Pictures from the Festa
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Bella Ciao
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Archbishop Mitty High School Italian Club |
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| Italica |
Angela Schiavone from the TV show, On The Town interviews Bella Sorella |
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| Rick Ellis as Frank Sinatra |
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Letter from Joe Rizzi, 2009 Festa Chair
Buon Giorno,
After 14 months of planning, the 2009 Italian-American Festa has come and gone in what seems like a blink of the eye. This year's 29th annual event by all accounts was a rousing success. The after-party feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and all indications are that the Festa has been thoroughly embraced by the majority of Willow Glen residents and the community as a whole.
This year's event was designed to evenly lay out activities, and food and arts vendors along the full length of Lincoln Avenue. Stages at either end of the avenue provided non-stop quality entertainment that created a "street-dance" atmosphere. Along the route people were entertained by accordions and mandolins while a stilt-walking chef handed out colorful beads to the children and adults alike. The Guglielmo stage at Brace Avenue showcased a pizza acrobat, Italian dancers and a wine stomping competition.
Post event feedback from those who attended the Festa has been very supportive. Willow Glen resident Michele L. Baker sent us this message: "I love the Italian Festival, it's such a 'family' event, and I mean many generations of family. The event was well attended but had a very calm, neighborhood feel to it. The food was very good! I think this event fits our community very well! Thank you to all who put it together!!" This is just one of the many heartwarming messages that we have received since the event closed. We should all be very proud of what the Italian American Heritage Foundation has provided to our community. Bravo!
The special people that put this all together were your 2009 Festa Committee …….a dedicated team in every sense of the word. The Committee volunteered many hours of their personal time tirelessly planning and executing the myriad of critical tasks required to produce an event of this magnitude. Some of the major tasks included operations, beverages, opening ceremonies, decor, signage, membership, organizing (over 200) volunteers, heritage and culture displays, games and activities, property transport, public relations, food preparation, entertainment, grant preparation, electrical grid, sponsorship, city permit requirements, police and security, facilities, food and arts vendors, insurance, community service and finance. Successful completion of these areas of responsibility was orchestrated by the Committee of energized, skillful and focused individuals. A special debt of gratitude to Read and Melanie Zaro of the The Entertainment Connection for their masterful on-site management of the Festa, and to Janice Stitton and the crew of the SJ City Green Events organization for their amazing efforts making our Festa an extremely successful green event.
Last but not least, we very much appreciate the sponsors who gave so graciously in providing financial support for our event. We highly recommend them to all our membership; please support their businesses by considering their goods and services.
Other Event Information
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