IF it’s August, it must mean once again that nearly everyone in the Mahoning Valley is Italian – at least for a weekend or two or three. This weekend, the sights, the sounds and the smells – ooh, those savory smells – of the Italian Republic are enveloping Central Square in downtown Youngstown for the 34th Annual Greater Youngstown Italian-American Festival.

Next week, the hubbub and hoopla of southern Europe’s boot-shaped nation will play out on Courthouse Square for the 35th Annual Warren Italian-American Heritage Festival. Then, from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18, the Brier Hill section of Youngstown, one of the oldest and largest Italian-American neighborhoods in the Valley, will welcome throngs for its traditional Italian festival at Calvin and Victoria streets.