Mount Carmel Italian Festival to begin

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The 13th annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival will be Thursday through July 24, and will feature two acts new to the festival: Christina Chirombolo of Pittsburgh and the Anima e Cuore Show band from Cleveland.

Also appearing will be Stefano of New Castle, Pa., and Cleveland’s Good Fellos Showband, as well as the Mahoning Valley’s best Italian bands, including the Capri Band, Jim Frank Trio, Frank Gallo, John Gabrielle, Rex Taneri, Franco Simone, Gabriel & Friends, Dom Tocco & The Brotherhood and Paul Rossi’s Plazateers Band.

Returning this year will be the Italian Made Simple classes taught by Matthew Saborse, a teacher at Howland High School.

The free one-hour classes will be nightly at 7 p.m.

A procession will start at 1 p.m., immediately after the noon Mass on uly 24. It will be led by youths of the church bearing the flags of Italy’s regions.

The procession will travel down Via Mount Carmel to the United way building and back, then through the festival midway.

It will conclude with a concert on the main stage by the Plazateer Band.

Other returning events will include the Little Prince and Princess pageant and the homemade winemaking contest.

There will be 20 food and craft vendors and a children’s area with clowns, magic shows, pony and train rides, games and bounce-a-rounds.

Free parking and shuttle service will be provided at lots at the United Way, St. Cyril & Methodius Church, IBM Building, Levinson Tire, Advantage Vinyl, P&L Heating and the YMCA.

More than 10,000 people attended the festival last year.

Hours will be 4-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 6-11 p.m. Saturday; and 1-10 p.m. Sunday.

Daily admission is $4; a book of four daily passes will be available for $6 in advance at Rulli Bros. West and South, Jimmy’s Italian Foods in Liberty and Trolio’s in Poland.