Italian food, amusement rides, games of chance and entertainment are the headliners at the 27th annual St. Jude Italian Festival Wednesday, Aug. 23, through Saturday, Aug. 26, on the church grounds in Monroe. Over the years the festival has grown from a two-day carnival to the current four-day festival, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, said volunteer spokesman Peter Lucia. Church tours and the St. Jude prayer shrine also will be available.

“What makes the festival so great is the food and there is a lot to choose from,” he said, adding that visitors from throughout the region come for the sausage and pepper grinders, pizza fritta (fried dough), fried calamari and mozzarella sticks.