Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The Zippo/Case Museum celebrates Bradford’s Italian heritage with an exhibit featuring the Zippo lighter art of Italian master of photography and airbrush, Claudio Mazzi. The collection, on display now through August 15, has been loaned to the museum by a special arrangement with a private collector and features six hand-painted, individually numbered Mazzi designs created specifically for the members of Zippo Club Italia. “The Zippo/Case Museum is honored to have the chance to showcase these beautiful Italian masterpieces,” said Linda Meabon, Zippo/Case Museum Curator and Historian. “I have had the distinct pleasure of watching Maestro Mazzi turn a Zippo lighter case into a unique piece of art. His works are so vividly realistic and dimensional; sometimes it’s hard to believe that it’s not a photograph.” Mazzi, who lives and works in Modena, Italy, began airbrushing original works of art onto Zippo lighters in 1996, after a chance meeting with the president of Zippo Italia, Zippo’...

This little guy enjoys some Italian cuisine Saturday afternoon. Strolling mandolin player Edgidio Faiella takes a seat and entertains some of the people enjoying their lunch. Ann and Elmer DeLucia, and Patty Girard, were among the many people who attended the festival ... ...which was capped off with a fireworks show.

Today at Festa Italiana: 1 to 4 p.m. Strolling Mandolin Player Edgidio Faiella 1:30 to Bradford YMCA Flames Gymnastics Team 6 to 10 p.m. The Carl Motyka Band 10 p.m. Raffle drawing and fireworks Kids rides go until 9 p.m.

Saxophone player Kevin Freaney of the band Dick Otto and the Music Makers entertains the Festa Italiana crowd Thursday evening. The festival continues through Saturday on Festival Way with food, games, kids rides and more. The festivities will be capped off with a fireworks show at about 10 p.m. Saturday.

Francis "Tubby" Colella's rendition of the Italian National Anthem has been a staple of Bradford's Italian festival for many years. But, he says, this was his last year.

Mary Bean and Chelsey Colosimo are almost hidden behind the balloons they were passing out to children during Thursday's opening ceremonies for Festa Italiana. Earlier in the evening, Mary and Chelsey performed a beautiful rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner." Today at the Festa: noon to 2 p.m. -- Local Talent Showcase featuring Barb Pedersen, Marissa Buchheit, Melanie Bizzaro and more 3 to 7 p.m. -- The John Kytic Band with Diane Davies 4 to 8 p.m. Bubbles the Clown 8 to 10:30 p.m. Nick Batistella The Festa opens at 11 a.m. and includes food, kids rides and games, along with the entertainment

Six students from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s sister college in Japan arrived in Bradford on Wednesday for a two-week stay in the United States. The students from Yokohama College of Commerce arrived with their instructor, Dr. Akiko Sakai, and will hone their English as part of Pitt-Bradford’s Summer Intensive English Program. Students will live on campus and visit local attractions such as Chautauqua (N.Y.) Lake, the Zippo/Case Museum, Festa Italiana, the Seneca Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, N.Y., Crook Farm and the McKean County Fair. On Sunday, the students will visit Niagara Falls, and next week they will attend the Potter County Bowhunter Festival at Ski Denton. Members of the community will host the students in their homes for dinners, barbecues and game nights. Before returning to Japan, the students will visit New York City, where they will see the off-Broadway show STOMP and explore the city. ...

6 to 9:30 p.m. Dick Otto and the Music Makers 6:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies with master of cermonies Stan Pecora and peformances by Tubby Colella, Mary Bean, Chelsey Colosimo and Melanie Bizzaro. Father Leo Gallina will provide the blessing. Area children will release red, white and green balloons. Some of the food and game booths will open at 4 p.m.

Riley gets a cool drink of water while taking a break from helping her grandfather Dave Monago set up some of the food booths in preparation for the annual Festa Italiana, which gets underway Thursday afternoon. Below, Mary Ann Colestro is one of the people getting some of the new features ready under the new red, white and green tents. The Festa goes through Saturday night, and will be capped off with a fireworks display.

These kids enjoyed the rides and games during the final day of Festa Italiana, and I was happy to learn that I could kinda see the fireworks from St. Francis Drive.

Festa Italiana Chef John Coder took me behind the scenes Friday evening to show me where they make the gallons and gallons of pasta e fagioli festival-goers eat throughout the weekend. Below, are people at the food court enjoying other offerings -- including meatball sandwiches, wedding soup and Italian sausage sandwiches. Others stopped by the pastry table for Yolanda cookies and pizzelles. Rides and, of course, enjoying time with family and old friends are parts of the festa, too. The festivities continue today on Festival Way and include a fireworks show at around 10 p.m.

It didn't take long for the food court to fill up, as people enjoyed Italian cucina on the first day of Festa Italiana '09. The games were also popular with the younger festival-goers. The 4 Jays entertained the crowd and serenaded longtime Festa entertainment chairman Annette Huff (seated second from right in the photo below) with "The Way You Look Tonight." I Tre Amici : Father Leo Gallina, Fran "Tubby" Colella and Stan Pecora officially opened the festival with an invocation, the singing of the Italian and United States national anthems and remarks about Bradford's heritage -- Italian and others. Pecora noted that the Festa has become Bradford's "Old Home Days" for all ethnic groups, and that all ethnic groups helped to build Bradford. Pecora also pointed out that Kim Benjamin and the Bradford Water Authority got in the Festa spirit by painting fire hydrants red, white and green -- the colors of the Italian flag. The Festa continues Fr...

Lisa’s Hairport is planning some special activities to coincide with the Festa Italiana which will be held on Festival Way in Downtown Bradford. On Friday, August 14 at 7 p.m. there will be a performance by the Bradford Flames Gymnastics team. DJ Lenny will be playing music from 5 to 10 p.m. There will also be face painting activities, hair art (which will involve beading and spray paint designs in the hair) and chair massages. All activities will be held in the Lisa’s Hairport parking lot on the corner of Main Street and Festival Way.

Pictured Saturday night at Festa Italiana are the Music Makers Big Band, festival-goers getting one last pastry fix and the fireworks finale from Mount Raub. Below, is a video of the firworks grand finale. Congratulations to the festa committee for another outstanding event!

The Mountain Laurel Harmonizers and the Flames gymnastics team provided some of the entertainment Friday night at Festa Italiana on Festival Way. This train ride is of the attractions aimed at the younger set at Festa Italiana. There's also a bouncy house and giant slide. Festa continues today and includes a fireworks show from Mount Raub. I talked to Stan Pecora Friday night, and he said he wished he mentioned one other thing in his remarks during the opening ceremony. He says everyone should be proud of his/her heritage and the Irish, German, Swedish and other immigrants are also an important part of Bradford's history.

Stan Pecora was the master of ceremonies during Thursday night's opening ceremony for the annual Festa Italiana. Below, are the remarks he delivered about being Italian, and Italian-Americans. "In the past, I've spoken about our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents and their forbearers. I've talked about their courage to come here to this country – their hard work, their perseverance – to secure for us a much better life than they had. I think we can all agree that things are good for us because of their hard work and their effort and their courage. But while we have been well assimilated into American society – we must remember that we are Italian Americans. We are the beneficiaries of a great culture. We are gathered here in the greatest country on earth. Thank goodness that our forbearers chose to come to the United States -- the best choice they could have made. In the Italian immigration that took place between 1880 and 1920 over 11 million left Italy...