August 11, 2019 - 16th Annual
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Welcome to the website of Festa Italiana di Vandergrift. The intent of our Festa is to celebrate our Italian-American heritage and the ancestors who came from Italy yearning to make a better life for their families—us.
Our desire is to present an “Italian-only” Festa to the extent possible:
Our desire is to present an “Italian-only” Festa to the extent possible:
- Only Italian food is served at the Festa—including Bagna Calda, Trippa, Pasta Fagioli, and plenty of pasta, pizza, and sausage, of course—you won’t find hot dogs, hamburgers, bar-b-que, gyros or chinese food here.
- We search the country for the best Italian music available—not only traditional music from “the old country” but also music sung by great Italian-Americans like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Martino and Julius La Rosa.
- Unlike other “Italian” festivals there are no vendors selling aluminum gutters, roofing, or bathing suits at our Festa—we only sell commemorative Festa t-shirts and Italian flags.
- And what’s more Italian than time spent with family and friends?—we have tables that can be reserved to serve as the meeting point for “mini family reunions.”
- A beautiful outdoor mass starts the day followed by a traditional Italian procession. This year we will be praying to the Patron Saints of the small Italian towns of our ancestors.
- Our Festa is held in beautiful Kennedy Park. Rent a table in the Reserved Family Tables tents and spend the day with your family and friends. The tables are under a tent (out of the sun and weather). Otherwise, bring a chair and umbrella if it’s a hot and sunny (or cool and rainy) day.
- Get to the Festa early and pace yourself throughout the day to enjoy all the fabulous food and beverages.
- Like most small Italian towns, parking is limited around the Festa grounds. Use the Free parking lots and board the Free shuttles to save yourself some grief.
- If you are an amateur winemaker or a bagna calda aficionado enter one of our competitions.
- Tickets are required to purchase all food and beverages. Purchase tickets (1 ticket=$1) at one of the ticket booths.
- Entry to the Festa is Free ! ! !
- Outside food and beverages are not allowed on Festa grounds. Please enjoy our fabulous Italian Food and Beverage vendors ! ! !
Why to we celebrate our Italian heritage?
Bishop Bosco may have summarized it best during his homily at the first Festa Mass (paraphrased):
"Ethnic heritage in America is like a good minestrone, so many different ingredients (e.g., Italian (pasta), Polish (carrots), Lithuanian (celery), German (broth)) brought together to make a wonderful dish—each uniquely different piece adding something to the meal. If those same ingredients were put into a blender and pulverized into a homogonous brown mush, the meal would not be nearly as enjoyable. We don't want to destroy the individual identity of the components of the minestrone, or of the ethnic components of our nation; each has something to contribute and to blender them is to destroy them."
Bishop Bosco may have summarized it best during his homily at the first Festa Mass (paraphrased):
"Ethnic heritage in America is like a good minestrone, so many different ingredients (e.g., Italian (pasta), Polish (carrots), Lithuanian (celery), German (broth)) brought together to make a wonderful dish—each uniquely different piece adding something to the meal. If those same ingredients were put into a blender and pulverized into a homogonous brown mush, the meal would not be nearly as enjoyable. We don't want to destroy the individual identity of the components of the minestrone, or of the ethnic components of our nation; each has something to contribute and to blender them is to destroy them."