march 2015 online

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PAIDMILWAUKEE, WIPermit No. 5716

Published by the Italian Community Center631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202

www.ICCMilwaukee.comVOL. 36, NO. 9MARCH 2015

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PASTE ADDRESS LABEL HERE.

THEITALIAN TIMESCarnevale 2015:A celebration oflove and family

Il Grande Carnevale, a pre-Lenten costume and mask ball, was carried onfor the 36th consecutive year by the Italian Community Center. This year,the event held on the evening of Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), resulting in atheme of “Una Celebrazione dell’ Amore” (“A Celebration of Love). Here,the 2015 Queen and King Ann and Joe Zambito are seen waving to the 350guests who attended the celebration. Many of the attendees came as fami-lies. More photos and information from the event can be found inside thisissue. (Times photo by Tom Hemman)

‘A Taste of Italy’ isSunday, Apr. 19;ready to indulge?

Festa Italiana’s 2015 Marketingand Public Relations Committee isexcited to report that work on anew website is near completion.Launching in the spring of 2015,the brand new festaitaliana.comwill feature a more contemporarylook and feel.

Keeping with the current Festabrand identity, the website willincorporate bold images andvibrant use of color to portray allthe food, fun and cultural aspectsof the festival.

The intuitive and easy-to-updatewebsite will incorporate everythingyou need to know about Festa,including: history, driving direc-tions, ticketing information andpromotions, entertainment, culi-nary events, food and drink offer-ings, attractions including bocce,gondolas, futsal, mass, culturalhighlights, as well as informationabout participating in the festivalwhether as a volunteer, vendor orsponsor. The website will also serve

as a gateway to the ItalianCommunity Center’s website, inaddition to the Festa ItalianaFacebook, Twitter and Instagramaccounts.

And the new look doesn’t stopthere. The website will also show-case the festival’s new marketingconcept and tagline for 2015, “Yourticket to Italy.” Keep your eyes outfor a fresh update across all ofFesta’s marketing channels – web-site, advertisements, brochures andmore – that will take everyone on ajourney to Italy.

Giuseppe Vella, ItalianCommunity Center President/Festa2015 General Chairman said,“Special thanks to GT Creative(website construction and design),Vollrath Associates (public rela-tions and project management) andSusie Christiansen (volunteer web-site lead) for all of your hard work.We hope you will visit the new fes-taitaliana.com this spring for thelatest Festa news and updates!”

Festa Italiana website getting new look

By Thomas HemmanTimes Editor

Make sure you, your family, rel-atives and friends are in presentfor the Italian Community Center’s20th annual “A Taste of Italy” onSunday, Apr. 19. It’s an Italianfood spectacular that you definitelydon’t want to miss.

As always, there will be freeadmission and free parking for theevent, which runs from 11:30 a.m.to 3:30 p.m.

Great food, low pricesCount on a magnificent variety

of delicious Italian food being avail-able throughout the building fortruly low prices. Food and beveragetickets will be sold for $1.50 eachor – better yet – as a set of sevenfor $10. “What that means is thatyou’ll be able to get almost everyentree, sandwich, salad, soup,Italian specialty item, dessert andbeverage for just one ticket! Theonly exception will be calamari(deep-friend squid). Calamari willbe available for two tickets.Because of the high price we haveto pay for the product, we really

don’t have a choice,” said Taste ofItaly Chair Ann Romano. “Sincecalamari is such a big favorite, wewanted to find a way to keep it onour menu.”

The full menu includes pastawith red sauce, meatballs, Italiansausage, arancini (rice balls), man-icotti, calamari, breaded pork ten-derloin, olive salad, Italian lettucesalad, sfingi (sweetened fried breaddough), sub sandwiches, pizza, sfin-ciuni (Sicilian style pizza), Italianwedding soup, lentil soup, chickenpastina soup and desserts such ascannoli, Italian cookies, éclairs,spumoni, gelato and pizzelle(Italian wafer cookies). To wash itdown, there will be coffee, beer,wine, soda and water. A moredescriptive menu will appear in theApril issue of The Italian Times,published in late March.

All hot and cold entrée itemsplus pizza, salads and sandwicheswill be available in the PompeiiGrand Ballroom. Desserts will besold in the Festa Ballroom. Lookfor beverages on sale in both rooms.There will be plenty of seatingavailable throughout the buildingand in the Courtyard, providingthat the weather cooperates.

EntertainmentWhile you eat, enjoy live per-

formances. Romano said the enter-tainment lineup for the FestaBallroom includes TradizioneVivente: The Italian Dance Groupof Milwaukee and vocalists CharlesEvans and Jayne Taylor, eachdoing their own shows. The Sicilian


Chairperson Mary (Mineo)Winard encourages everyone toattend the Italian CommunityCenter’s 23rd annual St. Joseph’sDay luncheon. This year, the cele-

bration will be held on Thursday,Mar. 19, the actual day set aside bythe Catholic Church to honor thefoster father of Jesus Christ. Theevent begins at noon.

