If you’ve ever taken a drive in Belleville’s Branch Brook Park, around the cherry blossom trees, there’s a chance you’ve passed by the park’s bocce courts. And if that trip took place any day of the week between 2:30 p.m. and as late as 9 p.m. some days, chances are you’ve seen an diverse group of guys gathered at the courts, playing the game they love.

We’ve nicknamed them “The Bocce Boys.” Some of the boys came to America from Italy. Others originally lived in Puerto Rico. Some have lived in Newark or Belleville their entire lives. Some are young. Others, not so young. Some still work. Others are retired.