Little Italy StreetFest in Schenectady Scheduled for This Saturday

September 4, 2024

Updated: September 4, 2024

SCHENECTADY – The⁢ much-loved Italian eatery, More Perreca’s, owned by Maria Papa, starts the preparation of their signature rice ‌balls ‌well over⁣ a month before the annual Little ‍Italy StreetFest in‍ Schenectady.

These rice balls, which are not part of‌ the regular menu at‌ Perreca’s, are such a crowd favorite at the festival that the team prepares between 1,500 to 3,000 of them in anticipation of the event.

The rice⁣ balls ⁤are a delightful combination of crunch, cheese, and meat, a recipe inspired‍ by Papa’s grandmother, ⁣the original proprietor of Perreca’s Bakery⁢ in the early 1900s, located adjacent to More Perreca’s ⁤on North Jay Street.

“The rice balls are ‌always⁢ the star of the show,” says Papa, who‌ is also‍ an organizer of the festival, about her signature dish.

The 19th annual street‌ festival, scheduled for Sept. 7 from noon to 8 p.m., is ⁤a must-visit for rice-ball lovers. The festival will also feature other traditional ⁢Italian dishes, live music, and craft vendors. This year’s festival will introduce some new elements, ⁤including an expanded ⁢children’s area, a VIP seating section, and‌ a tomato pie-eating contest.

“We always prioritize our Italian heritage here,” says Doreen Ditoro,‍ chairwoman of the festival planning committee. “People simply‌ love ‍the day. Although it’s only two blocks⁣ long, those who have⁤ visited Italy say it reminds ⁢them of a quaint street in Venice.”

This year’s festival is expanding beyond North Jay Street to the ⁢nearby Warren and North Center streets,⁤ featuring a larger children’s area, aptly named “Bambini Boulevard.”

Papa reveals that⁣ Bambini Boulevard will feature a bounce house, a ⁤kid-friendly DJ, snow cones, food vendors, and a chalk-drawing contest sponsored by the Schenectady Trading Company, which recently relocated to North Center Street.

Papa‍ also came ⁣up ‍with the idea of a VIP section at⁣ the festival, which will⁢ be ⁣situated on the ⁤patio of‌ Cornell’s Restaurant on North Jay Street, for attendees who ‌wish to⁢ indulge a⁣ little and escape the festival’s hustle and bustle.

For $250, groups ‌of four can enjoy three hours at a table in the VIP section, with a server ⁣bringing them Prosecco and food from any vendor on the street.

The final new feature of this year’s event is the tomato pie-eating contest, which will ‍be held on the festival’s main stage ⁢during musical performances. Participants will compete to see who can eat the most of a large tomato pie — a focaccia-like dough ⁤topped with tomato sauce — from More Perreca’s.

This year’s event will also include‌ all the typical ‍food offerings from Little Italy restaurants set up in tents along North Jay ‌Street — eggplant, ziti and meatballs from More Perreca’s; sandwiches and cupcakes from Perreca’s Bakery; beer from Hunter’s on Jay; pastries from Civitello’s⁣ Italian Pastry Shoppe; and some upscale ⁣pasta and ‌entrees from Cornell’s.

Papa and Ditoro estimate that the festival draws roughly 10,000 people yearly across its eight-hour duration. They noted that ⁢the Greek ⁣Festival,⁢ Caribbean Festival⁤ and Stockade Art Show all happening on the‌ same day‍ in Schenectady help draw people to the⁣ area, and ‍attendees often bounce between the events.

“It’s a great day for⁤ the ⁣city, downtown especially,” Ditoro said.

The festival will have two stages on either end⁣ of North Jay, both of which will ⁤feature musicians playing a mix of Italian and other contemporary music to entertain attendees. The main stage will feature ⁣well-known ⁤local bands TS Ensemble, The Rogues and The Refrigerators throughout the day on Saturday.

According to Ditoro, bringing in popular bands ‌is something that sets the Little Italy StreetFest‍ apart from other area festivals.

“What makes us different is ‍the fact ⁤that we‌ have three major bands in one day on our main stage. It’s a whole block full of music, culture, entertainment and ⁤food,”⁢ she said.

North Jay Street will also be populated with⁤ a ⁢variety ‌of⁤ food and craft vendors, featuring products from lemonade to pesto and tie-dye. Kevin Wujciak, who has been organizing the festival’s vendors since the event’s inception in ‍2009, said he has secured 36 vendors for this year’s event.

Wujciak looks at other festivals in the area throughout the year and puts out advertisements on Facebook to attract vendors for ⁣each year’s festa. ⁢He also has fan favorites, such as NiNi’s Sicilian Salsa and Capital⁣ Kernel Kettle Corn, that have been coming to the festival for more than 10 years.

“The only thing that we encourage‌ the vendors to do is to decorate their booth in the red, white and green [Italian] colors to make the street more festival-y,” Wujciak said.

At 5 p.m., Papa will ascend the festival main ⁤stage ⁤to crown⁤ the festival king and queen, who she said the event’s planning‍ committee identifies ‍as an unsung hero, or heroes, ‍in the⁢ months leading ‌up ⁢to the event.

This year’s honorees will be Neil and Mona Golub, members ‍of the family ⁣that founded ‌the Price Chopper supermarket chain.

They will be given crowns and capes, rented‍ from The Costumer, and will be expected to ⁢walk around the rest of the evening mingling with their “subjects,” Papa said.

Ditoro,‌ Papa, Wujciak and Ali Bland, owner of Schenectady Trading Company and the fourth member of the⁢ festival planning committee, got to work right after the end of last⁢ year’s event to begin the ⁣planning process for⁢ this year.

The group collaborates throughout⁢ the year to organize all of the vendors, acquire the necessary permitting and insurance from the city, and compile supplies for ‌the ⁣event such as a large dumpster, portable toilets and an ATM.

All‍ the businesses on⁤ North Jay Street came together to fund this year’s ⁢event, which costs roughly $13,000, Ditoro and‌ Papa said. Ditoro is also in charge of the Little Italy Business Association,‍ which also helps make the annual September event happen.

Ditoro imagined the ⁣idea ⁣for the festival in 2009 as a way of bringing ‍people ⁣out to the Little Italy area in Schenectady and sharing the Italian culture as much as possible, she said. With the exception of a break due to⁢ COVID, the event has steadily grown‍ in scope and popularity since its early ⁤days.

“It started off with a bang — our first year was a⁤ huge success,” Papa said. “It just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. I can’t believe we pull this off.”

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