NORWICH – As a tradition that began in the basement of St. Bartholomew’s more than 60 years ago, the spaghetti supper is now a heavily anticipated event for the church and diners throughout the area. Hundreds more are expected to dine at the East Main Street Msg. Festa Parish Center tonight as the church hosts the second night of its annual pasta feast.
St. Bart’s and St. Paul’s are hosting the two-night event, gathering more than 100 volunteers to help prepare, cook, clean and serve at this year’s conventional Italian dinner. Teams of volunteers spent days of preparing food for the expected 1,000 guests. Nearly 1,700 meatballs, 60 gallons of sauce, 200 pounds of pasta and 16 cases of tomatoes were needed in the arrangement. According to Nan Magistro, member of St. Bart’s spaghetti supper committee, both St. Bart’s and St. Paul’s greatly benefit from this fundraiser and parishioners are working hard to show that long traditions have strong community ties.
The dinner at St. Bart’s has taken place every year since the 1940s, said Magistro. Despite past efforts to host a similar event in February, the church has found that more excitement stems from a fall feast as more people attend and more people are willing to help.
The spaghetti supper is such a lasting tradition, says Magistro, that there are rarely unexpected surprises to the workers – many of whom have been part of the tradition since it began.
“So many of us have been doing this so long that we have our own organized routine,” she said, explaining that several decades of experience have made the mechanics of the meal second nature for many of the volunteers.
“It’s been going on for a number of years and it’s a major fundraiser for the parish,” she added.
Youths who are awaiting the sacrament confirmation also actively participated, collecting and filling orders and serving guests. Though not as experienced, their role in the dinner was crucial and well appreciated, said guests.
Amidst the steady flow of servers and guests, Father Ralph Bove was quick to point out that the event is truly the result of public support and a desire to become involved. With donations coming from both large and small local businesses and volunteers eager to help, the evidence of community indulgence was clearly seen.
“We really get a lot of help from the church and community,” said Father Bove. “It’s really a community effort.”
St. Bart’s dedicated this year’s dinner to Eddie Caputo, who was actively involved in church events and committed to helping St. Bart’s. Caputo, who passed away earlier this year, was a great contributor to the church and maintained an emotional bond with many community members and parishioners.
St. Bart’s and St. Paul’s are expecting another large turnout this evening, preparing to feed one more round of hungry guests. The public is encouraged to join at Parish Center on East Main Street. The cost is $7 adults, $5 ages 5-12, free for anyone under age five. Take-out is available and attendees are also encouraged to see upcoming photos that will be posted on the St. Bart’s website, stbartsnorwichny.com.