ST. ROCCO’S DAY: We are taking a step back into the past today, with an article that ran in the centennial edition The Era put out when Bradford turned 100.

The article begins:

“The festival of St. Rocco’s day, abandoned more than 30 years, will be revived this year on the 15th and 16th of August as part of Bradford’s centennial celebration.

The festival is a two-day celebration for the Italian-American people of the community, who have always held the saint in high esteem.

The first day, celebrated as the Feast of Immaculate Conception, is a religious holiday in which part of the morning is spent at Mass and the rest of the day is spent relaxing at home.

Sort of like the lull before the storm.

The second day is the actual fete, in which both St. Rocco and anything Italian-American is celebrated:

According to Tony Magnella, chairman for the 1979 St. Rocco’s Day Festival, all varieties of Italian foods and refreshments will be available to the public, as will music and entertainment.

In order to observe the Day, the Italian-American Progressive Club is closing off Webster Street and setting up a main tent where many of the festivities will be held. An hourly schedule for the day’s activities is not known at the moment but the day may just run without one; the Club could play it by ear.

On the evening of the 16th, the traditional fireworks will be fired off of Mount Raub to bring the day to a perfect end.

When the festival first began in the twenties, its chief organizer, Mike Rich, conducted and led a band around the county during the day, stopping at numerous houses to perform for money. The money would be gathered together early in the evening to buy the fireworks for that night’s performance.

Many times the band would remain at a house after they had been paid, performing even harder for the money they believed they deserved!”

We will continue this visit to the past in tomorrow’s edition.