Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 1, 2026 ~ Malden Musings ~ Saint Rocco Feast 2026 On My Mind By Peter Levine S unshine and blue skies usually bring happy, smiling pilgrims by the thousands out of hibernation during the annual San Rock Festa (this year on August 7 through 9). Fine weather and a decades old tradition will do that. Planned — just for you, Malden — is a spectacular weekend of music and food, which is guaranteed to make Maldonians and Friends of Maldonia forget the daily grind and mishegas of life for a brief few moments anyway. The homemade Italian food served by real homemade Italians will bring back memories of family dinners of yesterTHE PAESANI CLUB ANNUAL POLENTA PARTY ANTHONY’S OF MALDEN 105 CANAL STREET MALDEN, MA. 02148 THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026 6:00PM COCKTAIL HOUR SAVE THE DATE! LA MORA CONTEST FEATURING SAL “THE GOLDFISH SWALLOWER” BARRESI year: a simpler time in life when you’d stagger down Pearl on a Sunday morning (queue “Sunday Morning Coming Down” by Johnny Cash) and smell the fresh bread baking at Pearl Bakery; when you’d walk by any house on Malden, Thacher or Oakland Streets and inhale the Sunday sauce simmering on the stove – the meatballs, eggplant and chicken cutlets frying – and know instinctively whose mom was cooking which Sunday afternoon banquet. The friends and family lining the streets all San Rock weekend long will bring back these memories “lost to the sands of time.” Recaptured for this moment, on this special weekend — truly a spectacular weekend. As Carly Simon once sang, “Stay right here...cuz these are the good old days.” See you on Pearl in August, Maldonia! It is said in Malden Musings... • Separated at birth: former Malden Superintendent of Cemeteries and 25 ppg scorer in the 1981 Malden Men’s Recreation Department Men’s Hoop League Jimmy “Husband of the Fabulous Judy” Cahill and the arrogant casino mogul Moe “I buy you out, you don’t buy me out!” Greene (Alex Rocco) from the classic, “The Godfather.” • For all you haters out there, I got the scorebook to prove the 25 ppg. Insert smiley face. • Last week I listened to Jethro Tull’s 1971 masterpiece “AquaHome of the Week Offered at $799,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate Formerly Carpenito Real Estate SAUGUS - Spacious family Colonial offering 11 rooms, including 4+ bedrooms and 3 full baths, located in desirable Lynnhurst area. The formal dining room features plenty of natural sunlight and opens to a nicely updated kitchen featuring plenty of cabinet space and island seating perfect for entertaining. 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Johnny Puleo Sr. & Peter Chiacchi with the Roma Band in the background Malden Street — Saint Rocco Feast mid-1960s lung” (40th Anniversary Edition), and believe it or not, forgot how much I loved Ian Anderson and the rest of the boys in Tull! So much pleasure in each and every track. “Wond’ring Aloud” is worth the price of admission all by itself! • On the 6th anniversary of his passing…. Great googly moogly! People simply adored the late great Preacher Jack! The mad genius of boogie-woogie piano had many admirers! Stealers, dealers, sidewalk spielers loved him. Buskers, huskers and dawn to duskers were in awe! And at the Shipwreck in the ’70s a mobster or two may have tipped him a double saw (a well-known underworld figure who ran the Ebb Tide would request “Blueberry Hill” multiple times a night, according to Jasper Jack). Mike Girard from the legendary Boston-based band The Fools also dug what Preacher offered; he once opined: “I saw him for the first time years ago when I was busing tables at a coffee house in the late ‘60’s or early ‘70’s. He was as cool as a moose. I saw him years later and my opinion was the same. He was one of a kind.” • Happy 82nd day of birth to that ageless wonder, Buddy “Boss Dawg of the Boneyard” Arthur! Possibly Malden’s second-best hoopster ever, Buddy married well in life (hello Louise!) which — all agree — has helped him maintain those still boyish good looks! Happy birthday, Big Guy! You are a longtime Maldonian if you remember… • Heart-stopping, pants-dropping, earth shocking, hard rocking, booty-shaking, earth-quaking, Viagra-taking, history making, legendary fireworks at Devir Park on the Monday night of the Saint Rocco Feast. Thank you once again to “The Boss” for allowing me to swipe from him yet again! • When basketball enthusiasts would line up 30 deep for next at the old YMCA on a Wednesday or Friday night (Saturday afternoons, also). • When the Centre Methodist Church stood where the John and Christina Markey Malden Senior Community Center now stands. • Stephen Joseph Harris excelled at football, hockey, baseball and track at MC (1968). His freshman year hockey season, the team made the state tournament. In his sophomore year, the football team went undefeated (State Champs). In his senior year, he was ranked number one in Offense in the Catholic Conference. Odds bodkins! Outstanding! • In the winter, under the direction of the D.P.W., Devir Park, Linden Park and Ferryway Green were flooded, attracting the best hockey players in the city/state who would play deep into the night — floodlights be damned. • When Mooney Pond on Princeton Road was a “special hangout” where you could walk along the edge of the pond, inhale clean fresh air, sit on the huge boulders at the far edge of the area and hide amongst the dense trees. In winter you could MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 7
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