Bocce Expansion at MVR Will Make a Great Place Better
Bocce players throughout northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania know about Cassese’s MVR in Youngstown. The landmark restaurant, with its covered outdoor courts and bar, is a glorious setting for the bowling game. Tournaments there draw players from several states. On the local side, The MVR’s 86-team league has matches every night. It’s likely...
Mike Lucci, Detroit Lions Legend, Dead At 81
Former Lions linebacker Mike Lucci, who played for the team for nine seasons from 1965-73, has passed away at the age of 81, the Detroit Lions confirmed Tuesday. A cause of death was not revealed. Lions principal owner and chair, Sheila Ford Hamp, issued the following statement after learning of his death: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the pa...
"I've long said I had the best job in baseball:" Miners Manager, League Pres. react to news of team leaving Marion
The Southern Illinois Miners have played their last game in Marion. The team's owners, John and Jayne Simmons, announced they will retire from league ownership. Mike Pinto has been the manager of the team since its inception in 2007. He has lead the team to a league championship and numerous division titles. "I've long said I had the best job in b...
Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’: Grand Opera Returns to the Florentine – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Florentine Opera is the next work of Giuseppe Verdi’s Revolutionary Opera, returning to the Grand Opera. Rigoletto.. Performed on October 8th and 10th at the Willin Hall of the Marcus Paforming Arts Center is Florence’s first performance in front of the audience since the pandemic regulations came into force in 2020. It was developed to reprodu...
Bocce tournament honors LuAnn Izzi memory
A love of the game and a desire to honor the memory of an Ashtabula woman was the motivation for 24 bocce teams that descended on the Sons of Italy early Saturday morning. The Columbus Avenue area was busy as the Izzi Bocce Tournament got underway at 9 a.m. at the Sons of Italy and fall softball was playing next door at Massucci Field. "My mom [Lu...
Sports hall gears up for bocce tourney
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame will host a bocce tournament on Oct. 9 at Casa Italia in Stone Park. The single-elimination competition will pit up to 32 teams of four against each other for cash prizes, trophies and bragging rights until next year’s tourney. Food, beverages and entertainment will be provided throughout the day. “...
Sacco, Vanzetti tragedy explored at Loyola staging
Loyola University Italian American Studies and The Italian American Theatre of Chicago will present a performance of “A Long Shadow” at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the Loyola University Lake Shore Campus. The staged reading of August Nigro’s play about the last day in the lives of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti will be presented on the fourth flo...
“Fellini 101” retrospective kicks off with “I vitelloni” at the Cinematheque
“Fellini 101” has premiered at the Cinematheque, and its meaning is dual: It’s a crash course of master filmmaker Federico Fellini’s greatest hits, as well as a commemoration of his 101st birthday. Featuring brand new 4K restorations of all of his essential works and even a few deeper, more controversial cuts, the retrospective is a wonderful oppor...
Dick Biondi celebrates his 'Big 89'
A cup of hot cocoa in front of a crackling fire in the fall. Peacefully floating on a raft on a small river in Tennessee. Sundown over the mountains of Colorado. As soothing, comforting and embracing as those things are, the voice of radio legend Dick Biondi is just as special to me. Which is ironic, because he is referred to as one of the original...
Italian American Baseball Foundation and National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame announce partnership
The Italian American Baseball Foundation and National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame have formed a partnership based on their collective interests in promoting and building Italian American heritage through sports. Both organizations have agreed to a partnership founded in education and community. The immediate goal will be to host youth base...
Local Singer-Songwriter Jim Scaparotti Finds Inner Peace with New TINMAN Project
Local singer-songwriter Jim Scaparotti, who’s written songs for the past 30 years but has only recently begun recording, has assembled a group of veteran session players, artists and industry professionals to perform as part of his Jim Scaparotti and TINMAN Project. He says the pain of losing his grandson to a rare genetic disorder inspired him to...
Onesti Entertainment, The Dick Biondi Film and Reel Stories Productions to present The Dick Biondi Big 89 at Arcada Theatre!
Onesti Entertainment, The Dick Biondi Film and Reel Stories Productions will host The Dick Biondi Big 89! Birthday Bash, a birthday celebration and fundraiser on Sunday, September 19th starting at 2pm at the Arcada Theatre in Saint Charles. Headlining the event is 1960’s rock and roll music icon Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals. Additional performan...