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Italian Fest offers heritage, food, crafts, music, worship
YOUNGSTOWN
People gathered across six downtown blocks this weekend for the 29th annual Greater Youngstown Italian Fest, which continues from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today.
The three-day festival in Central Square, featuring amusement rides, more than 40 food vendors and more than two-dozen craft vendors, ends today.
“This fest has grown to be one of the larger fests, certainly regionally, and drawing over 40,000 people through their gates. It brings everybody back to heritage, tradition, great food and great entertainment,” said Linda Macala, director of the Mahoning County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, which promotes the festival.
“People love festivals,” said Macala, adding that festivals are one of the most sought-after options on CVB’s website.
One of the notable events at the festival Saturday afternoon was the polka Mass, featuring the Jack Vasko Orchestra.
“There’s clapping, and there’s more rejoicing,” and the polka Mass is “livelier” than other Masses, said Terry Esarco of Youngstown, who annually attends the festival.
“You blend a lot of Roman Catholic spirituality and the fun and entertainment,” John Rossetti, festival chairman, said of the polka Mass, which typically draws about 1,500 people.
However, intermittent, scattered rain reduced Saturday afternoon’s attendance and cut polka Mass attendance under the main tent to fewer than 100.
“People just like the ethnic flavor of the music. It’s something different, yet it’s still very much liturgical music. It’s all hymns, but put to the polka tunes,” said the Rev. Michael Swierz, who conducted the polka Mass. Father Swierz is president of St. Joseph the Provider School at St. Anthony Parish in Brier Hill.
Words for most of the hymns used in the polka Mass were written by the Rev. George Blasko, now a retired Diocese of Youngstown priest. “The words are in English, and those words were written to the old traditional music by Father Blasko,” band-leader Vasko explained.
“Anytime that people get together, especially to pray and to celebrate their ethnic culture, it’s just something special that lifts them up and makes them feel happy and good about who they are,” Father Swierz said.
The appeal of polkas crosses ethnic and geographic boundaries, Rossetti observed.
Polkas usually are thought of as eastern European, but there are Italian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and even South Pacific polka bands, Rossetti noted.
Events scheduled for today on the main stage include a noon Mass, also conducted by Father Swierz, with a procession of the Madonna statue through the festival grounds, led by the Lowellville Band; a 1 p.m. Lowellville Band performance; a 2:45 p.m. Little King and Queen contest; and a 4:30 p.m. performance by the Avanti Band.
The festival’s headliner, Franco Corso, an Italian-born tenor, will sing for 75 minutes beginning at 7 p.m. on the main stage, followed by Dominic Tocco and Brotherhood at 8:45 p.m. and a grand raffle drawing at 10:30 p.m.
The wine and beer tent features Del Sinchak at 2 p.m., the Rocco Monaco Band at 5 p.m. and the House Band at 8 p.m.
Admission to the city’s largest annual street festival is $4, with children under 12 admitted free.
The festival has four entrances: A north entrance at Wick Avenue and Commerce Street; an east entrance at Champion and East Federal streets, a south entrance at Boardman and Market streets, and a west entrance at West Federal and Phelps streets.
Parking is available on streets, in surface parking lots and in a garage and decks near the festival.
“It’s a wonderful Youngs-town tradition that people look forward to every year,” Macala said of the Italian Fest, adding that attendees often encounter people they haven’t seen for many years at this event.
“I know a lot of these vendors, so I like to support them,” Esarco said of the local vendors at the festival. “The money you spend at the local merchant goes back into the locale. ... It creates jobs for family and friends and strangers,” Esarco said of his rationale for patronizing Mahoning Valley vendors.
For those for whom the festival isn’t a destination by itself, there will be other activities open to the public today in downtown Youngstown.
OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, 11 W. Federal St., will be open from noon to 4 p.m. alongside the festival; and America Makes, 236 W. Boardman St., will have its 1 to 4 p.m. public open house to showcase additive manufacturing.
“It just adds to the variety of things that people can see and do while they’re in the area,” Macala said of the open house coinciding with the festival this year.
“It’s the Renaissance of Youngstown, the awakening, the rebirth, if you will, of downtown Youngstown,” Rossetti concluded.