Not only is the historic city of Bedford the birthplace of Archibald Willard, painter of the The Spirit of ’76 (he later lived and died in Wellington)…
…it has a jewelry shop that sells local pasta sauce…
…a Gionino’s Pizzeria branch right across the street…
…and an annual Italian American Brotherhood Festival.
With the previously mentioned things, I would have thought that an Italian festival in Bedford would have carried a particular charm.
But, unfortunately, I have to say that I was more entertained by the jewelry shop than I was the festival itself.
With only two games…
…two inflatables (the other was blown up later)…
…three vendors…
…an alcohol truck (American beer, Peroni and mixed drinks)…
…and a gazebo with speakers…
…the only thing that could have saved the festival was the food.
Amongst the gyros, funnel cakes, and lemonade…
…there were two Italian food booths…
…and Corbo‘s had a better selection of cookies, meatballs and pasta.
When I saw the meatball sub sign, my stomach growled and I thought it would end the festival on a happy note.
But, when I asked the price beforehand, I was surprised to be told it was $6.50 .
So I asked how many meatballs came in this $6.50 sub and the clerk responded “2.”
I looked back up at the sign’s images of 3-meatballed subs, knowing full well they wouldn’t taste anything like Grandma’s meatballs…
…and took in some inspiration from the wise ole Frank…
…and decided to do lunch my way.*
* from a Marathon station in Amherst. Only $4 – and with jalapenos!
*
Hello Kristian!
I attended this fest briefly on Sunday afternoon (as part of a nine-fest week – nearly a personal best).
It was a very tiny fest, indeed. The other Bedford Fests at Bedford Commons (and there are many-nearly one every weekend) that I’ve attended this year were much bigger. The Rotary Rib Fest was a full-sized fest, and quite enjoyable. The Strawberry Fest, while not as big as the Rib Fest, was much bigger than this Italian Brotherhood Festival.
I was encouraged when I heard Dean Martin singing as I walked into the fest, but discouraged when the next song the DJ played was by The Eagles. (And also disappointed that it was a DJ and not an Italian band.)
Food-wise, I was still full from the pastilillos I had at the Lorain International Fest, but I did get one meatball ($2) from Corbos. It was HUGE (fist-sized) and quite tasty. But yes, there needed to be more Italian foods and other Italian-themed attractions there.
Bedford Commons is a beautiful setting for fests, and the fests vary in size. But overall, I’d say that they are local-sized for a local crowd, and perhaps not big enough to travel great distances to attend.
I’m out-of-state on vacation next week – so perhaps I’ll see you at St. Vlad’s or St. Sava’s on the weekend of July 13-14!
Hey Phil,
Thanks for your comment and congrats on 9 fests in one weekend! Awesome!
You know, you may have come to the festival about the same time that I was about to leave. After the Dean Martin song, I believe it WAS an Eagles tune. It definitely wasn’t Italian-esque.
And kudos for getting the pastelillos in Lorain (my stomping grounds). They are usually very tasty!
Hope to catch you at a fest.
Kristian