San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons Rolls into Town This Weekend

Abbondanza. That means abundance in Italian. And this weekend, Hampton Bays will offer an abundance of food, music, games, wares, fireworks and more food, as the San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons lands on Good Ground Road.

Designed to celebrate the patron saint of Naples, the festival is a way to honor the traditions of the old country, according to this year’s grand marshal, Phil Forte. He’s named for his great-grandfather, Phillipe, who came to America from the Old Country in the early 1900s.

It was only natural that when he saw an article about the notion of a San Gennaro celebration In Hampton Bays, he went to organizer Simone Scotto’s store and volunteered.

“He’s one of the original five who got this going,” Councilman Rick Martel, who signed on to help early on, noted. The five were: Forte, Scotto, Al Algeri, Dom Spoto and Joe Cibellis, Martel informed. “Simone had the original vision and got things rolling,” the councilman recalled.

“I wanted to promote tourism in Hampton Bays and I figured this was a way to get people to come out to Hampton Bays and spend the day, learn more about our community, spend money in all our restaurants and shops as well as visit our beaches and spend an extra weekend in Hampton Bays to extend the summer season,” Scotto, a lifelong resident explained. “We came up with a committee, a board and we’ve been doing this the last 10 years,” he said, pointing out that while this is the feast’s 10th incarnation, it was suspended for two years due to the COVID-19 shut down.

Forte stepped up to solicit vendors. In six weeks, he was able to get 50 vendors that first year. “We were very glad about that and our first year, we had 5,000 people show up,” he said.

Forte’s glad the event will take place in September, rather than October, when volunteers have confronted hurricanes and even snow.

Learning he’d been named grand marshal, Forte said he felt “very honored. I was humbled.”

“I did this as a labor of love. I was retired, bored. I wanted to do something for the town … when they decided to make me grand marshal, it was heartfelt,” he said.

You can find Forte this weekend on his golf cart, scooting around, enjoying the festivities and thanking all the vendors. “They have some beautiful foods and artisan items this year,” he said. “We’re very, very excited.”

Forte wanted to be sure to recognize the Hampton Bays Fire Department, the Town of Southampton and volunteers who help make the feast a truly hometown festival. “The help that we get in the background. These volunteers, they help us tremendously,” Forte said. “This is not done without the help of dedicated people.”

For Scotto, that reopening after a lengthy COVID-19 shutdown means a crowd is expected. “We’ll be looking for a lot of families coming out. The more I see people having fun with the entertainment and the food and the dancing, that’s what we do it for. There’s no other reason.”

According to Scotto, the feast is organized by an eight-member committee, and “not one of us takes a dime.”

“Our biggest goal is giving back to the community. All the funds generated are donated back to local charities,” Scotto said.

Martel listed the Coalition for Women’s Cancers at Southampton Hospital, Maureen’s Haven, the Dominican Sisters and St. Rosalie’s Church food pantry, as well as scholarships for Hampton Bays High School students, as staple recipients. But, as different organizations need funding, they donate.

At one point, Martel explained, St. Rosalie’s food pantry couldn’t get eggs. “Simone found over 100 dozen eggs that we purchased and donated to the pantry. We’re here year ’round for those donations,” he said.

Local charities and organizations are offered reduced or no-fee booths at the event to give them the chance to raise awareness, Martel continued. Kids from the high school are invited to volunteer to help them get required community service credits.

Martel signed on the first year, and has been a volunteer ever since. The first year, he recalled, “I was the tent guy.” He donated tents to the feast. He’s spent time on the feast’s board, but as town councilman, he resigned because his town duties took precedence. Still volunteering, he said, “I help out any way I can.”

The event begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 24. At noon, there will be a blessing and the grand marshal’s introduction, then it’s time to mangiare and danzare and comprare — eat, dance, and shop.

Vendors will set up along Good Ground Road, while the Hampton Bays Fire Department property plays host to a kiddie carnival, an array of informational booths and a stage with seating for over 200 and a huge dance floor. “It’s very inviting,” the councilman said. Speaking of poignant moments over the years, he recalled, “We put in the dance floor and we had 90-year-old-plus ladies dancing to Franco Corso. Wonderful visions of that.”

“We have 18 hours of free entertainment,” Martel noted.

Entertainers this year will include Corso, Carmelo Raccuglia, NYCE Guys, Social Gold Band, and Decadia on Saturday. On Sunday, Pamella Lee, Girls on the Avenue, Frank Montana, Tom Courteney and Mean Gene and the Flamethrowers take the stage.

Counting a car show and art show, plus fireworks by Grucci on Saturday night at 8:15 p.m., Martel offered, “It’s about eight or nine different events all rolled into one.”

The food, the chance to sample Italian cuisine, is a draw and delight. “We had people having a zepolle for the first time,” Martel articulated, reminiscing. Those feeling really affamato (hungry) and coraggioso (brave) can sign up for one of several eating contests — meatballs, pizza, cannoli, and zepolle are on those competitive menus.

Scotto estimates between 15,000 and 20,000 come through downtown during the festival. Even when there was snow one year, Forte recalled, people still came out by the thousands.

“This is about tradition, keeping the Italian tradition alive,” Forte said. “Bringing families together.”

Part of the tradition, when it first started in the United States in Little Italy in the 1920s to celebrate Saint Januarius, the Patron Saint of Naples, centers on a statue of the saint. Offerings would be pinned to a statue’s apron — the money used to feed the poor — as it was carried in a procession through the New York City streets.

Legend surrounds San Gennaro, who was a bishop of Naples circa 400 A.D., a time of Christian persecution. He was venerated for hiding Christians, but eventually arrested. Condemned to be thrown to wild bears, his sentence was later commuted to beheading. Other lore surrounding the martyr have the bears refusing to eat him and the bishop thrown into a furnace and emerging unscathed.

Bears and beheadings aren’t on this year’s agenda, of course, but there will be a statue of San Gennaro. Simone Scotto and his father Antonio arranged to have it sent from Naples.

The three organizers mentioned an array of volunteers who offer help. But the main tasks fall to a small contingent of laborioso uomini e donne (hardworking Italian men and women). While Scotto and Forte can boast lineage back to the old county, Martel said his background is “multicultural,” but his wife, Debbie, he emphasized, is 100 percent Italian. Her maiden name is Manglaviti.

The trio is looking at hectic days in their near future, but are focused on success and fun.

And once it’s all over? “You get a good feeling on the first day,” Forte said. “If the first couple of hours are successful, we know it’s gonna be a great weekend.” It takes four or five days to get back to normal, the grand marshal said. Then, said Scotto, “We sit back and we say, ‘Thank God it’s over and how great it was, and what’s next year?’” It’s a lot of work for eight people, he said. “We need volunteers for the future,” Forte emphasized.

And, while the lavoro d’amore (labor of love) is a lot of work, Martel enthused, “It’s been a wonderful journey so far.”

Arrivederci til Saturday.