A pre-paid reservation policy isin effect. The cost is $17 for an ICC

member and $20 for a non-member.Reservations can be made by com-pleting the form accompanying thisarticle and mailing it with yourpayment to the ICC, 631 E. Chi-cago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202 or

Register to celebrate ICC’s Mar. 19St. Joseph’s Day luncheon

Please turn to page 8Please turn to page 7

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Based on the comments I’veheard, I have the feeling thateveryone who attended ourCarnevale on Valentine’s Day had agreat time. It was a fantasticevening to celebrate our heritageand to spend time with our fami-lies. I want everyone to know thatFAMILY is what the ICC is allabout.

I want to thank our chairper-sons, Rosemary DeRubertis andJoanne Czubek, and their commit-tee for making Carnevale a mar-velous success.

I also want to acknowledge andthank our Carnevale sponsors:Reina International Auto for thevalet parking; Joe and AnnZambito for their contribution forthe sweet table; and the SalPurpora from Papa Luigi’s Pizzaand Dean Cannestra from DivinoWine & Dine for their donations for

the table wine.

St. Joseph’s Day luncheonAs you can read in this issue,

the ICC is hosting its annual St.Joseph’s Day luncheon onThursday, Mar. 19. Mary Winard,chairperson, is busy putting togeth-er a wonderful program. I want toencourage everyone to participate,especially since your President isnamed Giuseppe!

Mark your calendars, get yourreservations in and let’s celebrate aday that has been part of our her-itage since the Medieval era.

Taste of ItalyOn Sunday, Apr. 19, our 20th

annual “A Taste of Italy” is sched-uled. This event is our secondbiggest fund-raiser, supersededonly by Festa Italiana. It is impera-tive that all of our members andItalian societies support this event.

Chairperson Ann Romano andher committee are planning a spec-tacular day of Italian food, musicand family fun. Look for details inthis issue.

Festa ItalianaWith the subzero wind chills

we’ve been experiencing here inWisconsin lately, thinking about awarm summer day at the lakefrontcelebrating Festa Italiana is likelyto bring a smile to anyone’s face.Keep in mind that Festa is July 17-19 on the Summerfest grounds.

Our 2015 Festa website(www.festaitaliana.com) will belaunching in early to mid March.

Compliments toLaurie Bisesi and staff

As you probably have heard,Laurie Bisesi, has been appointedas the Business Manager of theICC. Laurie has been with the ICC

since our current building openedin the fall of 1990 and had been ourOperations Manager for manyyears.

I want to compliment Laurieand her staff for all of the goodwork they are doing.

– Giuseppe VellaICC President

A message from Giuseppe Vella,Italian Community Center President

MPTV premiere screening of documentary‘Storia Italiana Milwaukee’ attracts full houseA capacity crowd was on hand

for the free premiere screening ofthe Milwaukee Public Televisiondocumentary “Storia Italiana Mil-waukee” on Wednesday evening,Feb. 4 in the Italian CommunityCenter’s Festa Ballroom.

The hour-long documentaryfocuses on the 150-year old history

of Milwaukee’s Italian Americancommunity. It was produced byMPTV in conjunction with thenational Public BroadcastingSystem series, “Italian Americans.”The national series began on Feb.17. The local documentary aired onChannel 10 on Feb. 23 and 24.

Persons interested in obtaining

a DVD of “Storia Italiana Milwau-kee” should contact MPTV at 414-271-1036 or visit www.mptv.org.

The local documentary was writ-ten and produced by MPTV’saward-winning producer MaryannLazarski. The local videographerand associate producer was JeffJanca.

“Storia Italiana Milwaukee” con-centrated on the storied history of

Maryann Lazarski, the producer of“Storia Italiana Milwaukee.”

A capacity crowd was on hand for the premierescreening of the Milwaukee Public Television (MPTV)documentary “Storia Italiana Milwaukee,” which

explores the 150-year history of Milwaukee’s Italiancommunity. The screening was held on Wednesday,Feb. 4 in the Festa Ballroom.

All advertisements must be in accordancewith the rules and requirements as deter-mined by editorial policy. Paid advertise-ments are not to be interpreted as anendorsement by the Italian CommunityCenter or its newspaper, The Italian Times.In addition, the Newspaper Committeereserves the right to reject ads based on edi-torial policy approved by the Board ofDirectors of the Italian Community Center.The Italian Community Center is a mem-

ber of the Metropolitan MilwaukeeAssociation of Commerce, Visit Milwaukeeand the Historic Third Ward Association.

THE ITALIAN TIMES631 E. Chicago St.

Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916(414) 223-2180

Published 11 times annually

Publisher . . . Italian Community CenterICC President . . . . . . . . .Giuseppe VellaNewspaper CommitteeChairman . . . . . . . . . . . . Blaise DiPronioEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas HemmanAdvertising SalesManager . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas HemmanAdvertising SalesRepresentative . . . . . . Faye Ann KesslerEditorial Contributors and StaffWriters/Reporters . . . . , .Mario A. CariniAngelo Castronovo, Barbara Collignon,Enrica Woytal and Susan ChristiansenStaff Photographers. . . . . . .Joe Spasiano,

and Tom Hemman

For advertising information, please call(414) 223-2180 or send an e-mail to:[email protected].

