Island Park's 47th San Gennaro festival to kick off Sept. 7

On Thursday, Sept. 7, Island Park kicks off the 47th annual San Gennaro festival. Beginning with a 6 p.m. mass at the Sacred Heart Church and followed by a processional around the block, Island Park residents will gather to celebrate Island Park’s Italian heritage.

The festival will include rides, games, music and entertainment, and of course, a lot of food. Jeanne Morrone, spokeswoman for the event, said that the meal preparation operates with factory-like precision. With 47 years of practice, Mayor Michael McGinty, who helps with the food prep, and will be running a game table, called the operation a “Well extra virgin olive oiled machine.”

Monday, Morrone said, is eggplant day. Tuesday is for meatballs and chicken cutlets. Sausage and peppers is Wednesday. Getting the food ready for what she estimated would be 10,000 attendees would take a lot of effort, but she’s not worried. There’s an easy way to tell whether the festival is a hit, she said: “We know it’s a success when we run out of food.”