BasilicaFEST draws big crowd

OLEAN — Of all the community members out enjoying the summer weather Saturday, and hundreds did so on the grounds of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. While this is the event’s first year as BasilicaFEST, it was the 47th year of the festival — and Olean has been celebrating with St. Mary’s even longer than that. “The church has been doing festivals since the 1870s or 1880s,” said Jennifer King, communications director for the Basilica. “We were running festivals back then. Sometimes at Christmas, one year was at Riverhurst Park … these festivals are important to community lives.” The Very Rev. Greg Dobson — celebrating his last festival before he retires as the basilica’s rector July 31 — agreed. “I am thrilled with the support of the community,” he smiled. “This will always have an important place in my heart, in my life.” It was the second year the church offered tours of the newly-named minor basilica and the crowd kept King busy as she hosted tours every half hour. “(The festival) is designed to be a fundraiser, which is important,” King said, “but what we like about it is it’s something for the parishioners to congregate to and it’s fun for the community — to invite them to our facility, to enjoy our hospitality. That’s what we do here.”