Copyright 2015The Italian Community Center, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Please turn to page 20

THE ITALIAN TIMES MARCH 2015 – PAGE 3

Wednesday, Mar. 4• Pompeii Women’s Club Board meeting, 6;30 p.m.

Monday, Mar. 9• Italian Community Center Finance Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m.• Italian Community Center winter bocce championship playoffs, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Mar. 10• Spring semester of ICC’s Italian I class begins, 5:30 p.m. Details in thisissue.• Pompeii Men’s Club general meeting, 6:30 p.m.• Abruzzese Society meeting and spuntino, 7 p.m.• Milwaukee Chapter UNICO National meeting, 7 p.m.• Spring semester of ICC’s Italian II class begins, 7:30 p.m. Details in thisissue.

Thursday, Mar. 12• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Mar. 17• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO general meeting, 6 p.m.• Italian Commmunity Center Culture meeting, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Mar. 18• Filippo Mazzei Lodge/OSIA Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Mar. 19• Italian Community Center membership dinner, 5:30 p.m.• Italian Community Center general meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Mar. 21• OSIA Filippo Mazzei Lodge presents “A Tribute to Frank Sinatra,”

Doors open 6 p.m. Details in this issue.

Tuesday, Mar. 24• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Mar. 25• Pompeii Women’s Club general meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Daily and weekly classes and activities• Bocce leagues. The winter league season concludes the week of Mar. 2.The championship playoffs will be held Monday, Mar. 9 at 7 p.m. Thespring league season begins the week of Mar. 16 with mixed couples’leagues on Monday and Wednesday nights and seniors’ leagues onTuesday and Thursday afternoons.

• ICC’s free Children’s Italian class. The spring semester of the ICC’s freechildren’s Italian class will meet on 8 consecutive Saturday afternoonsbetween Mar. 14 and May 2. Look for information and a registration formin this issue.

• ICC’s Italian classes for teens and adults. The spring semester of theICC’s Italian I and Italian II classes for teens and adults will meet on 10consecutive Tuesday nights between Mar. 10 and May 12.. Look for infor-mation and a registration form in this issue.

• Tradizione Vivente, The Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee. This folkdance group practices weekly on most Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at the ICC. Visitwww.tradizionevivente.com for details. Ballate con noi! Dance with us!

• Members Room. Open to Italian Community Center members and theirguests, 8 a.m. - 9 p.m., Monday - Thursday and 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fridayand Saturday.

Calendar of EventsMarch 2015

Carnevale is theme for JanuaryGallery Night & Day event at ICC

Hand sewn costumes and masks made by school children reflectiveof Carnevale, the pre-Lenten event celebrated in such places asVenice, Italy and at the Italian Community Center, were displayedJan. 16 and 17 as the ICC participated in Milwaukee’s winterGallery Night and Day art show. Here, Rose Anne (Ceraso) Fritchiestands alongside four of the costumes she made for members of herfamily who were among the royalty selected to serve in prior yearsat the ICC’s Carnevale. She also displayed hand-sewn Renaissancegowns that she made from materials purchased by her parents,Bea and the late Sam Ceraso.

Victory School Principal Janine Graber is seen here with severalof the masks that students in the school’s Italian EnrichmentProgram made for the Gallery Night and Day program at the ICC.The exercise not only served as an art project for the students, butgave them an opportunity to learn about the traditions ofCarnevale that date back to the medieval age in Italy.

ICC member Elena LaSpisa viewed some of the Carnevale-themeddisplay. Many people – members and non-members – stopped inbefore or after enjoying dinner at Cafe La Scala on Friday, Jan. 16.

Times photos byTom Hemman


Free Children's Italian Course Registration Form(For children ages 6-12)

Parent(s) Name ________________________________________Address ______________________________________________City _______________________ State _______ Zip ___________Phone No.: _____________ Email__________________________Children's Names & Ages: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Send this form to: Children's Italian Course, c/o ICC,631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916.

The spring semester of a freeweekly series of Italian classes forchildren between the ages of 6 and12 will begin Saturday, Mar. 14, atthe Italian Community Center. Theclass, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m.,will continue for eight weeks, withthe final session on May 2.

The course is intended to pro-vide children with an introductionto the Italian language and the cul-ture of Italy. Besides learning somebasic words and the Italian alpha-bet, the children also make draw-ings for holiday and special occa-sions and receive a snack duringeach Saturday session.

The instructor is EnricaTarantino Woytal, who also leadsthe ICC’s Italian classes for teensand adults. She was honored byWisItalia as Wisconsin’s 2009

“Italian Teacher of the Year.”Tarantino Woytal has been leadingthe children’s class at the ICC sincethe early 1980s. Over the years,several hundred youngsters haveparticipated in the free class.

To register for the spring semes-ter, please complete the formaccompanying this article and mailit to: Children’s Italian Course, c/oICC, 631 E. Chicago St.,Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. Sincethere is no enrollment fee, parentscan also register their children inperson any time during the semes-ter.

For further information, contactthe ICC office at 414/223-2180, orEnrica Tarantino Woytal or PietroTarantino at 414/481-0170, or viaemail at [email protected].

