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Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast: Rides, Fried Food and a Parade

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There are very few times when I’m willing to stand outside wearing only a towel. One of those occasions to watch my elderly neighbor get carried down from her apartment on a chair to get blessed by priests. I knew her sons were involved with the planning of the annual feast for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, but I had no idea the parade started outside of my old building on Withers Street. My roommate told me I needed to get out of the shower and come outside immediately, so I wrapped up in my towel and stood on my stoop, watching the block fill up with Italian dudes, their blond girlfriends, priests, and a full marching band. The parade left to roam the streets and collect and bless more dignitaries from their homes, go to mass, and then lift up a big ass statue. Then my elderly neighbor looked at me and said, “Go put some clothes on” before she went back into her apartment.

Even nonbelievers can enjoy the feast as one of Williamsburg’s best people watching events of the year, because the statue is set up in the middle of a carnival. The carnival’s got deep fried Oreos, cotton candy, rusty Ferris wheels, disgruntled carnies, large people in small clothes'”all the allures of a county fair without the lingering smell of livestock. And since the carnival’s on North 8th and Havemeyer, you can run to a cheap bar when you’ve eaten enough food you’ll regret.

Photo from life.com

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast
N8th and Havemeyer [Williamsburg, Brooklyn]
Feast runs daily Wednesday July 7 to 16
Statue lift is Sunday, July 11 at 1pm on N9 and Havemeyer

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Kiley E - Ragamuffin Researcher

Kiley E - Ragamuffin Researcher

After years of denial, Kiley has finally admitted to baring a striking resemblance to Velma from Scooby Doo. Instead of traveling in a van hunting ghosts, she prefers wandering on foot in search of tacos, cheap beer, and fake birds. Growing up in Portland, Kiley enjoyed the balance of urban and green spaces. Then she spent her four years at Ithaca College, and found herself craving more sprawling asphalt in her life. So she moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where most of the buildings look like they're about to collapse. Kiley's favorite activities include: getting lost, crafting, sewing, biking, and geeking out at museums. Her love of taxidermy probably makes her a terrible vegetarian, but she doesn't care.