A little bit of Italy in San Jose

The Italian American Heritage Foundation (IAHF) will be presenting its 32nd Annual Italian Family Festa 2012 in San Jose next month.

Italian culture and local history will convene in an eventful weekend-long celebration at the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens beginning Saturday, August 25th and continuing through Sunday, August 26th.

 

“We are pleased to bring a little bit of Italy to the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens for our 32nd Festa,” says Joe Rizzi, Director of the Festa. “The Italian Family Festa was such a success last year that we hope to make the 2012 event the biggest, most exciting yet.” Both Saturday and Sunday will feature authentic Italian foods, a great variety of continuous music entertainment, arts and crafts, delicious Italian cuisine, wine garden, culinary demonstrations and an extensive historical photo display of the local Italian American community. Activities will also include a grape-stomping contest, children’s games and Marionette show, a bocce ball competition and much more. The opening ceremony takes place at the Roma Stage and is hosted by Ken Borelli, President of the IAHF. “We thank the City of San Jose for providing the IAHF with a grant in support of the Italian Family Festa fundraiser this year and we are delighted to return to the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens” stated Borelli.

 

The Festa will run on Saturday, August 25th from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.

“Most people come for the food,” says Joe Rizzi, “however, the entertainment is expected to be one of the highlights of the weekend. We have an incredible lineup of continuous entertainment that includes headliner Italian-Australian singer-songwriter, musician and composer ALFIO. New performers for this year include The Wildest, a tribute to the music of Louis Prima and John DeMers as Frank Sinatra.

 

“Making their annual appearance at the Festa are The Don Giovannis, Bella Ciao, Claudio Melega, Fratello Marionettes, Heartstrings Music and the Silicon Valley Accordion Society. We are thrilled to once again, celebrate tradition, family, and great food with the community,” says Rizzi. As always, this year’s entertainers support the long and proud tradition of bringing the finest mix of national and local musical acts to its stage.

To get a detailed schedule for all of the activities and entertainment for the festival, visit Festa’s web site at www. ItalianFamilyFestaSJ.org. The Italian Family Festa is considered by many to be the finest family oriented, community event in Northern California.

 

The Italian American Heritage Foundation was founded in 1976 and is recognized as one of the largest and oldest Italian Cultural Centers on the West Coast. The IAHF preserves and promotes the rich culture of Italy, increases the awareness of its history and recognizes the achievements and positive contributions made by Americans of Italian descent.

 

Guadalupe River Park and Gardens is a three-mile ribbon of park land that runs along the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of downtown San Jose from Hwy 880 at the north, to Hwy 280 at the south. 

 

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy provides community leadership for the development and active use of the park through education, advocacy, and leadership. For further information, visit their website at www.guadalupeconservancy.org.