ICC’s free children’sItalian class beginsSaturday, Mar. 14

A capacity crowd filled the FestaBallroom for the Oldies ButGoodies Spectacular winterreunion show on Saturday, Feb. 7.In the top photo, Floyd Dorsey(white jacket), Bullet Bob (center)and Dick Tate (left) joined theband. Several guest artists, whowere in popular Milwaukee areabands in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s,performed with the Oldies ButGoodies Spectacular. Photo on theleft: The Oldies But GoodiesSpectacular and its guest perform-ers kept the dance floor filled allevening. The winter reunion showis an annual event at the ICC andhas always resulted in a sold-outhouse. (Times photos by PaulInzeo)

Full house for Oldies But Goodies reunion show

Registration form forItalian I course & Italian II course

Name(s) ___________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip _____________________________________________________

Phone No. ___________________Email _________________________________

I am (we are) enrolling in: � Italian I course � Number of persons enrolling.� Italian II course � Number of persons enrolling.Course fee: ICC Member - $100.00; Non-Member - $110.00Make payment to: Italian Community Center, and send to: ICC, c/o Italian Class,631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. Enrollment in each class is limit-ed to the first 25 students who send in this registration form with full payment.

This spring, the ItalianCommunity Center will offer anintroductory class (Italian I) as wellas an Italian II class, both startingTuesday, Mar. 10.

Both courses will be held on 10consecutive Tuesday nights, withthe final classes on May 12.

Instructor Enrica TarantinoWoytal described Italian I as beingfor those who want an introductionto the language and the culture ofItaly. The introductory course willrun from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.

The Italian II course will beginat 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, and endat 9:15 p.m. “Italian II is ideal forthose who have completed ourintroductory course and are ready

to learn more about the languageand culture of Italy,” TarantinoWoytal said.

Enrollment is open to ICC mem-bers and the general public. Thereis a limit of 25 students per class.The fee for each course is $100 foran ICC member and $110 for anon-member. The fee does notinclude the course textbook.

To register, complete the formaccompanying this article. Checksor money orders are payable to theItalian Community Center.Registration will be accepted up tothe start of the Mar. 10 classes ifthe enrollment limit has not beenreached.

Italian classes foradults and teensstarting Mar. 10


Children’s Easter party set forSaturday, Mar. 28 at ICC

By Rose Anne FritchiePlans are in motion for a fun-

filled children’s Easter party at theItalian Community Center onSaturday, Mar. 28, beginning atnoon. The Avanti Committee ishappy and excited to host thisyear’s party, the theme for whichwill be Festa di Pasqua, or EasterCarnival.

We can assure all who attendthat it will be an entertaining,“crazy good” time. The atmospherewill be that of a carnival or countyfair and will be tons of fun foreveryone. As the children arrive,they will be given tokens to be usedfor the carnival games and the IceCream & Popcorn Shoppe.

At noon, all guests are invited toenjoy a delicious, buffet-style lunchconsisting of mini hamburgers,mini corndogs, penne pasta, plat-ters of healthy munchies like car-rots, pickles, celery and fresh fruit.There will be chocolate or whitemilk for the youngsters and coffeefor adults. And for dessert, wehope the carnival-goers stop at theIce Cream & Popcorn Shoppe for anice cream sundae and a sweet treat.

After lunch, the games begin!The ballroom will be filled with thesights and sounds of a festival, withcarnival games such as the QuarterToss, Ring Toss, Bowling BallsPush, Lollipop Pulls, Topple theCans, Bean Bag Toss, and thisyear, because of the generosity ofan ICC Member, SO MUCHMORE. The children will also havean additional chance to win specialprizes by participating in theguessing jars contest. Streetartists will be painting faces, andballoon hats will be created for any-one interested in wearing a specialEaster hat.

During the festivities, we antici-pate a visit from the Easter Bunnywho will greet all of the childrenand lead them in a parade throughthe carnival. The children are wel-come to wear their new hats andfill the room with the joyous noiseof their musical instruments. Theparade will end at the stage wherethe Easter Bunny will have treatsfor all youngsters to take home.

The costs are set at $15 perchild (ages 11 and under) and $20per adult. To ensure that all chil-dren receive their special treats,only advance reservations can beaccepted. All pre-paid reservationsmust be received by Tuesday, Mar.17. Attendance at this event is lim-

ited to ICC members, their chil-dren, grandchildren or great-grand-children.

Please use the form accompany-ing this article to make your reser-vations.

ICC Childrenʼs Easter Party & Lunch Reservation FormSaturday, March 28 • Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Name(s) of adult ICC members attending: _________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Number of children attending: x $15.00 per member = $

Number of adults attending: _ x $20.00 per person = $

Total amount enclosed: $

Make your check payable to: Italian Community Center. Mail this form with your pay-ment to: ICC, Attn.: Easter Party, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916.

Names of boys attending age

Names of girls attending age

Recreate the amoras and tastes of yourNonno’s kitchen with my cookbook,

“Recipes My Nonna Taught Me.” I haveseveral meatless dishes for Lent andSt. Joseph’s Day, including lentil soup,frittata and several eggplant recipes.Bread crumbs symbolize sawdust of

St. Joseph the carpenter.

