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Beauty, Italian style
By RICHARD L. BOCCIA
Contestants compete to be festival queen
Pageant contestants tried to burn down the house, but not too much.
YOUNGSTOWN — For the pageant contestants vying for the title of 2008 Miss Greater Youngstown Italian Festival Queen, the challenge was simply to be themselves. And to keep from burning down the tent.
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“I don’t want to catch it on fire,” said Ciara Nichole Ciccolelli before the show, in which she twirled fire batons and knives for the talent segment. The other five contestants gave musical and dance performances, and all of them spoke about their Italian heritage.
The crowned queen was Candace Campana, 17, of Struthers, who focused on her heritage and faith.
“You have to know why you love being Italian,” she said. For her it means big family, food and most of all, religion. She performed Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” — keeping in mind health troubles that almost took her life.
“I think God saved me and put me here for a reason,” she said.
Campana modelled a pink dress and elbow-length white gloves for the formal gown competition.
“I’m still in shock,” she said after the victory.
Ciccolelli, 18, of Poland, was first runner-up, and said she loves her Italian background, and representing it.
“It’s one of the greatest feelings you can have to be so passionate about your culture and experience it in your everyday life,” Ciccolelli said. She modelled a gold dress.
Tara Horvath, 17, of Struthers, was second runner-up, and did not mince words about her heritage.
“I’m proud of being Italian — I wouldn’t want to be anything else,” she said.
Horvath doubled her weekly singing lessons in preparation for the contest, where she performed “Over the Rainbow.” Horvath modeled a brown dress.
Part of that Italian American heritage is the family support that propelled the contestants.
For Chelsea Dean, 17, of Canfield, missing out on a big Italian family experience motivated her. She performed to honor the family she does have, and in memory of the older generation that has mostly died. Her hopes were high before the contest.
“If I’m crowned, I’ll be a part of the whole Italian family,” she said of the community gathered at the festival. Dean modelled a dark blue dress and performed a hip-hop dance routine.
Karla Ross, 18, of Girard, played the piccolo as her talent.
“I’m playing ... one of my grandfather’s favorite songs,” she said. He passed away three years ago.
She was a little nervous before the show, but had a theory about staying cool.
“If you concentrate on it ... and you know that you messed up, you’re going to make it noticeable,” she said. Ross’ orange manicured nail tips matched her dress.
For Courtney Bleggi, 18, of Canfield, the night marked her first — and maybe last — pageant. She waited for the results before deciding whether she’d compete again. Bleggi modelled a light blue dress.
Before the show, past winners stood with the contestants backstage, sharing advice and remembering their own wins. For them, coming back to work at the pageant means staying queens for life.
“Just have fun. Do not be nervous — you’ll be fine,” said Alyssa DiBernardi, last year’s queen, to the contestants in their dressing room.
“It went by so fast,” said DiBernardi, 17, of Boardman, still wearing the tiara and sash of Italian green, white and red. Some of her last moments as queen were spent singing the national anthem to the capacity audience in the tent on Federal Plaza West to kick off the event.
Joanna Lenefonte, 20, of Youngstown, won in 2006. She said a queen can only be crowned once.
“I look back and wish I could do it again,” she said.
The festival continues Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
rboccia@vindy.com