NEWS FROM : EAST  

The Parsippany Police Athletic League (PAL) and the Sons of Italy Lodge 2561 are teaming up for a night of family fun, community celebration, and baseball at TD Bank Ballpark on Friday, August 8th. The event, billed as Italian Heritage Night, will feature the Somerset Patriots taking on the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, with the game set to begin at 7:...

For many, it has been a sacred annual walk that has been part of their lives for decades. For others, it is an excursion they are still learning to appreciate. In Shenandoah PA, the 2025 annual procession with the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel through the northwestern part of the borough is about to enter its 111th year. The mere mention of th...

Adriana Trigiani, a 21-time New York Times best-selling author, has set her new book, “The View From Lake Como,” in Monmouth County’s own Lake Como. Trigiani, who grew up in Big Stone Gap, Virginia and based a trilogy of books on her hometown, often takes inspiration from the places she visits. The author came to Lake Como this week, speaking at th...

Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Newark will hold its 135th annual feast on the weekend of July 11 to July 13 in front of the church at 259 Oliver Street. The local event has been held in celebration of Italian-American religion and culture since 1890. Here’s what to expect this year, organizers said: “The feast kicks off Friday evening, July 11 with a hea...

Italian American Joseph Giordano, former chief of surgery and director of the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital—who played a critical role in saving President Ronald Reagan’s life after he was shot in a 1981 assassination attempt—passed away on June 24, just two days after his 84th birthday. A vascular surgeon who had previousl...

The Amerigo Vespucci Society (AVS) of Long Branch (NJ), the nation’s oldest Italian-American mutual aid society, awarded four academic scholarships during its most recent meeting, continuing its longstanding mission of supporting education and community engagement. The scholarships, to be applied toward the recipients’ upcoming Fall semester studie...

What’s summer at the Jersey Shore without a great Italian Festival? Join us Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27 for our annual Italian Festival & Wine Tasting, sponsored by The Asbury Park Press. Enjoy mouth-watering Italian favorites from over a dozen of the area’s top restaurants, delis, and food trucks.  Pair your favorite dish with a sampling...

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Congressional Fellowship Program places outstanding Italian American college students and recent graduates in offices of members and associates of the Italian American Congressional Delegation (IACD) to educate and support the next generation of Italian American leadership. Apply today here.Upon accep...

Nicola Cristofaro said he is very happy to be voted “Man of the Year 2025.”  The Italian American Society of Kenilworth recently awarded this honor to the Roselle Park resident who came to America from Italy 39 years ago. “I do like the club, the Italian American community,” he said. “I consider myself Italian but very Americanized. The club is int...

The Hazleton Chapter of UNICO granted annual scholarships to four successful applicants. Hazleton UNICO grants these scholarships each year to help area graduates pursue their higher education goals. Each successful applicant was awarded $1,500 to be used for their tuition or other associated school costs. One technical school scholarship was award...

John Stango’s grandparents immigrated to America from the Foggia region in Italy. His father, also named John, would return to Italy while serving in the Navy. In fact, he survived the Normandy invasion in World War II. John Sr. met John’s mom Elaine (née Rockwell) in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. Also an artist, John remembers her painting...

One of the most historic religious and cultural events reaches a momentous milestone this summer, when the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society hosts its 150th annual festival and procession Sunday through Friday, July 14-19. It is the longest running Italian-American festival in the U.S. honoring the faith and traditions of the region’s Catholic commu...