Amy Mazzolin earns prestigious Kelly Award
Catholic Charities has bestowed one of its most prestigious awards upon Fra Noi President Amy Mazzolin. The retired banker and noted philanthropist was presented with the Dennis F. Kelly Award at the venerable organization's 99th annual board of directors meeting on Oct. 17 at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. Named after a revered past presiden...
7th Annual Taylor Street Festa Italiana was a resounding success!
Chicagoans of all ages flocked to the city's historic Little Italy on the weekend to celebrate their Italian pride at the 7th Annual Taylor Street Festa Italiana. The four-day event attracted more than 50,000 people to celebrate the history and heritage of Chicago's Little Italy – a place where many Italians migrated to and settled at the...
Order Sons Of Italy in America Leone D'Oro Lodge #2700
Order Sons Of Italy in America Leone D'Oro Lodge #2700 to feature George Zima who will speak about the trappings of a Broadway career with memories of vaudeville, stage and TV at the monthly general meeting on Tuesday, September 23rd at 7:00pm. Beef Sandwiches will be served for $5. Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 Ravinia Av, Orland...
Festa Italiana to light up Milwaukee lakefront
Milwaukee's venerable Festa Italiana will take the lakefront by storm from July 22 to 24 at Henry W. Maier Festival Park. The Flag Throwers of the Florentine will travel from Italy to perform at this year's festa. Headline acts include soprano prodigy Jackie Evancho of "America's Got Talent" fame; BOSTYX, featuring David Victor, formerly of Boston...
Riccardo Muti, Indulging a Passion for Overlooked Italian Composers
By Anthony Tommasini When Riccardo Muti learned that I would be attending his concert here with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Friday afternoon he earnestly invited me to drop backstage afterward — first, so we could finally meet, but also so he could tell me all about Giuseppe Martucci. Though his works are seldom played by Am...
Some local Italian-Americans embrace 'feast of the fishes' tradition on Christmas Eve
By Lisa Abraham Although many Old World Christmas customs have gone the route of spiral-sliced ham, a dedicated group of Italian-Americans in the Columbus area have held on to the traditional Christmas Eve "feast of the fishes." The meal is rooted in the fasting from meat that Italian Catholics traditionally observed before midnight Mass on De...
Catholic Charities goes to bat for veterans in need
On May 29, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago hosted the 4th Annual "Veterans In Need" Dinner to raise funds for the agency's Veteran's Services Programs. The keynote speaker was Col. Harvey Curtiss "Barney" Barnum USMC (Ret.), who earned the Medal of Honor for gallantry and heroism at the Battle of Ky Phu in Vietnam in 1965. Held at...
Festa Italiana Returns to Freedom Hill July 15-17
Want a fun, free, family-friendly way to spend a weekend? Head to Freedom Hill County Park (14900 Metro Parkway in Sterling Heights) July 15-17 for Festa Italiana, presented by the Italian American Cultural Society. Festa Italiana will give event-goers a taste of Italian music and heritage. Highlights of the event include a Beautiful Baby...
Learning from history
In the column I wrote last month about widespread efforts to blot out Columbus Day, I touched upon a game-changing encounter that took place a quarter of a century ago. In July 1991, Native- and Italian-American leaders entered a room as adversaries and left as allies who embraced each other's cultures and supported each other's causes. As a r...
Accordionist Sam Franco
"I've still got all my chords memorized. Let me show you." Sam Franco takes a moment to collect himself before rising from his easy chair. At 92, he doesn't move quite as quickly as he used to, but he takes a few slow, smiling steps to his right. He bends over to the flip the switch on and old amplifier, and then sits down at a synthesizer keyboard...
Wickliffe bocce tournament draws 110 teams, 12,000 people
An estimated 12,000 people descended on the grounds of the Wickliffe Italian-American Club over the weekend for the club's annual Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce. The tournament drew 96 men's teams and 14 women's teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Florida and Canada. Along with play that continued past midnight Friday and Satur...
Restaurant review: Ristorante Antonio, pasta from scratch
By Dan Kane My visit to Ristorante Antonio's didn't start off so well. Mostly vacant at 7:30 p.m. last Thursday, the restaurant — the former Angelo's — was uncomfortably quiet. My friend and I found ourselves almost whispering to each other. Our server, while polite, had little knowledge to share about the array of items on the somewhat pricey men...