By Cori Urban

When Frank P. Magagnoli was growing up in Springfield in the 1960s, his family couldn't go on summer vacation until after the Our Lady of Mount Carmel festival. "Everything revolved around the feast.... You didn't do anything until the feast was over," he said. 

On July 16, 1251, the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to St. Simon Stock, a member of the Carmelite religious order. During the vision, she revealed to him the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, popularly known as the "Brown Scapular." The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on Saturday; the Springfield festival has taken place around that date for years.

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Source: http://www.masslive.com/