Mount Carmel Italian Festival features lots of food, fun

By Denise Dick | July 29, 2012 at 12:05a.m.

Youngstown

The aroma of sausage, cavatelli, sauce and pastries fill the downtown air.

The 14th annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival runs through today at the church.

Tony Trolio, festival chairman, says that since the festival first started, it’s raised more than $400,000 for the church.

Attractions include music, games, food, a dunking tank, cornhole tournament and Italian auction with more than 300 gifts ranging from children’s bicycles, gift certificates and wine to Italian food and sports memorabilia.

All of the musical performers play Italian music.

“This is really an Italian church,” Trolio said. “We wanted to keep the music strictly Italian.”

Even though the music is Italian, some of the performers hail from other parts of the world. Alfio, who performs at 9:15 p.m. today on the main stage, for example, is from Australia and Tony Ieluzzi, who performs from 7:45 to 9 p.m. today lives in Canada.

“We have people who come from all over for the music,” Trolio said. “We’ve had buses from Cleveland and Pittsburgh.”

There was something new this year that surprised the chairman.

“We had someone call and said they have family coming in from all over for a family reunion and they wanted reservations for 50 to eat,” he said.

Even with the on-again-off-again rain for much of Saturday, Trolio expected a healthy turnout.

Between the church social and tents set up around the church, about 3,000 people can stay dry waiting out the showers, he said.

Joyce Frattaroli, festival secretary, said items for the auction are donated by church and committee members and area businesses. The auction is today.

The festival runs from 1 to 10 p.m. today. Admission is $4.

Trolio couldn’t choose just one favorite part of the festival.

“It’s everything — the music, the food,” he said. “I’m Italian. I like to eat. This is my kind of music, my kind of food and my kind of people.”