One of seven children, Joseph Battaglia remembers traveling back to his grandfather Gaetano Bastardi’s house in New York after his family moved to North Brunswick when he was a child, visiting his relatives and feasting all day. “You don’t realize it at the time, but those were the best times,” he said.

Fast-forward, and Battaglia tries to keep those traditions alive by hosting Italian Day every year, first starting in his backyard and now big enough to be held in a clubhouse. There is Italian food, dancing and singing for his siblings, nieces and nephews. “It’s a lot of fun. Everybody enjoys it,” he said.