~ Malden Musings ~ Saint Rocco Festa 2025 Has Arrived

By Peter Levine

Mark Your Calendars, Maldonia… It’s Almost That Time Again! Before you can say “braciola,” the second weekend in August will sneak up on us — and if you’re from these parts, you already know what that means. That’s right: the one, the only, the legendary San Rock Festa will rise like a phoenix from the blacktop of holy ground itself: Pearl Street, Edgeworth, USA. You can smell the sausages already, can’t you?

This year’s entertainment lineup? Ridiculously fabulous. We’re talking next level greatness. So good it’s borderline criminal. Acts like these used to be reserved for Vegas showrooms, Catskill cabarets or Spit on Lansdowne Street back in the day! But Festa boss of bosses Joyce Mover said it loud and proud: “Maldonia deserves the best! You got the best!”

Friday Night — The Return of The Reminisants! Make some noise for a beloved Maldonia institution: The Reminisants are back! Mayor Christenson’s personal faves, these local legends will be rockin’ sans their retired guitar-slinger and all-around hot ticket Dom Viscione — but rest assured, the party rolls on. Reminisant fanboy tip: shout out a request for “House of the Rising Sun.” You will not be disappointed!

Saturday Night — WildFire Heats It Up! Hold onto your lawn chairs (I’m talking to you, Dana and Marie!). WildFire will be burnin’ it down Saturday night with a set that’s guaranteed to get you moving — whether you want to or not. Think you’re staying seated? LOL. Good luck. These cats will have Pearl Street hoppin’ like back in the day when joints like Studio 54 in NYC or the Mad Hatter on Necco Street in Boston had you rocking & rolling all night. You’ve been warned.

Sunday Afternoon — Sea Breeze Swoon-Fest! Clear the schedule and grab a prime spot for Steve “The Pearl Street Paisan” Savio and the dreamy dudes in Sea Breeze. Stevie brings that old-school swagger: part Sinatra, part heartthrob, all style. His baritone vocals will wrap around your soul like a warm cannoli (Arthur’s Pastry in Meffa cannoli, of course). And yes, the rumors are true: He has the best “guitar face” of any front man north of the Mystic. I’ll be front row, fanboy-ing and screaming out a request — “For the Good Times!”

Sunday Night — 12 Barz Band Brings It Home! We’re closing out the weekend in brass-blasting, heart-thumping style with the 12 Barz Band. Front man Allan Marcus isn’t just a singer — the guy’s a fire starter (okay, I’m not quite sure what this means either, but it sounds wicked good). His vocals? Equal parts Joe Cocker gravel, Stevie Wonder soul and Tom Jones cool. His presence? Pure electricity. And when he tears into “Vehicle” by the Ides of March? Forget about it (the Americana way of saying “fuhgeddaboudit”). Pure. Festa. Magic.

So… do yourself a favor. Join the rest of Maldonia (Amanda & Mark Linehan, this means you!) and hit the sacred streets of Edgeworth this weekend. Grab a sausage, chase it with a cold one from Albert’s Beer Garden (make sure you tip Franny, Mary and Little Albert) and cap it all off with a golden hunk of fried dough. (If you’re really lucky, 100-year-young Esther Carducci might make your batch herself. No promises — no refunds.)

Only one bit of bad news: Due to international supply chain shenanigans… no gabagool this year. We’re devastated. We know. We grieve together.

And oh yeah — on a personal note — the spirit of Salvatore “Butch” Gennetti will be with us, once again, the whole weekend, walking the streets he loved, in every hug, every laugh, every song.

It is said in Malden Musings…

• Made my Sunday morning as I drank my (dark roast) coffee and devoured my peach muffin at Honey Dew on Eastern Ave. with Joe and Dorothy as Ferryway School’s Tim Rufo made his grand entrance. I explained to Tim that it isn’t easy making the cut in Malden Musings, but Dorothy brought me back down to earth with “don’t people usually just have to say hello to you to make the column?!” Roasted! Well, here’s to Tim Rufo, not just for saying hello to me but for being an outstanding Maldonian. Keep up the great work, Tim.
• Attention Maldonia! Avoid Highland Ave. at all costs! Recent work on Highland has made this main Maldonia artery virtually unpassable. Beloved Maldonian Marty Murphy implores all who are reading this to type your destination into WAZE and pray for the best. Remember contractors, “Be best!” Thank you, thank you very much (read in your best Elvis voice).
• My sincerest condolences go out to Paul Joyce and his family on the loss of his mother Phyllis in early July. “Those that have passed on will never leave us until we have forgotten them.” Malden Musings remembers Phyllis Joyce.
• Thank you, Councillors Steve Winslow, Ari Taylor and Amanda Mantone Linehan, for walking the walk and supporting Teamsters Local 25 — standing in solidarity with striking workers at Republic. I am sure the Dom’s steak tips you gifted them were very much appreciated.
• The Boston Globe’s resident icon, Dan Shaughnessy, featured this wonderful little tribute to Arlington’s Ed Woods in a recent Sunday edition of his column: “RIP, Ed Woods, executive director of Fidelity House in Arlington for 40 years. Captain of the Boston State basketball team in 1979, Woods impacted the lives of hundreds of kids in Arlington and surrounding communities, including Milwaukee Buck Pat Connaughton, who grew up playing ball at Fi-Ho.” Who knew? Ed played on my Levine Club in the Men’s Rec Hoop League back in the 1980s, but I never really knew much about him except that he was an outstanding ball player. Dave Barrett was my Melrose ringer at the time (along with about six of his brothers and, of course, the brothers Johnson — no, not the “Strawberry Letter 23” brothers Johnson). Dave, I believe, played ball with Eddie at Boston State in the late 1970s — both hardnosed, talented cats! Eddie had quite a life, it appears. Proud to have known him even for that short a period. Rest peacefully, Ed Woods.
• On a Dan Shaughnessy side note, I hope every single sports loving fan in the Greater Boston area (and across the country) reads him because when Dan hangs up his typewriter, another DS will not be walking through those Globe doors anytime soon.

