A Barber’s Wisdom
MY FATHER LEFT HIS BARBERSHOP to work in construction years before I was born, yet he never stopped cutting hair. If you knew Gennaro well enough to visit his Italian home in Cleveland’s inner city, it entitled you to free kitchen haircuts for life. Try finding that in any book on proper hosting etiquette. In any case, it was one helluva perk for h...
Arts academy honors Mustari at inaugural bash
Serving as the first principal of The Chicago Academy for The Arts was never the plan for Frank Mustari. A guidance counselor at Niles West High School in suburban Skokie, Mustari asked to take a leave of absence in 1981 to help establish the academy, the first of its kind in the city. “I thought the concept was a great idea. I was working at a hig...
Mount Carmel Parish to celebrate 131st feast
The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish will celebrate the 131st anniversary of its devotion to the Blessed Mother on July 14. Festivities will begin with a 7:30 a.m. Mass in English and a 9 a.m. solemn Mass in Italian, followed by a procession with the statue of the Blessed Mother to a noon field Mass. A procession through the streets of the parish af...
Youngstown Italian Fest Canceled; Plans ‘Put in Motion’ for 2025
The Greater Youngstown Italian Fest has been canceled this year. “After much debate and discussion, the Italian American Foundation of Youngstown feels that we could not provide the successful and quality product … the Mahoning Valley has come to expect and so richly deserves,” John Rossetti, president of the festival, wrote in a Facebook post. “Pl...
Shrine to celebrate Cabrini’s birthday
The National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini will honor the life and legacy of America’s first saint with a birthday Mass at 4 p.m. on July 13. The shrine is located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in a building that once housed Columbus Hospital. Cabrini and her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus built the hospital as we...
Lombardian delegation pays visit to Ridgewood High
The Italian students at Ridgewood High School in Norridge were proud to play host to a delegation from Italy on May 23. Among the honored guests were Attilio Fontana, president of the region of Lombardy; Raffaele Cattaneo, the region’s undersecretary for European and International Public Relations; Maria Luisa Scalise, the region’s director of Inte...
Burgio club on the upswing since pandemic
Like other social clubs felled by the worldwide pandemic, the Burgio Woman’s Club could have dissolved in recent years. Instead, the 71-year-old nonprofit organization based in the Chicago area is experiencing a resurgence of new activity. “Our members really worked hard to keep it moving forward, and now we are stronger and more active than ever b...
Spilotro enjoys 'second career' at Casa camp
Defining her identity and pinpointing where she feels most at home — in Italy or the United States — has never been easy for Raffaella Spilotro, the director of the children’s summer camp at Casa Italia in Stone Park. That’s because, for the first nine years of her life, Spilotro grew up in Capurso, a small town in the province of Bari, Puglia, wit...
The Italian story in Milwaukee
The Italian immigrants who arrived at America’s sandy gates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries came in search of many different things. Some sought the economic opportunities presented by a vast and growing economy that sprung notions of wealth and grandeur. Some yearned to break free from a distant northern-centered government that suffered...
Call for Honoree Nominations for 2024 Cleveland Italian American Heritage Month
Nominations for Honorees who will be recognized during Cleveland Italian American Heritage Month in October 2024 are being requested by the Cleveland Italian American Heritage Committee. The categories for nomination include: Arts & Culture, Business, City or County Employee, Individual, Public Servant, or Youth. Anyone is welcome to submit an ho...
Onesti, DeLuca pull out all the stops for Springfield reception
What do you get when a true showman joins forces with one of Springfield’s most respected legislators? The second annual Italian Caucus Tour of Italy Reception, of course. Hosted for the last two years by Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans President Ron Onesti and State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, the blockbuster event drew more than 300 movers an...
Paolo Busti marks 40 years
Tuesday night’s scholarship dinner gave the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation a chance to look back at its founding four decades ago while also honoring local Italian Americans today. The foundation, which gathered at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel, took time to pay tribute to Vito Gautieri, its lone living founder among those who started the organiza...