SCRANTON, Pa. — The tents and banners are up for La Festa Italiana on Courthouse Square in Scranton.
Vendors spent the day moving equipment and setting up. Each year, they prepare for thousands of people who come to taste the samplings of more than 50 restaurants and businesses.
"We love to come to La Festa!" said Mary Luby at Sweet Pickins roasted corn stand. "It usually takes us about a day to get everything set up and in place. And then, the day of the festival, of course, we're picking up corn."
Joseph Hadzovic and his team from the Original Scala Pastry in Brooklyn, New York, have been preparing for La Festa all summer. Hadzovic says they've got all the cannoli and Italian pastries ready to go, but making sure they have enough people to serve them has been tricky.
"You're on your feet all the time. And we traveled from New York City, so getting people to travel from Brooklyn to come all the way here to work for four days, giving up their own time with their own family and some of their own jobs to be here. Yeah, it takes a lot."
The weather can be unpredictable this late in the summer. Vendors say it's the biggest factor that will determine how many people visit La Festa.
"This year looks beautiful. Thank you to the weather gods, and I think we're going to be enjoying La Festa, especially because of this great weather. It's not too hot. It's just perfect," Luby said.
"We don't want heat; we want shade. We want it to be cool. Obviously, when it rains, it drives people away, but I would say grab your umbrellas and come out. People, don't be afraid. But yeah, we want nice cool weather. The hotter it is, the more water we sell," Hadzovic said.
La Festa officially kicks off on Friday at 4 p.m. and continues through Monday evening.
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