After a “successful” first year, the Italian Fest is returning to downtown Middletown. Italian Fest will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. today in conjunction with First Friday when downtown businesses have expanded hours and typically run specials, said Ami Vitori, managing partner of Gracie’s Restaurant, sponsor of this month’s First Friday. Vitori sai...

The 34th annual Greater Youngstown Italian Fest will take over Central Square this weekend, where it will again create the unique atmosphere of an authentic city street festival. There will be dozens of food vendors, boccie and morra, a beer and wine bar and nonstop Italian entertainment on two stages. And in the middle of it all will be Steve Fazz...

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are often the site of performances of various types, most of which tend to be small and intimate. Not so Opera in the Italian Garden, an annual event that draws thousands of people to this spectacular two-level garden. Concertgoers come early to stake a spot on the grounds and spread out their lavish picnics, or purch...

The Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival takes place the coming weekend and members of the Bellaire Sons of Italy are busy preparing nearly 3,000 lbs. of Italian sausage for the weekend. It's something these members look forward to every year. Tuesday morning, a group of 20 people gathered inside the kitchen of the Bellaire Sons of It...

It’s a sign summer is more than halfway over already. On Wednesday, volunteers were busy setting up this year’s Italian festival at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica in Youngstown. Vendors were getting their trailers ready for this weekend while the familiar big tent for bands is already in place. Organizers are looking ahead to a warm and sunny we...

A resolution making Aug. 9 Indigenous Peoples Day in Cleveland initially started as a much more ambitious resolution that would have removed Columbus Day from city calendars. The city council passed the resolution on Wednesday. Indigenous People's Day was passed to reaffirm Cleveland's commitment to promote the well-being and growth of the city's N...

The Russo Brothers connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is far from severed. The Cleveland directing duo of Joe and Anthony Russo announced at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend that it is teaming with “Spider-Man: Far From Home” star Tom Holland for its new R-rated movie “Cherry.” The film is based on the 2018 novel by Nico Walker and foc...

Two brothers from Cleveland proved the sky is the limit for Italian Americans at the worldwide box office. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo took the crown for the most profitable movie in Hollywood history when Avengers: Endgame hit $2.79 billion late last week. James Cameron’s science fiction film “Avatar” previously held that top spot for 10 years...

The Charitable Italian American Organization of Lima awarded its 2019 scholarships at an awards banquet held May 29 at the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The organization awarded $14,000 in scholarships to students from every school from which applications were received. For more than 30 years, CIAO, formerly UNICO, has raised funds to donate to local...

Nadia Lucchin's path to heading the anti-domestic violence organization in town started some 4,000 miles away, on the other side of the Atlantic. It was 2004. Lucchin was teaching English in Rome when she became curious about the young, foreign-looking women she saw walking the streets in secluded parts of the city at night. She learned that the wo...