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Digging in downtown Youngstown to Italian festival food & fun
YOUNGSTOWN
Greater Youngstown Italian Festival
Gallery
The Greater Youngstown Italian Fest has again become a regular annual event in the city’s downtown, and many who attend the festival say downtown is where it belongs.
The festival, which began in 1985, returned to downtown Youngstown in 2007 after several years at Canfield Fairgrounds. Covering six blocks, it is the city’s largest annual outdoor downtown event.
This year’s three-day festival began Friday in Central Square by serving lunch to downtown and nearby office workers, continued Saturday and concludes today.
“I used to attend it when it was here before, and then they moved it out to the Canfield Fairgrounds, and then I didn’t attend it,” said Atty. James Gentile, whose office is in downtown Youngstown. “Now that it’s back downtown, I enjoy it,” he said.
“Most of the Italian immigrants focused on the city and came to the cities, and I think this is where it belongs,’’ said Gentile, who is of Italian descent. “It’s good entertainment, good people and it’s a nice weekend,” he added.
“It’s obvious that it’s been growing. There are more booths this year than I think they’ve ever had, and, with the growth of the downtown, the festival’s going to grow,” said Tony Paglia, vice president for government and media affairs at the downtown-based Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
''It’s just a great festival, and the food is fantastic,” added Paglia, who is of Italian descent and has visited Italy four times in the past 10 years.
“People are attracted to the downtown more and more, so it just makes sense to do it in the downtown,” he said of the festival.
“You have a few days of disruption, but I think it’s well worth it,” Paglia said, referring to the closing of downtown streets beginning Wednesday for vendor and tent setup.
However, Barry Silver, owner of Silver’s Vogue Shop, a men’s clothing store at 27 W. Federal St., said his business has declined during the festival because the closing of the street kept his customers from parking in their usual spots near his store.
“It’s a major inconvenience. It stops my customers from getting to the store. It takes away valuable parking spots from downtown. It hinders traffic coming into town,” Silver complained in a Saturday afternoon interview.
He suggested closing only East Federal Street, where fewer retail shops would be affected, or conducting the festival at the Covelli Centre, and possibly closing a portion of Front Street to accommodate it.
NOT FOR ITALIANS ONLY
Aside from its Italian visitors, many non-Italian people enjoyed the festival. One of them is Joyce Kale-Pesta, director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, who is primarily of Irish ancestry.
“Some of my best friends are Italian,” she said. Asked why she was attending an Italian festival, she replied: “The food, the music. I love the Italian music.” She said she planned to attend the festival every day this weekend.
“I love downtown Youngstown. I worked in downtown Youngstown for many years, and it just brings it all back home to Youngstown,” she said. “I didn’t go when it was in Canfield. When it came back to Youngstown, I came back. ... It just seems like it’s more fun downtown,” she said.
The return of the festival as a regular downtown feature “shows that the city’s alive again and a venue for opportunities for people to come and enjoy it,” said Tom Humphries, president of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber.
The festival features more than 40 food vendors, including the regulars and these that are new this year.
One of the regulars is Roberto’s, which is serving Italian food from a trailer this weekend as it has the past four years at this event, and also opened Roberto’s Italian Ristorante, 103 W. Federal St., six months ago.
“This is actually our best festival,” in terms of business volume, said John Naples, co-owner of Roberto’s. “It’s nice to be in our hometown,” he added.
Roberto’s trailer is featuring eggplant Parmesan and chicken Parmesan sandwiches, a roasted red pepper sandwich, pepperoni rolls, and cavatelli with greens or anchovies.
One of the new vendors this year is Donavito’s Italian Grille, 139 S. Bridge St., Struthers, which features a complete kitchen under a tent.
“What’s attractive is all the vendors and the people and just the downtown atmosphere,” said Donavito’s owner, Alan Donatelli. “This is the place where the festival should be,” he said. “It’s a great Italian heritage we have around this community,” he added.
Donavito’s 13-item festival menu includes calamari, walleye bites, Italian greens, portabella pitas, fried cheese, bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos, Italian shooters, marinated hot peppers, and peppers and oil.
2012 MISS ITALIAN YOUNGSTOWN
In a Friday evening beauty pageant, Michelle Sergi of Lowellville, a 20-year-old pre-medical student at the University of Akron, became the 2012 Miss Italian Youngstown.
The first runner-up was Jenna DePizzo of Cortland, a 20-year-old honor student at Slippery Rock University.
The second runner-up was Joellin Chance of Youngstown, an 18-year-old National Honor Society member, who will study nursing at Walsh University in North Canton.
Anthony C. Julian of Youngstown, pageant chairman and a former city school board member, received the festival’s Humanitarian of the Year award Friday evening. A festival founder, he has been a festival organizer every year since it began.
MAN AND WOMAN OF YEAR
Edward and Margaret Orlando of Youngstown, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year, were honored as the festival’s man and woman of the year.
Today’s events will begin with a noon Mass and a 1 p.m. performance by the Lowellville Band. Festival admission is $3.
Mario D’Andrea, who performed Saturday evening, will again perform at 7:30 p.m. today, and Romina Arena will perform at 9:30 p.m., both on the main (Roma) stage.
Born in Aosta, Italy, and raised in Australia, D’Andrea has been playing the guitar professionally since he was 15 years old.
Having performed worldwide on cruise ships and the full range of land venues, his vocal repertoire ranges from 1960s favorites to today’s middle-of-the-road sounds. D’Andrea received the Australian Variety Artists Star Award for Best Act.
Having grown up in Palermo, Sicily, the 32-year-old Arena resides in Los Angeles and sings pop songs with her operatic voice.
She performed as a classical ballerina in major Italian theaters as a 7-year-old, and her knowledge of 10 languages has opened doors for her as a worldwide performer.
With hot weather prevailing, those attending the festival during the daytime will find shade under two 120-foot-long tents and in the shadows of tall downtown office buildings. Breezy conditions helped make the heat bearable Saturday afternoon.
“People who love the festival will come, no matter what” the weather brings, Pesta concluded.