The recently concluded Saint Rocco's Feast, run by the Saint Rocco Mutual Aid Society of Fort Lee, was the best in my memory for many reasons. Chief reason for me was to see a vibrant Society leader Sal Luppino running from one end of Main Street to the other making sure all was operating correctly for the five days of the feast. Sal, a friend to many if not most in Fort Lee, had a health issue this year. Sal was committed to fighting and he has, witness his active participation in the feast. I know Sal will survive many of us and carry on this tradition, along with his fellow Society members, for decades to come, but something in me tells me that Saint Rocco himself was smiling down on Sal and aided in his recovery.
Universal Studios (founded in Fort Lee in 1912) produced a film in 1952 titled Sally and Saint Anne starring Ann Blyth. The film centers on a teenager (Blyth) who prays to Saint Anne to intercede on the behalf of her friends (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NkKOQypT_k). Now Sally is Irish American and Sal is of course Italian American but for me I think the stories are alike, although Sal could never be mistaken for a reticent teenaged Irish Catholic girl!
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The photos posted along with this article involve the procession of Saint Rocco, held on the Sunday of the feast. Note the photo of Saint Rocco being carried up Main Street as a new high-rise structure under construction looms in the background - old and new Fort Lee caught in time. As much as I and all of his friends know Sal will survive for decades and decades to come, so I, deep down, know that the Saint Rocco Feast of Fort Lee will survive. As Fort Lee transforms itself yet again with new construction and new residents, the old traditions will connect us to our past and lead us to our future. All of us in the historic community of Fort Lee thank all the members of the Saint Rocco Mutual Aid Society for not only keeping the feast alive but returning it to its traditional home on lower Main Street. And to Sal Luppino - thanks for being an important part of Fort Lee!
