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‘A good family thing’
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Susanne Koenig holds her daughter, Marina, 3, as she waves at her other daughter, Mackenzie, 5, who is walking with the princess pageant behind the Little King and Little Queen.
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The 12th Annual Procession for the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival proceeds down Via Mount Carmel Avenue.
Tradition thrives at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival
By SEAN BARRON
YOUNGSTOWN
Attending a re- vered city Italian festival every year means more to Jenelle Spagnola than the usual food, games and attractions.
It’s also part of history.
That’s because two of her relatives were married in nearby Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, and a third family member used to clean the church, she recalled.
“This is a good family thing we look forward to every year. We run into a lot of people we know,” said Spagnola, of Poland, who spent part of Sunday at the 12th annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival, 343 Via Mount Carmel Drive.
In addition, Spagnola’s mother-in-law was born on Via Mount Carmel (known then as Summit Avenue), across the street from the festival, she noted.
Of course, that’s not to suggest Spagnola and her three children, Anna, 9, and 5-year-old twins, Jenna and John, didn’t enjoy the occasional animal ride and food many people associate with such events.
“It’s really fun, and there are elephant ears, cavatellis, spaghetti and other things,” Anna said after finishing her pony ride.
Anna, a Dobbins Elementary School fourth-grader, also listed tossing darts at balloons and engaging in a duck game as her favorite activities of the four-day festival.
One of Sunday’s highlights was “The Procession of the Flags and Blessing of La Famiglia (the family),” which featured one flag each representing 10 of Italy’s 22 regions.
Colorful ethnic attire filled Via Mount Carmel as the procession of children and adults originated at and returned to the 103-year-old church after Mass carrying the flags, along with the Statue of the Blessed Mother and the cross. Several people served as torchbearers, and two youngsters were the Little King and Little Queen before the gathering concluded with a blessing.
Honored during the event was 101-year-old Virginia Valenzisi of Columbiana, a lifelong member of the church as well as its oldest member.
Valenzisi married her husband, Frank Sr., at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 1929 and used to prepare pizza, bread and fried dough for Monday evening bingo games, recalled her daughter, Claire Patoray. Many workers in downtown Youngstown bought her breads, Patoray said.
Also with Valenzisi was daughter Carmela Crump and son Frank.
The festival had a variety of food and craft vendors, games, children’s activities and clowns, as well as a 50/50 raffle and an Italian auction. Fourteen bands provided the entertainment, including the Paul Rossi and the Plazateer bands, both of which took part in the procession. Also featured was a wine-making contest.
Many people with a healthy taste for nostalgia congregated near a table in the parish hall to view old and recent pictures of parishioners and their families. Some showed the Valenzisi family in the early 20th century, and the oldest photograph was said to be 102 years old.
Many animals lovers found something to their liking as they stepped inside a caravan owned by Angels for Animals Inc. of Green Township and saw about 25 cats for adoption.
All have been spayed or neutered, received required shots and fitted with a computer microchip, noted Kelly Witherstine, the agency’s feline manager.
Some people mistakenly think that cats don’t need to be spayed or neutered since many are primarily indoor pets. That belief has contributed to a cat overpopulation, Witherstine noted.
The main purposes of the festival are to raise money for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, as well as to promote and preserve Italian heritage and culture, explained Tony Trolio, event chairman.
“It’s one of the jewels of the city,” he said of the church.
Despite recent heavy rains, the family-friendly Italian festival had a good attendance, with a record crowd Thursday, Trolio said, adding that last year’s attendance was around 50,000.