the feast’s beginnings almost 50 years ago. Every year, they aim for their creations to be full of flavor and love.

Aside from the rides and food, many who attend St. Rocco’s Feast cherish it because it is synonymous with community and tradition. The event serves as a perfect representation of how people can come together to make something spectacular.

Although the church organizes the event, its appeal is universal. “Even though it’s a church function, it’s a community project,” Angie Colangelo, the feast’s chairwoman, said. “Everything is done from the heart. That’s what makes it successful.”

Each year the festival offers something new. Last year, guests were treated to petting zoos. This year they will be wowed by six magic shows and an evening of fireworks. They will also be treated to the music of acts like the Giglio Marching Band and Primavera and Antonio Valente. 

Although the feast celebrates Italian heritage, some might be surprised to learn that its namesake is actually French. St. Rocco was born in Montpellier in the mid-1300s, a time when the Black Plague was ravaging Europe. After his parents died when he was a teenager, San Rocco took a vow of poverty and set off across the Italian countryside, tending to plague victims — and, according to legend, curing them — until he, too, became infected. 

He became a prominent figure in the Italian canon of saints as the country struggled with repeated outbreaks of cholera and other maladies. St. Rocco was canonized as the patron saint of infectious diseases, bachelors, diseased cattle, falsely accused people and more, as well as several towns and villages across Italy. His selflessness and compassion inspired many people, and hundreds of churches in the United States are named after him.

Parishioners built the Glen Cove church in the early 1900s. The church community began hosting a feast that included a procession through neighboring streets with a statue of Saint Rocco, a tradition that is still honored today. After Sunday Mass on the final day of the feast, a statue of the saint is rolled through the community by volunteers, as residents young and old come out of their homes to pin dollar bills and jewelry on it, or ask for blessings. 

“He goes through the streets of Glen Cove and visits the ill, or someone who needs some sort of comfort,” Colangelo said. “And they pay money on him for their prayers that were answered or just visit and say, ‘Please take care of me’ or ‘Help me to become a better person.’”

The procession ends back at the church, where a small marching band usually plays “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Attendees gather at the door of the church to toss confetti at the now offering-clad statue.

“We’re about faith, family fun and food,” Reggie Spinello, a past chairman of the event, said. “The religious part is huge, but of course we’re a food fest. Come with a hungry belly.”

The feast is the church’s largest fundraiser, and its proceeds help pay for the operations of the church and its services to the underserved.