LAWRENCE — Vincent Mello credited the great ethnic food he enjoyed yesterday from opposite ends of Campagnone Common as the best reason he could find for making the 1,500-mile trip from southwest Florida.
He and his longtime friend Eva Graf — both graduates of Lawrence High School's Class of 1958 — actually came up recently to visit family and friends. But they insisted that yesterday's stop at the Feast of the Three Saints and the 39th annual Mahrajan were a big draw for returning to their hometown.
"I grew up in the neighborhood of Chestnut and Lebanon streets — the end of the Italian section and the beginning of the Lebanese section, and I'm Portuguese," Mello said. "Yes, I grew up in both communities. But my favorite food is Lebanese."
Graf, who lives with Mello in Rotonda West, a planned community located mid-way between Sarasota and Fort Myers, cited "the fill of crispellis with anchovies" as motivation enough for her.
"Because that's what we grew up with, and they don't exist anywhere but Lawrence, Mass. ... crispellis with anchovies from The Italian Kitchen," she said. Graf is a sister of former Lawrence Mayor Lawrence P. LeFebre, who now makes his home in Florida.
The food was a big draw for many of the Italian and Italian-food loving guests who flocked to this weekend's 87th Feast of Three Saints.
"People come here from all over the state and all over the country," said City Councilor Roger Twomey, who with his wife, Marilyn, was enjoying the afternoon milling around near Common and Newbury streets as the fresh aroma of Italian food and pastries wafted in the air.
The Twomeys were concentrating on the Feast yesterday, and planned to do Lebanese today at the food pavilion outside St. Anthony's Maronite Catholic Church.
"We'll go there (to the Mahrajan) for supper (today)," Twomey said.
Hank Janco made the trip up from Bonita Springs, Fla. with his wife Ginger for a taste of their roots.
"I remember when this event used to be held at some field in Methuen," Janco said of the Mahrajan — an event hasn't visited in more than a decade.
"We normally go to the Three Saints Feast, but this year we decided to come here for a change, and maybe we'll go over to the Feast for dessert later," said Janco, a member of Lawrence High School's Class of 1960.
Janco seemed to be enjoying his plate of beef kabob and baba ghannoush last night as he dined with his wife and friends.
"I'll probably go over there (The Feast) for some cannolis later," he said.
Josie McDougall, of Methuen, church secretary at St. Anthony's, said she doesn't remember missing any of the previous Mahrajan weekends.
As in past years, she said people living miles away return to get a rich flavor of the city's special event cuisine.
"We've had some people who moved to Canada 25 years ago and they still come," said McDougall, a friend and Lawrence High classmate of Mello and Graf.
"They like the Arabic food and the variety of the festivities here. They come from Pennsylvania, New York and from all over the New England states. Many of them called and said they're on their way, but just want to make sure it was still on."
Both festivals continue today.
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