As Rocket J. Squirrel used to say: “And now it’s time for another special feature.” “Said no one” (borrowed from an inspirational column written a little while back by Steve Freker)…

• Traveling down Highland Avenue by automobile is one of life’s great joys…said no one.
• Holding rallies that divide Malden is a wicked good idea…said no one.
• I and the rest of the civilized world were not amused by the downfall of Astronomer’s CEO at the Coldplay concert…said absolutely no one.
• M&M Liquor on Broadway sells warm beer & has bad customer service…said no one.
• The Kinks’ “Some Mother’s Son” is one of the worst songs ever…said no one.
• Boston/Malden dislikes Caitlin Clark…said no one.
• Watching the Sox reel off 10 straight before the All-Star break was boring…said no one.
• Dorothy Levine’s (mumble, mumble) birthday party was not fun at all…said no one.
• Dorothy’s mom Helen does NOT know how to throw a spectacular birthday party…said absolutely no one.
• Dennis Grace, Charlie Russell, Willis Rose, Bobby Langston and Mark Goodrum brought no fame and glory to Maldonia in the 1970s as track and field superstars…said no one.
• Rachel Robinson turned 103 years young last week and led an unremarkable life…said no one. Happy birthday, Mrs. Robinson! Jackie’s bride, for those who don’t know.
• Oak Grove, Linden on the Saugus Branch, Newland Street Projects, Ferryway Green, Suffolk Square, Harvard Street, Edgeworth, Amerige, Lincoln Park, Maplewood, Green Street and the Square were lousy places to grow up in… said no one.
• Danny Meyers, Tina Doherty, Arthur Carbone, John Furlong, Tommy Blanchard, Gregory, Philip & Douglas Rogers, Mitch Cohen, Rose Tomasello, Eric Dannenberg, John Stanasek, Albert & Cliff Cioffi, Bruce Vining, Steve Powell, Tracey Doolin, Shawn Brickman, Billy & Steve Nolan, Brenda Sousa, Bobby Trodden, Joe Levine, the Lynch brothers, Johnny D’Orlando, Dave Slaine and Tony “Pippin” Howard were very easy to cover on the hoop court…said no one.
• Malden needs a few more climate change deniers running for public office…said no one.
• Nobody will miss Butchie Gennetti, Eddie the Greek, Hank Pitts, Jimmy Palermo and Richie Cremone at this year’s 95th annual San Rock Festa…said no one.
• The world was not blown away by Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt at the Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath tribute concert last month…said no one.
• Malden Cemetery Director Chris Rosa does not put his heart and soul into his work…said no one.
• Nobody misses Bob Rotondi’s baseball-themed column “Diamond Dust”…said no one.
• World War II hero and actor Richard Boone was an untalented hack starting with “Medic” to “Have Gun — Will Travel” to “Hec Ramsey”…said no one.
• The videos roasting Astronomer’s CEO and his infidelity are not funny whatsoever…said no one.
• The fried clam bucket at King Neptune was a rip-off…said no one.
• The R&R Lounge on Broadway — owned and operated by the beautiful Trodden family (well, maybe Susan was the beautiful one in the family) — was not a popular drinking destination for Maldonia and surrounding cities…said no one.
• Bobby Crowley, Vinny Straccia and the rest of the North Shore Acappella boyos could not draw flies on their best days…said no one.
• China Garden has disappointed Maldonia since the day they opened. Me, Bouls, Frankie, Goodie, Jay Bird, Pete Robby, Steve Flanagan, Mickey O’Brien, Gerry O’Donnell, Mike Jokie, Frankie Nice and Sammy were so bummed when we ordered our first plates at CG in 1978…said absolutely none of us.
• Ho Win Palace aka Tiki Island doesn’t serve good food or generously poured drinks…said no one.
• Malden DPW Director Bobby Knox cares very little for the good and welfare of Maldonians…said absolutely no one.
• The Treasurer’s Office at City Hall is poorly staffed…said absolutely no one.
• FedEx, UPS, Malden USPS and DHL always obey Maldonia parking regulations and always avoid parking on the sidewalk or double parking in Malden Square…said absolutely no one!!
• Ozzy Osbourne was not a living legend and was not loved by generations of music fans…said no one.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — Malden’s most beloved tradition returns: the Annual Saint Rocco Feast! For the 95th year, the heart of Malden beats loudest on Pearl Street, where old friends reunite, new friendships spark and generations gather for a celebration unlike any other. If you’re a regular, you already know the magic — we can’t wait to welcome you back. If you’ve been away for a while or are still on the fence, let this be your sign: This is the year to come home. And to all the new faces in Malden — we see you, and we welcome you with open arms and a full plate. The San Rock Festa was Malden’s original multicultural celebration before anyone was even using that word. And guess what? That spirit is alive and well. So don’t just hear about it — be part of it. Even one night can lead to memories that last a lifetime. Come for the food, stay for the music, and leave with your heart full. Ninety-five years strong — and still just getting started. See you at the Festa!

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.