When Daniel Fratta was a kid growing up in Little Italy, he could feel the growing excitement in the late summer days before the Feast of San Gennaro. “The feast was the biggest part of our lives,” recalls Fratta, whose zeppole stand will be open for business when the 93rd annual event arrives this Thursday. “When they started hanging the lights in August, we were the happiest kids in the world.”

Fratta, the fourth generation of his family to work the feast, is just as thrilled about this year’s event at age 39. “It’s a very exciting time of year for all of us from the neighborhood,” said Fratta. “And I look forward to all the residents originally from Little Italy who come back every year for the feast.”