Communities Honor Bocce Traditions While Courts Reopen Across the United States

Bocce courts are being restored and expanded across American communities, with players using the sport to honor loved ones and build stronger community connections. Recent initiatives in Massachusetts have combined bocce tournaments with memorial tributes, while other regions are reconstructing courts with help from young volunteers and local partnerships.

Honoring Legacy Through Play

In Marblehead, Massachusetts, eight teams gathered at the Council on Aging bocce patio to participate in a memorial tournament dedicated to Johannah "Josie" Crowley, a longtime center member who passed away in March. Crowley had been a fixture at the facility, regularly attending bocce games alongside veterans' breakfasts and fitness classes. The tournament transformed a day of competition into a fundraising effort, with participants raising money for a commemorative plaque, a trophy, and lunch at the center. Her family noted that the event took place on what they described as an ideal day for the sport, drawing volunteers including Pat Bibbo, who helped coordinate the occasion, along with members of the Marotta family and others from the community.

Crowley had spent 63 years married to her husband, John, and after retirement moved back to her native Marblehead where she had graduated high school in 1959. Before returning to Massachusetts, she had worked as a teacher's assistant at schools serving students with disabilities across Pennsylvania and Indiana, and volunteered for more than two decades teaching religious education to high school students in Pennsylvania. Her commitment to bocce at the Council on Aging reflected her broader dedication to community life.

Rebuilding Courts for the Future

In Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, the senior committee has undertaken a project to reconstruct the bocce court at Pleasure Park on Forman Avenue. The effort represents a collaboration between the committee, the borough's Department of Public Works, Councilman Andy Cortes, and Allan Micheletti, a rising senior at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science vocational school. The partnership aims to establish a bocce club that will host regular games and community events once the court is complete.

Micheletti and his father built two storage benches with flip-open compartments to hold bocce equipment, allowing seniors to access the sport across seasons. The court itself required significant restoration, including debris removal and releveling to create a proper playing surface. The project is still ongoing, with volunteers completing additional work including the construction and installation of a scoreboard. Local businesses have supported the initiative, with Jaeger Lumber donating wood, stain, and hardware, while The Home Depot in Brick Township contributed materials. June Cuzzo, the activity coordinator for the senior committee, explained that the reconstruction represents a broader commitment to community partnerships that will eventually transition the court to the recreation department for ongoing management.

The Game's Appeal and Origins

Bocce is a competitive game where players roll a small target ball called the pallino down a flat court, then take turns rolling larger balls to position them as close as possible to the pallino. The team with the closest ball earns points at the end of each round. The sport originated in ancient Egypt and was later adopted by the Roman Empire, becoming particularly associated with Italian culture and organized leagues.