Despite Heat and Rain A Great Weekend for St. Ann's Feast

Despite temperatures closing in on the number of years St. Ann's Feast has been held in Hoboken, revelers still strolled down 7th street between Adams and Monroe—the smell of grilled sausage and peppers permeating the air blocks away—on Saturday night, to enjoy all of its offerings. Especially the food. 

Credit has to be given to all of the vendors who were literally sweating over (not onto) the food. And the options were endless: Tony's from Little Italy brought his famous fried calamari and clams; Gina's Gyro's; Mom's from South Plainfield cooked up award-winning London broil (and according to T-shirts, mom does exist); Filomena's Italian Deli; Coney Island Catering's brick oven pizza; Maison Crepes; and the Original Delancey Street Peanut Company.

The zeppole line was the longest, resembling the one outside Carlo's Bakery, but worth the wait. For $8 you get a bakers dozen straight from the fryer, whose grease immediately begins to seep through the brown paper bag. Fried Oreo's, butterfly fries, fresh squeezed lemonade and old-fashion soda poured into tin cups are also hot items. Surprisingly Green Mountain Coffee attracted people all night, which may have had something to do with the free samples the representatives were giving out. 

The highlight of the night was a performance by Elvis tribute artist Ryan Pelton. Wearing a pink suit jacket, black pants, and black short-sleeves, Pelton couldn't believe the weather, but proclaimed "We're here to have some fun."

A microphone malfunction didn't stop Pelton from belting out some of the King's greatest hits, including "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Can't Help Falling in Love." His jacket came off by the second song.

The night before, on Friday, a performance by the Nerds was rained out and most of the festival closed down after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning. Only the bar remained open. 

Although the festival brings a strong sense of community to Hoboken, it also attracts people from outside of town. Lou and Carol Salerno drove from  Watsontown, PA, for Saturday's event. The Salernos said that they have been coming to the festival for more than 20 years. The couple said that, besides for the good food, they enjoy coming to the festival to celebrate their Italian heritage, with their son John, who lives in Edison.

In addition to the grub and grog, there's fun for the entire family. Kids and adults of all ages enjoyed trying to dunk a clown into a big tank by throwing baseballs. Meanwhile, the clown barks insults at the throwers, regardless of sex and age, shouting things like, "You don't have to be blond to be stupid. Come on Snooki" and "You look like half a housewife from New Jersey." A sign is posted to make you aware of such jokes and states "if you don't have a sense of humor you should stay away."

When you get tired of the clown's insults, test your skill at any of the carnival games, from Shoot out the Star or How Fast is Your Fastball. It's rumored that someone named "Nick" threw one at 88 miles per hour.

The rain may have sent some people home on Friday night, but the heat couldn't stop people from coming on the fourth night of this six-night centennial feast. Whether it was for the food or the entertainment, or even to take a schvitz, smiles were in abundance as those who attended showed signs of community and Hoboken and Italian pride. 

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