The 35th-annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival officially kicked off on Wednesday at the McLure Hotel as nearly 200 festival supporters gathered for a dinner to honor the 2017 Italian-American of the Year, former Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile.

“We are very happy to see Lou Gentile honored as Italian-American of the Year for all that he has done in Jefferson County, in the political arena, and for what he has done to support the Italian culture through the Italian American Cultural Club and Campo Italiano in Steubenville,” said Ron Castellucci, festival chairman.