Just send $12.50 to: FRANCENA,

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The winter season for indoorbocce leagues at the ItalianCommunity Center concludeswith the championship playoffs onMonday, Mar. 9. The first placeteams from each of the fiveleagues plus three teams with thebest overall runner-up record willcompete in the playoffs.

A report on the tournamentand picture of the championshipteam will appear in our nextissue.

About spring leaguesCompetition in the spring

leagues will get under way theweek of Mar. 16. There will defi-nitely be teams competing in sen-ior citizens’ leagues on Tuesdayand Thursday afternoons and inmixed couples’ leagues on Mondayand Wednesday nights. If suffi-cient interest is expressed, therewill be Thursday night mixed cou-ples’ league in the spring. (In thepast, there has not.)

Each team plays once a weekover an eight-week period provid-ed that there is an even numberin the league. Each league seeks amaximum of eight teams.Please note: Recently both

the daytime seniors leagues andthe evening couples leagues have

had difficulty filling eight-teamrosters. New players and newteams are encouraged to join.

If you’re interested in register-ing a team to play in a springleague, here are a few things youneed to know. There are two setsof registration fees – one for thosewho are not members of the ICCand one for those who are ICCmembers. The non-member regis-tration fee is $40 per person perleague season. A discounted regis-tration fee of $30 per person perleague season is offered to an ICCmember. Each team must consistof at least four players, with oneplayer designated as team cap-tain. Each league is interested inhaving eight teams, which allowsevery team to compete each weekof the season.

Team registrations are avail-able from the league coordinators:Dan Conley (Monday night),Anthony Gazzana (Tuesday after-noon), Tony Tarantino (Wednes-day night) and Anna Pitzo(Thursday afternoon). The formscan also be obtained by contactingICC office at 414–223-2180.

The forms must be submittedwith full payment for all playersby Wednesday, Mar. 11.

Winter bocce seasondrawing to close;spring season to startweek of Mar. 16

The Filippo Mazzei Lodge of theOrder Sons of Italy in America(OSIA) will present “A Tribute toFrank Sinatra” starring Chicago-land crooner Jim Bulanda onSaturday night, Mar. 21, at theItalian Community Center, 631 E.Chicago St., Milwaukee.

Opening for Bulanda will be OffOur Rockers, a local act.

Bulanda will perform from 7 to10 p.m. Off Our Rockers will enter-tain starting at 5 p.m.

The event will take place in theFesta Ballroom. Tickets, which areavailable for $10 per person, mustbe purchased in advance. Ticketscan be obtained at the ICC duringregular business hours or by con-tacting Ralph Busalacchi at414/483-1562.

Food and beverages will beavailable all night. The staff of CafeLa Scala, the ICC’s public restau-rant, will be on hand to take ordersbeginning at 5 p.m. An ItalianAmerican buffet will also be avail-able in the ballroom.

Bulanda can easily step into theshoes of any major Las Vegasentertainer. He is a vocalist who ismost appreciated and famous for

his impressions of Dean Martinand. of course, the “Chairman ofthe Board,” Frank Sinatra.

He started singing at the age ofseven to entertain his large Italianfamily. Throughout his 20s, he reg-ularly sang in church as a can-tor. Parishioners soon took notice ofJim’s beautiful, velvety smoothvoice, and he was often asked tosing at weddings.

In the early 1990s, Bulanda ven-tured into the nightlife. He couldfrequently be seen singing and dab-bling in comedy at Chicago’s localcomedy clubs. Patrons at theseclubs remarked about his remark-able singing voice and encouragedhim to develop his vocal talent. Forthe next three years, Jim polishedhis Sinatra classic songs and devel-oped a nightclub act that includes arepertoire of 70 classic songs. Hebegan his professional singingcareer in 1994, performing innumerous nightclubs in Chicagoand northwest Indiana. He hasperformed in places such asChicago’s East Bank Club, TheMerchandise Mart, Salvatore’s andChicago’s famous OmniAmbassador East and The Pump

Room. He has entertained audi-ences as large as 3,000 and hastraveled as far as Nevada andArizona to perform. In the springof 2001, Bulanda was sent to LasVegas by Chicago’s WXRT radiostation to perform in the FremontStreet Experience TalentShowcase.

Bulanda has entertained audi-ences at numerous casinos and atother events, such as outdoor festi-vals including the American HeartAssociation’s “Taste of NorthwestIndiana,” Merrillville’s 2001 TownBall, USA Fest in Crete, the annual“Main Streets Night” in ParkForest, WBBM Channel 2 Chicagoon Ed Curran’s Morning Show andthe Star Plaza Theatre with the

Northwest Indiana SymphonyOrchestra.

For more information or forbookings, Jim can be reached at219-718-7503 or visit his website,www.tributetofrank.com.


Italian Society and Club News

By Blaise DiPronioWisItalia has announced its

2015 “Teacher of the Year” ban-quet, which will also feature the“President’s” and “Cultural Contri-bution” awards. The annual eventwill be held at the Italian Com-munity Center on Saturday, Apr.18.

