The 24th Annual Feast of Little Italy

My sister Susan and I drove down to the Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida yesterday afternoon to attend the Feast of Little Italy, which is being held there this weekend. I know Abacoa well because it is where Rodger Dean Stadium is located, which is where the Palm Beach Cardinals and Jupiter Hammerheads play. Just across the street from the stadium is a downtown with restaurants, shops, and a public square with an auditorium for concerts, which is where the festival took place. The street between the stadium and downtown area was lined with booths selling all kinds of Italian cuisine, as seen in the photograph on the left. And it was packed with people. Unlike in Denver, I did not see a Giant Turkey Legs booth, which is always present at all the festivals back there - Los Turkey Legs at Cinco de Mayo, Das Turkey Legs at Oktoberfest, etc. Perhaps they were busted for freezing, reheating, and selling the same turkey legs at every festival in South Florida for the past 20 years or so. You just never know.

The square at Abacoa was the site of a beer and wine garden, as well as tables and chairs for people to eat all that Italian food. And there were also chairs set up for people listening to the musical acts at the amphitheater. While we were there, Cami Clune was performing on the stage. She mentioned between songs that the heat was really getting to her, and so I assumed she was not a local (it was really not that hot). I looked her up on the internet and found out that she is from Buffalo and rose to fame as a finalist on NBC's The Voice, "where she earned a rare four-chair turn and a coach block." And just what the hell does that mean? I suspect something good, but I am beginning to realize I am losing touch with the real world. Probably for the best. 

The Feast of Little Italy also had a large area devoted to children, with bounce houses and a huge inflatable slide. There was also a booth with a carnival style game that guaranteed a prize every time, which explained all those green space alien balloons kids were carrying around. Some of them were pretty damn big. Most impressive was the Ferris Wheel, seen in the photograph on the left, which appeared to be very popular with both young and old. If you live in South Florida, the Feast of Little Italy continues today from 10:00 until 8:00. Be sure to check out their web site at https://www.feastoflittleitaly.com/ if you decide to go. Which I recommend you do.