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HerrinFesta Italiana reaches it peak this weekend. The week-long festival features big name bands, great food, and plenty of other things to do. One thing has always been a favorite at the Italian festival: bocce. It's the oldest game known to mankind. HerrinFesta Italiana has made bocce a staple for a quarter century. Travis Caliper has played for...

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  This summer the Metro East will play host to a camp conducted by a professional European soccer team with a long and storied tradition. Juventus FC camp will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 5-9 at Wood River Soccer and Skate Park, 2551 Rock Hill Road in Wood River. The camps are for male and female soccer players ages 5 to 17.  A storied...

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Dr. Russ and Dee Fine demonstrated some of the sparkle that led to them being honored with HerrinFesta Italiana’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday during the Mayor’s HerrinFesta Honoree Banquet in Herrin Civic Center. Dr. Fine started speaking by saying he could not achieved what he has without the partnership of his wife, Davadeen “Dee”...

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Stepping into Maria’s Ristorante & Pizzeria in Morris for lunch one day, I immediately noticed something. Maria’s has the charm of Italy without trying too hard. Tables arrangements had a cafe feel. The murals of famous locales blended into the decor. The place mats tell the history and geography of Italy. And the hospitality was among the best I’v...

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Everyone understands the risk of handing a Chicagoan ketchup, so what's the right condiment to pass? That's easy. Giardiniera. (Say it with me, "jar-din-air-ah.") It's the quintessential Chicago condiment, one that's as brazen and boisterous as the city itself. This fiery mix contains some combination of pickled chiles, celery, cauliflower, carrots...

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When Gianluca Butticè moved from his native Sicily to the U.S., he faced the challenges of learning English and American culture. Surmounting that learning curve inspired him to make the journey easier for others. So after spending the past several years teaching Italian, he is branching out into offering tours of Italy that encompass language and...

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Sausage will be grilling, families will be dancing, and dads will be honored as Onesti Entertainment hosts its 24th annual Italian Block Party-Oakley Avenue Festa Pasta Vino on Father’s Day weekend, June 16 to 18. The Father’s Day tradition will feature Italian food specialties representing generations-old recipes from the restaurants located in Ch...

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After serving Italian beef and more for 68 years, what’s another 18 days? That’s what’s happening until June 3 at Chicago and Grand avenues, as Joe Boston’s Italian Beef, the Chicago street food stalwart for nearly 70 years, announced over the weekend that it will stay open more than two additional weeks. The family ownership, who previously announ...

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IA Literati 2017 — Casa Italia’s 13th annual celebration of local Italian-American authors — will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 17 in the Florentine Room of the Italian Cultural Center in Stone Park. Book sales and signings, raffles, and a meet-and-greet with the authors will take place at 9:30 a.m., and authors will read from their w...

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“Good cooking and a lot of flavor don’t have to take a lot of time,” says Fabio Viviani, chef, restauranteur and TV personality, explaining why he wrote "Fabio’s 30-Minute Italian." His beautifully photographed cookbook is filled with wonderfully accessible recipes. “The whole premise is easy,” he said. Viviani, who lives in the Chicago area now...

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