The St. Rocco’s Festival was held once again at Fireman’s Field in Oyster Bay last weekend, following a two-year hiatus necessitated to the coronavirus. This marks the return of a tradition that dates back over 100 years, and one whose history has rarely been told. St. Rocco’s has been organized and operated for most of those years by the Oyster Bay Italian-American Citizens Club, which was founded in 1906.

Four years later, the club teamed up with the local Italian-American Mutual Aid Society, a group dedicated to providing community support for immigrants from Italy who came to Oyster Bay. When the two groups first worked together to plan a community event in 1910, they chose the Feast of St. Rocco. Although St. Rocco isn’t as well known as other Italian saints, like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Catherine of Siena, there were significant cultural reasons to celebrate his feast.