Sammy and Domenica Lovera are the Re and Regina for this year’s Italian Festival. “Hopefully, we can reign over a year of peace and tranquility,” Sammy Lovera said. They are set to be officially crowned during the festival’s opening ceremony, which they were told will be around 10:30 a.m. Saturday. This year’s 48th annual Italian Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13, at the Southeast Expo Center and Fairgrounds west of McAlester.

The Loveras have long embraced their Italian heritage. “We’re both second-generation,” Domenica Lovera said. “Both of our grandparents emigrated here.” The Loveras own Lovera’s Italian Market in Krebs, as well as their own food operation through Lovera’s Handcrafted Foods, with an emphasis on cheese.