The Ladies Altar Society of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church (Lake Village, AR) are in full swing preparing for this year’s annual spaghetti dinner which will be held Sunday March 5th. This will be the 113th annual event hosted by the Altar Society. This very society was formed in 1910 to officially make the Spaghetti Dinner a part of the Catholic Church’s outreach mission to introduce everyone to their faith in Jesus Christ.

This event features original recipes handed down by the Italians of Sunnyside immigrants who arrived in the Arkansas Delta in 1895. Everything is made from scratch including sauce, meatballs, bread, salad, dessert, and of course their “al dente” pasta.

According to church historian, Libby Borgognoni, the original spaghetti dinner began as a picnic open to all who were curious about the Italians, their colony, and their faith. Before leaving Italy, the Italians pledged to Pope Leo XIII, that they would form a church community committed to sharing their faith in Jesus Christ. After receiving a Papal blessing, the immigrants arrived at Sunnyside Plantation (Lake Village) on December 4, 1895. One month later they formed St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, and then on June 30, 1896 the annual spaghetti dinner (picnic) was born. It was covered by the Greenville Times which described not only the delicious Italian food, but also the children’s Italian band which performed for all the visitors, and guests. Father Joachim Galloni, an immigrant from Senigallia Italy, was assigned to be pastor of St. Anthony’s Church, on the east side of Lake Chicot, in 1903, and was later assigned to be pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic church on the west side of Lake Chicot.   

With this occurrence, Father Galloni essentially merged the two parishes into Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church around 1910. With this transition, the annual Italian spaghetti picnic, became Our Lady of theLake’s annual Spaghetti Dinner. The ladies of the parish formed  an Altar Society to hold this event, and support the church in its gospel mission. From 1910 to the present, the Lady’s Altar Society has never failed in keeping this incredible tradition.

In the early days the ladies would bring freshly laid eggs, and slaughtered meat from their meager possessions. Teams of volunteers would arrive with rolling pins, their calloused hands, and lots of energy to prepare enough food for all who would come. Today while the preparation has been modernized, the same spirit and energy remains which continually welcomes all to come.

Thousands do come each year to partake in this unique cultural and spiritual heritage. Mark your calendar for Sunday March 5, 2023. Dine-in runs from 11:00am to 1:00pm, while Take-out (to go) starts bright and early from 8:00am to 1:00pm. For more information call Gina Borgognoni at 214-533-0227. Buon Appetito!