The 35th-annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival officially kicked off on Wednesday at the McLure Hotel in Wheeling as nearly 200 festival supporters gathered for a dinner to honor the 2017 Italian-American of the Year, former Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile. Gentile was introduced by former U.S. Rep. Zack Space, who is currently running as a Democrat for Ohio auditor. He spoke about his own heritage as a Greek-American, and drew parallels to the Italian-American experience.

Born to first generation Italian-American parents Lou Sr. and Carmella, Gentile, 38, has dedicated his adult life to public service. He began his career in governmental service and politics campaigning for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. He then served in the Governor’s Office of Appalachia and as a representative in the Ohio House before moving on to serve in the Ohio Senate. He ran for re-election in 2016 and was defeated by Sen. Frank Hoagland, R-Mingo Junction, in the November general election.