What You Need To Know

• The 97th edition of the Feast of San Gennaro runs through Sept. 24 in Little Italy

• The first feast was in 1926

• It was started by immigrants from Naples to pay tribute to their patron saint, San Gennaro

• The feast features vendors with Italian delicacies, plus entertainment and rides

Delutro sells plenty of cannoli at his Caffé Palermo, which has been on Mulberry Street for 50 years.

Delutro also owns The Pasta Boss restaurant across the street, and he is opening a restaurant on the corner of Mulberry and Grand streets.

Delutro says the Feast of San Gennaro has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember.

"When I die, they are going to lay me out in my showcase with the cannoli. I'll be on ice so all my customers can see me. I'm never leaving here walking away. You have to carry me away," Delutro said.

This year will be the 97th Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, which pays tribute to the patron saint of Naples.

Naples is where many Italian immigrants arrived from when they settled in the neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century. The Feast of San Gennaro started as a one-day block party, but it is now an 11-day festival.

"I always say, whether we make $1 profit out of this, or $1 million, it doesn't matter to us because we are keeping that tradition alive," said John Fratta, the vice president of feast organizers Figli di San Gennaro.

As visitors stroll along Mulberry Street during the feast this year, they may run into Vinny Gione, known as "Skinny Vinny."

Gione runs a frozen drink stand, and has lived in the neighborhood for his entire life.

"They tried a few times to shut the feast, not to have it. But it's a good feast. Never a problem. It's a good family feast," Gione said.

Danny Fratta is known as "Danny on the Corner." He runs the stand his great-grandmother started 90 years ago on Mulberry and Grand streets.

Fratta sells zeppole, which are deep-fried dough balls with powdered sugar.

Vinny's Nut House, which sells biscotti and Italian nougat candy called toronne, was run for years by Fratta's late uncle, a neighborhood fixture who was known as "Vinny Peanuts."

Fratta says he will basically be living in his stand until the feast ends on Sunday, Sept. 24.

"It is very important that we keep it going because it's also for the memories of our ancestors and I always say during these 11 days here, all our ancestors come back to life," Fratta said.