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Italian fest attendance rebounds under sunny skies
YOUNGSTOWN
The weather was perfect Saturday for the second day of the 32nd annual Greater Youngstown Italian Heritage Festival in downtown Youngstown, and festivalgoers sat in the sunshine or under tents to enjoy the great food and live music.
Today is the final day of the event that draws people from around the Mahoning Valley and western Pennsylvania.
Rain and thunderstorms hurt attendance on Friday’s opening day, and organizers said they hoped Saturday’s warm and dry weather, with the same predicted for today, would bring out big crowds, said John Rossetti of Youngstown, festival chairman and a trustee of the Italian Heritage Foundation of Youngstown.
Rossetti, a code-enforcement officer for Youngstown’s building department, said he is heavily involved in the festival because his American-Italian heritage is “very important to me.”
Also, Rossetti said he believes since the festival was brought back to downtown Youngstown from Canfield Fairgrounds, it has played a real part in the rebirth of the city’s downtown.
The Italian Heritage Festival is a wonderful community event, said Kathy and John McElroy of Poland, who were enjoying the food and music with friends and family, including Blaine Wiley, originally from Toledo, and Don and Amy Friedrich, also of Poland.
“My wife and I try to patronize and support community events and to try the food,” said Friedrich.
Debbie and Bob Boyer of Lake Milton, first-time visitors to the event, said they go to festivals here and there and decided to come to Youngstown.
They said the food was “pretty good” and they were enjoying the music.
Christina and John Parish of Campbell are regular festival attendees.
“We come every year. We like the food and the music and people-watching,” they said.
“I think it’s important to expose children to the traditions of their parents and grandparents,” said Chris, who grew up in Youngstown and is a 1995 graduate of Wilson High School.