This Week in History: 1891: Vigilantes shoot and lynch 11 Italians in New Orleans
On Oct. 15, 1890, New Orleans police chief David Hennessey was shot as he was walking home late at night. Hennessey returned fire, but was mortally wounded. When police captain William O’Connor asked him, “Who gave it to you, Dave?” Hennessey whispered “dagoes,” a racist term for Italians. “ASSASSINATED,” read the front-page headline on the New Orl...
At Messina Hof’s New Restaurant, Come For Wine, Stay For Wine-Food
IS THERE WINE IN THE MEATBALLS? (Yes, there’s wine in the meatballs.) Is there wine in the stuffed mushroom caps? (Yes, there’s wine in the stuffed mushroom caps.) Is there wine in the gooey brown butter blondie? (Yes, there’s wine in the gooey brown butter blondie.) You get the point. Wine is incorporated in every dish on nearly every menu at Mess...
St. Joseph's Day parade and gala are called off again as club waits out year 2 of coronavirus
The Italian American St. Joseph Society parade and gala are canceled this year, as mass gatherings are prohibited under coronavirus regulations, the society announced this week. It's the second year the events have been called off due to the pandemic. The 51-year-old organization plans the parade through the French Quarter every year, and follows i...
Organizers cancel Italian Festival; making plans for 2022
Organizers of the annual Italian Festival in McAlester say they have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 event — but they plan to come back stronger than ever in 2022 to celebrate a major milestone. This marks the second year in a row the Italian Festival has been canceled due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. "We've had sever...
Another victim of the coronavirus; St. Joseph's altar at Immaculate Conception church canceled
Volunteers who have been building a St. Joseph’s Altar at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church for more than two decades recently announced that this year’s celebration honoring St. Joseph has been canceled due to continuing concerns about the possible spread of the coronavirus. Rosie Moak, who has chaired the erection of the altar and the ext...
Volpi Foods Launches a Fresh New Look for the 119-Year-Old Brand
Volpi Foods announces a new website and packaging for the 119-year-old St. Louis-based, 4th-generation family-owned and operated producer of specialty cured meats. Volpi’s new look brings to life the family cured and crafted brand, highlighting the company’s heritage and dedication to quality. Customers will begin to find the bold, updated branding...
The Italian of Sunnyside Plantation Lake Village in Arkansas
For 125 years, the Italian of Sunnyside Plantation Lake Village in Arkansas aka Delta Italians~Italians of Sunnyside have been having an annual spaghetti dinner. ... With Covid that meant a drive-through for 2,000 this year with 4 tables of 8 being allowed inside the gym. Guiness World Record 's should have been there. Salad and dessert included. S...
Louis Prima: Profiles in Jazz
Throughout his long career, Louis Prima was a New Orleans-based trumpeter, a good-humored singer, and a lovable personality. While his wide-ranging career can easily be divided into three periods, Prima’s image was always consistent. He both celebrated and made fun of his Italian heritage, displayed the influence of Louis Armstrong in both his sing...
Vincenzo Arcobelli, interviewed by Catania's newspaper "La Sicilia"
Vincenzo Arcobelli was born in Sicily, in Catania and lived in Paternò up to 1993 when he moved to Texas, following his desire to know a different culture and a world definitely more advanced.Arcobelli, today instructor pilot commander of commercial civil aviation, has met Italian Americans of great cultural, entrepreneurial and political depth as...
Music teacher trapped in Italy during WWII
Adelina Maria Puccini Timofeyew didn't pay much attention to politics. In 1936, a year after graduating from the University of New Mexico with an undergraduate degree in music, she took off for Italy to study at the Conservatory of St. Cecilia in Rome, Italy, the first woman accepted into the conservatory's composition program. That same year, Beni...
Scholarship opportunities at Italian Cultural and Community Center of Houston
Since the year 2000, the Italian Cultural & Community Center has granted over $241,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are of Italian descent to any degree on either side of parentage, and who submit complete applications by the specified deadline. All completed applications are due in the ICCC office by 5:00 p.m. on April 9,...
Professor Aquila Invited by the Italian Cultural and Community Center and the Italian Consulate to Speak on Dante’s Relevance Today
A 700-year-old epic poem that takes the reader on a wandering journey through hell, purgatory and paradise still resonates in unison with the questions before humanity in 2021. Such was the brilliance of Dante Alighieri and his “Divine Comedy.” Italy reserves March 25 each year to celebrate his life and work. Examining the poet and his most outstan...