WisItalia is the Wisconsin basedorganization instrumental andresponsible for promoting anddeveloping the study of the Italianlanguage and culture in Wisconsinschools from kindergarten to col-lege levels.

This year’s “Teacher of the Year”recipient will be Steve Falsetti, ateacher at Milwaukee’s Victory K-8School for the Gifted and Talentedand Italian Immersion.

Falsetti was nominated for the

honor by Janine Cano Graber, theschool’s principal. WisItalia reportsthat he has worked hard for thepast six years in developing theItalian program at Victory and hisefforts and contributions have beenessential to the program’s success.The award is given not only inrecognition of past achievementsbut also in anticipation and expec-tation of Falsetti’s ongoing andfuture role in the continuation andhopeful expansion of the Italianimmersion program.

The 2015 WisItalia’s President’sAward will be going to TomBalistreri. Tom is well known inthe Italian American communityfor his past and ongoing efforts topromote and nurture Italian tradi-tions and values. He has served onthe ICC Board as well as the

Milwaukee School Board. He is apast principal of Rufus King HighSchool where he was instrumentalin implementing the teaching ofItalian as part of its curriculum.

Balistreri is also being honoredfor his contributions to the teachingof the Italian language in the K-12schools in Wisconsin. He was alsoan essential contributor toWisItalia’s efforts to establish theprogram at Victory School.

Lastly, longtime member andindefatigable contributor to ICCfunctions and activities, Anna Pitzo,will be honored as the recipient ofthe Italian Cultural ContributionAward. It is being given to Pitzo inhonor and gratitude for her manyyears as a local schoolteacher. Shehas been and remains an avid pro-moter of Italian language and cul-

ture especially during the HolidayFolk Fair and, of course, as thebeloved Befana at the ICC’s post-Christmas party.

“Pitzo’s contributions haveenriched not only the Italian-American community but also theMilwaukee community at large,”said WisItalia President AlRolandi.

The banquet will begin with a 5p.m. reception to be followed at 6p.m. with a dinner featuring achoice of chicken parmigiana, codor mostaccioli. The cost will be $45per person. All inquiries and reser-vations should be directed to FrankAlfano at 4809 Eldorado Lane,Madison WI 53716. Please note:Reservations are required and theymust be received by Alfano bySaturday, Apr. 4, 2015.

WisItalia announces awardees for ‘Teacher ofthe Year’ event, invites public to support

The Pompeii Men’s Club willhold its annual Good Friday FishFry Buffet at the Italian Communi-ty Center on Apr. 3, 2015. Yourattendance is key to the success ofthe event.

The buffet serves as the organi-zation’s biggest fund-raiser, andnet proceeds benefit its extensivecharitable giving in the community.

This is an all-you-can-eat buffetand will be served from 4 to 7:30p.m. The cost will be $13 for adults,$7 for children ages 4 to 10 andfree for youngsters age 3 andunder.

Available on the buffet will bebreaded and baked cod, potato pan-cakes, baked potatoes, French fries,popcorn shrimp, mostaccioli withred sauce, coleslaw, tossed saladwith various dressings, Italianbread, watermelon wedges, coffee,tea or milk and dessert.

Free parking will be available inthe lot south of the building.

As usual, the event will featurea money raffle. The cash prizes are:1st - $300, 2nd - $200, 3rd - $150,4th - $100, 5th - $75, 6th and 7th -$50 each and 8th – 10th - $25 each.

Raffle tickets will be $2 each orseven for $10 and can be purchasedat the ICC office reception desk orby contacting club president TonyBaudo at 414-324-6347 or John A.Sanfilippo at 414-282-2667. Ticketswill also be sold at the Good Fridayevent.

There will also be opportunitybaskets to bid on and a 50/50 cashraffle.

The Pompeii Men’s Club FishFry has always been one ofMilwaukee’s best attended on GoodFriday.

The Pompeii Men’s Club chari-table outreach has benefited theItalian Community Center alongwith several other local organiza-tions, among them the SojournerTruth House, Children’s Hospitalof Wisconsin, the Ronald McDonaldHouse, the MACC Fund andSpecial Olympics of SoutheasternWisconsin.

The club also has strong ties toThree Holy Women Parish. It wasfounded by members of the BlessedVirgin of Pompeii Church, thepredecessor to St. Rita of CasciaChurch on Cass Street.

Support the PompeiiMen’s Club by comingto Good Friday Fish Fry

The Pompeii Women’s Clubtakes great pride and pleasure inannouncing its 17th annual PalmSunday All-You-Can-Eat BreakfastBuffet at the Italian CommunityCenter on Mar. 29, 2015.

As in the past, this will be awalk-in affair with no pre-reserva-tions. It will run from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. The costs are: $10 for adultsand $5 for children ages 4 to 12.Children, age 3 and younger, caneat for free.

The event will take place in thePompeii Grand Ballroom. Freeparking will be available in the lotsouth of the ICC’s main entrance.

