Photograph by: Derek Redd
Simply minutes after the ribbon was reduce, Water Avenue was stuffed with folks having fun with the sights and smells of Undo's Higher Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Competition.
WHEELING — The committee that organizes the annual Higher Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Competition sees the occasion as one large household reunion. True to kind, pageant chairwoman Michele Fabbro, simply minutes after the ribbon was reduce at Heritage Port to kick off the actions, greeted a good friend she hadn’t seen in years.
The pageant, which lasts all weekend and extends into Sunday afternoon, is greater than a celebration of Italian heritage, Fabbro stated. It's a group gathering level that everybody can take pleasure in.
“We’ve individuals who have left the valley and are planning their household holidays across the pageant,” he stated.
Fabbro was excited to share most of the pageant’s conventional favorites with the Ohio Valley, from Sons of Italy sausage sandwiches, to bocce ball tournaments, musical programming and Italian bakeries showcasing their wares.
There are additionally some new options this yr. The pageant will function fireworks on Saturday night time, and after Sunday mass, Undo's will provide a conventional Italian dinner of spaghetti, meatballs, bread and antipasto salad.
Fabbro additionally talked about that there are meals distributors all through the pageant for these on the lookout for extra than simply Italian delicacies. That, she stated, is likely one of the issues that makes the Italian Heritage Competition so particular. The committee is raring every year to share that heritage with others, however members additionally wish to ensure that everybody feels welcome.
It has allowed the pageant to transcend the mere celebration of a tradition and turn into a convention for all the Ohio Valley to take pleasure in.
“That makes us very comfortable,” Fabbro stated, “as a result of Italians like to share their tradition, their meals, their recipes, their music, all these issues. And it’s nice to see so many individuals coming again yr after yr and all the time welcoming new folks.”