Viva Brier Hill! Neighborhood celebrates its Italian roots

By SEAN BARRON

news@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

If you have spent the last few days in the right part of town, you probably have had a difficult time missing the variety of smells permeating the air.

Contributing to the collective and alluring aromas is a large vehicle that leaves little to the imagination with its large, prominently displayed logo: “Meatballs gone wild.”

“We’ve been having good sales. Everyone’s putting the word out,” said Tre Cesta, whose father, Vernon Cesta, owns Vernon’s Café in Niles.

The vehicle was just one of countless eye-catching aspects of the 23rd annual Brier Hill Italian Festival, which is centered at Calvin and Victoria streets just west of Belmont Avenue on the North Side.

The four-day event kicked off Thursday and continues from noon to midnight today.

The gathering, said to be the city’s longest continuous Italian fest, is intended to celebrate Italian traditions and customs. It’s also trying to capture the spirit and bygone days of Brier Hill, which many say is the city’s most-iconic Italian neighborhood.

On Saturday, Tre Cesta was pleased that the truck from his father’s eatery was capturing the attention of attendees, many of whom enjoyed meatball cups for $5 each, meatball hoagies for $6 apiece and $7 meatball burgers.

In addition, people can rent the truck for graduations, private parties and other special occasions, said Cesta, adding that this is his first year at the festival.

The longtime gathering was bittersweet, however, for Sherry Trolio-DiVito, who owns The Original Trolio’s T-shirts, a 39-year-old Poland business.

“I feel him here; he’s here with us,” Trolio-DiVito said, referring to her late father, Tony Trolio, who died last Nov. 1 at age 73.

The elder Trolio ran and was chairman of several city festivals, including the Greater Youngstown Italian Festival and the Mount Carmel Fest. He also penned two books, “From Sunny Italy to Brier Hill, USA” and “Back Again with More about Brier Hill, USA, The Sequel.” Trolio-DiVito and her husband, Tony DiVito, were on hand Saturday selling T-shirts, key chains, hats and aprons – all with Italian sayings or looks. The occasion also was a good way to honor her father, she continued.

“He always told me, ‘Carry on when I’m gone,’” Trolio-DiVito said, adding that her father grew up in the area and that she and her four siblings were baptized in nearby St. Anthony Church.

The family-friendly festival also continues to bring people together for plenty of good food and camaraderie, and is growing each year, said Neil Buzzacco, event treasurer.

“It’s like a big party,” he said as a crowd gathered to take in the sounds of the Frank Gallo Band. “There’s a lot of hugging and kissing.”

Today’s festivities include a wine-tasting contest from 4 to

5 p.m. Entertainment will include performances from the Lowellville Marching Band, John Gabriele, the Rocco Monaco Band and Dom Tocco and the Brotherhood.