Every year the Italian community in Williamsburg puts on this two week street festival called the Feast of the Giglio, consisting of music, pizza, Italian sausage, zeppoles (little fried cakes), and carnival games and rides. The festival is held in honor of Saint Paulinus, of the Southern Italian city of Nola. I love walking through this colorful event because it shows a completely different slice of life than what I normally experience walking on Bedford Ave. At the festival, they have a little marching band that rides on the base of the Giglio (that tall yellow totem-like monument) which is carried through the streets by a group of 20-30 guys. The carriers seem to get a little mischievous at times, bouncing and swaying the 3-story tall giglio on which the band is playing. When I saw that monolith swaying last night, I ran for cover. Frank laughed. I talked him into buying us a chance at the fishing game. 2 plays, 5 bucks. We dropped our fishing poles into the murky water and pulled out a few sharks. Our winnings? We selected a state trooper action figure. Frank found a little kid and handed off the toy to him, eliciting a shy smile.
