The aroma of fresh basil, rosemary and sage perfumes the Marble Hall of Mount Saint Peter Parish in New Kensington. It’s a familiar smell to parishioners and patrons of the annual Festa Italiana at 100 Freeport Road.
Volunteers made more than 3,200 meatballs, 265 gallons of sauce, 60 pans of lasagna and 240 pizzas for the three-day festival on the first weekend in August. Patt LaRussa, 82, of New Kensington, known to other parishioners as “Mom Patt,” has managed the pizza station for at least 15 years.