Highlights of this day willinclude a bake sale featuring home-

made items and various raffles forinteresting prizes. Fun activitiesfor children will include face paint-ing, coloring contests for prizes andposing for pictures with the EasterBunny. Please use your own elec-tronic device (cell phone, pad ortablet) to take the pictures.

“We hope to see all of you thereon Palm Sunday, March 29th,”President Pat Consolazione said.“We thank you in advance for help-ing us to raise the funds necessaryto continue our monetary donationsfor grade school scholarships andvarious charitable organizationsworthy of financial aid this year.”

– Mary WinardPublicity Chairperso

Plan to attend PompeiiWomen’s Club Palm

Sunday Breakfast at ICC

OSIA Mazzei Lodge invites publicto ‘Tribute to Sinatra’ on Mar. 21

Jim Bulanda


Reservations now being accepted for ICC’sSt. Joseph’s Day luncheon on Mar. 19

by calling the Center at 414/223-2180 and paying with a credit card.St. Joseph’s Day luncheon flyerswith all the details and a reserva-tion form are also available at theICC.

All pre-paid reservations mustbe made by Thursday, Mar. 12.“Please note that we will not acceptany individuals who walk in theday of the event,” Winard said.

The St. Joseph’s Day traditionincludes a meatless meal. Winardreports that the ICC menu for theobservance will include pasta consarde e finocchio (pasta with sar-dines and fennel), eggplant arti-chokes, tossed salad with grape-fruit, Italian bread and coffee, teaor milk. There will be a specialdessert.

Another part of the tradition isthe setting up of a St. Joseph’stable. The table will be presidedover by a statue of St. Joseph andwill be blessed by Fr. MikeHammer, the Coordinator of AIDSMinistry for the Archdiocese ofMilwaukee. Fr. Hammer will alsodeliver the invocation.

At the conclusion of the lunch-eon, attendees will be given giftbags containing apples, orangesand a small loaf of blessed bread totake home.

Winard said that ICC PresidentGiuseppe Vella will welcome gueststo the lunch and ICC mem-ber/pianist John Puchner will per-form music appropriate for theevent.

St. Joseph’s Day traditionSt. Joseph’s Day is marked with

celebrations across Italy. ICCHistorian Mario A. Carini saidSicilian immigrants, who followedthe observance in their hometowns,brought the tradition with themwhen they settled in Milwaukeestarting in the late 1880s.

The subject has also been writ-ten about by Professor/CavalierePhilip J. DiNovo, president of theAmerican Italian Heritage Associ-ation of Albany, N.Y. In an articleon the organization’s website(www.aiha-albany.org), DiNovowrote: “In the Middle Ages, accord-ing to tradition, there was a severedrought that destroyed most vege-tation and left many people inwestern Sicily dying of starvation.

People began to pray to St. Josephasking him to ask the Lord for rain.They promised if the rains camethat they would honor St. Josephfor his intercession and perpetuallyhonor him on March 19.

“At the stroke of midnight, theLord sent the rain; it was on thisday the prayers were heard. Thepeople had water, the vegetation

turned green, and there were fishfor the fishermen. The St. Josephaltars are based on this traditionallegend, which has been handeddown from one generation to thenext.”

Today in Italy, St. Joseph’s Day

is also known as Father’s Day. Theday, which used to be a nationalholiday, is traditionally celebratedwith bonfires and sometimes pag-eants with scenes from the life ofSt. Joseph. Children give gifts totheir fathers on San Giuseppe Day.

from page 1 The ICC presents the St. Josephʼs Day LuncheonThursday, Mar. 19 • Reservation Form

Name(s): ___________________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________________City: _________________________________ State: ________________Zip: ____________________ Phone: ____________________________Number of ICC members attending: ___ @ $17.00 per person = $ Number of non-members attending: ___ @ $20.00 per person = $ Pre-paid reservations must be received by Thursday, Mar. 12th.Tables of 10 available. Please list the people at your table:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Weʼre attending and wish to make an additional donation to the event.Besides my payment for reservations, Iʼm sending a $ contribution.We are unable to attend, but wish to contribute $ to continue thistradition in the high standard of the past.Checks payable to: St. Josephʼs Luncheon. (One check preferable forall at same table.) MAIL TO: Italian Community Center, Attn.: St.Josephʼs Day Luncheon, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202.

By Lawrence BaldassaroIn January, for the first time

ever, two players of Italian descentwere elected to the Baseball Hall ofFame in the same year. CraigBiggio and John Smoltz (Italian onhis mother’s side), along withRandy Johnson and Pedro Ramirez,will be inducted into theCooperstown shrine on July 26.(Both Biggio and Smoltz had previ-ously been inducted into theNational Italian American SportsHall of Fame in Chicago.)

Biggio’s paternal grandfatheremigrated from Italy, though

Biggio wasn’t sure from whichregion.“My grandfather workedhard for a living, running a cementfactory,” he told me in a 2005 inter-view.

Born December 14, 1965, inSmithtown, N.Y., Biggio spent hisentire 20-year career (1988-2007)with the Houston Astros. Showingextraordinary versatility, afterthree-plus seasons as Houston’scatcher, he moved to second base, aposition he had never played. Helearned quickly and became thebest in the National League, win-ning four consecutive Gold Glove

Awards from 1994-97. He evenplayed center field for two seasons(2003-04) before returning to sec-ond base.

