Festival to celebrate Italian heritage in Washington
Singer Nick Fiasco will perform Saturday night at the Italian Festival in downtown Washington.
Mandolinist Egidio (Jimmy) Faiella will perform throughout the day at the Italian Festival before performing a concert at 5 p.m.
The second annual Washington Italian Heritage Festival will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Community Pavilion on South Main Street in downtown Washington.
The festival will feature activities for all ages, including the crowning of Little Miss Italy at 2 p.m., a “grape stomp” and wine-tasting competition at 3 p.m., Tarantella folk dancing at 4 p.m., a meatball-tasting contest with celebrity judges at 6 p.m. and a bocce court. Mandolinist Egidio (Jimmy) Faiella will perform throughout the day, in addition to performing a concert at 5 p.m. A 7:30 p.m. concert by singer Nick Fiasco will include favorites from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other greats.
The age categories for the Little Miss Italy Pageant are 3- to 7-year-olds and 8- to 12-year-olds. Registration is free and will be held from noon to 12:30 p.m. at the Sons & Daughters of Italy table.
Contestants should be Italian and dress with Italian spirit and colors. Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan will host the pageant.
Due to the ages of the contestants, the pageant is noncompetitive and the winner will be chosen by a random drawing. Winners will receive a crown and sash.
Throughout the day, guests can enjoy Italian music by DJ John Ridge, learn about local Italian clubs, shop for Italian merchandise and, of course, enjoy Italian food. Culinary specialities will be offered by, among others, the Union Grill, Chicco Bacello, Julian’s, Roland’s Trattoria and Palazzo 1837 Ristorante. Adult beverages will be available from the Washington Winery, Red Pump Spirits, Liberty Pole Spirits and BDI.
Representatives of the Italian Heritage Collection at Citizens Library will be on hand to invite descendants of Washington’s Italian immigrants to record oral histories and to digitize historic photos and documents. On-site digital scanning will be available at the festival, courtesy of Citizens Library.
For more information about recording oral histories, contact Tina Calabro at 412-818-9169 or tina.calabro@verizon.net.
The festival will recognize descendants of Washington’s Italian immigrants who have shared their family histories with the community, including barber/pastor Floyd Marasco, who has written about life in Tylerdale, and the late Virginia Proia Rea, who wrote about life on South Street in Washington.
The festival is sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Italy, Primo Italiano Lodge 2800.
For information about the festival, including sponsorship and vendor inquiries, contact Jon Bruno at 724-249-7660 or brunofamily2@comcast.net, or Debi Nicolella at vwragtop5@yahoo.com.