First Day of the Festa

The people in the photo on the left are standing in line to buy food tickets, so they can start enjoying the pasta e fagioli, eggplant sandwiches, rigatoni, Italian wedding soup and other festa favorites the people in the lower photo are enjoying. Other food available at the festa includes sausage sandwiches, meatball sandwiches and pizza, as well as a variety of pastries. The food booths open at 11 a.m. Friday.
Stan Pecora (in the green jacket), Father Leo Gallina, pastor of St. Bernard Church, and Francis "Tubby" Colella watch the Boy Scout raise the flag during the festa's opening ceremony. Pecora has been the master of ceremonies for years at the opening ceremony. Father Gallina offered the opening prayer and benediction.


Francis "Tubby" Colella sings the Italian national anthem -- Il Canto degli Italiani (The Song of the Italians) -- during the opening ceremony, as the keyboard player of the band Ledgens, Father Gallina and Stan Pecora look on. The anthem is best known among Italians as Inno di Mameli (Mameli's Hymn) and often referred to as Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy).

Elmer and Ann DeLucia were among the hundreds of people who attended the opening night of the 2008 Festa Italiana. Ann reminded us on Wednesday's LiveLine that there's no "W" in the Italian alphabet, so those light and cripsy (and delectable) pastries can't be called "wands." These days, a lot of people call them "ribbons." I still call them "Curly Qs" like my Grandma did.

Theresa Cummins (right)enjoys some silly moments at the festa with the adorable Ambuskes. (I knew she could smile!)