The weekend weather was outstanding and led to thousands of people coming to St. Bart’s to enjoy a wide variety of food, games, rides, and entertainment. Festival patrons also purchased Super 50/50 tickets, with this year’s jackpot once again reaching over $70,000. St. Bart’s celebrated the annual Saturday evening 5 p.m. Italian Mass, followed by an outdoor procession with statues of the two festival patron saints, St. Bartholomew and St. Nicholas of Bari. The ceremony ended with the traditional singing of the American and Italian national anthems. At the Scotch Plains-Fanwood UNICO booth, visitors who were born in or lived in Italy placed pins marking their locations on a map of Italy. The electric energy from the festival visitors spoke volumes as to how much they enjoyed themselves each night.
All festival proceeds will benefit St. Bart’s and Scotch Plains-Fanwood UNICO in a number of ways.
About Scotch Plains-Fanwood UNICO
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Chapter of UNICO was chartered in 1973. The chapter has raised and donated thousands of dollars annually to support scholarship programs, organizations, and individuals in the New Jersey area. Since 1974, it has co-sponsored the St. Bart’s/UNICO Italian Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors over Labor Day weekend. The local chapter also has been recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” and has earned its place in the community for service to others and charitable contributions since its inception.
For more information on Scotch Plains-Fanwood UNICO, visit unicospf.org or email spfunico@gmail.com.