When he retired in 2007, his3,060 hits ranked 20th in majorleague history. A seven-time AllStar, he is the only player in majorleague history with at least 3,000hits, 600 doubles, 400 stolen basesand 250 home runs. His 668 careerdoubles are the most ever by a right-handed hitter, and he also holds theNational League record for mostleadoff home runs with 53. Notedbaseball analyst Bill James ranksBiggio as the fifth-best second base-men in major league history.

When I asked Biggio what moti-vated him to continue playing after18 seasons, he said: “Just the gameitself. You get to compete with thebest players in the world and Icherish that. Growing up in a smalltown on Long Island, I’ve exceededmy expectations.”

Former Brewers manager PhilGarner was the Astros manager forthe final four years of Biggio’scareer. “He’s like Robin Yount andPaul Molitor,” Garner told me.“They’re throwbacks. He playedhard every day, and that’s the high-est compliment I can pay anybody.He’s been a great player and youwon’t ever hear anybody say any-thing bad about Craig.”

Biggio and his wife Patty are theparents of two sons and a daughter.Throughout his career he wasinvolved with the Sunshine KidsFoundation, dedicated to providingsupport for children with cancer. In2007, Biggio was the recipient ofthe Roberto Clemente Award, givenannually to the major league player

Italian Americans – Craig Boggioand John Smoltz – elected to

Baseball Hall of Fame

The officers and directors of the ItalianCommunity Center wish to thank and acknowledgeall those who pledged, fulfilled a pledge or contributedto the building fund.

To obtain information on how to make a donation,please call 414-223-2808.

The following donations were received betweenJan. 9 and Feb. 8, 2015.

In memory of Tony TarantinoSam PurperoGeorge & Aggie Collura

In memory of Ron Benigni-HenckSam Purpero

In memory of Salvatore “Sam” FaracianoTony MachiRosalie GloriosoGeorge & Aggie Collura

In memory of Joanne E. GreiczekSam PurperoJoseph & Rose Purpero SpangNumerous anonymous donors

Ann D’AcquistoGeorge & Aggie Collura

In memory of Ilario Antonio FazzariTony Machi

In memory of Tony SparacinoGeorge & Judy MenosRon & Joanne CzubekRosemary DeRubertis

In memory of Thomas CastrovinciCarmen Schlotthauer

In memory of Giovanni D’AmatoGino A. DenticeIsidore & Mary PecoraroGeorge & Aggie Collura

In memory of Antoinette BalistreriJimmy & Linda SpataroGeorge & Aggie ColluraJohn & Antoinette SanfelippoMary Winard

In memory of Tom La RosaAnn Romano

Thanks for your donations to the ItalianCommunity Center building fund

Please turn to page 12


Come to the ICC for your Easter Sunday feastThe Italian Community Center

invites its members and the publicto an all-you-can-eat EasterSunday brunch in the PompeiiGrand Ballroom. Easter is Sunday,Apr. 5.

Brunch prices are $24.95 foradults and $14.95 for each childunder the age of 12. Pre-paid reser-vations are required.

The ICC is taking reservationson the half-hour, starting at 10:30a.m. with the last reservationstaken for the seating at 2 p.m.Please call 414/223-2180 with yourcredit card handy to reserve yourtime and table. You can also signup for the brunch by stopping in atthe ICC reception desk on week-days between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.The Italian Times has been

asked not to put a reservation formin the newspaper because of a his-tory of late submittals of theseforms on which people request seat-ing times which have long beenfilled.

If you’re interested in the earli-est reservation times – 10:30 a.m.,11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or noon – youshould act promptly as these slotssell out the quickest.

As always, the Easter brunchmenu is extensive and sure to satis-fy everyone’s cravings. It includesblack pepper and garlic crustedsliced prime rib; bone-in Virginiamaple ham; southern fried chicken;chicken scallopine; baked cod withlemon beurre blanc; Cajun salmon;roasted vegetable lasagna; cheesetortellini; penne pasta; marinara

sauce; Alfredo sauce; rice pilaf; fireroasted corn; arancini (rice balls);garden fresh greens; creamyCaesar; farfalle pasta salad; sea-sonal fruit with mint; Italian olivesalad; antipasto; cottage cheese;baby red potato salad; omelettesmade-to-order (including eggwhites and Egg Beaters); apple-wood smoked bacon; peppered

sausage; pancakes; lyonnaise pota-toes; French toast; artisanal breads(assorted dinner rolls, butter crois-sants, fresh bread, bagels, danishand muffins); homemade fruit pies;tortes; cannoli; tiramisu; Italiancookies; fruit juices; coffee; tea; andmilk.

Free parking is available in thelot south of the building.

Get your ‘Taste of Italy’ on Apr. 19Serenaders will be playing in thegalleria.

Giant raffleThere will be a five-prize raffle

held in conjunction with the event.The prize list is: 1st – $1,000 cash,2nd – $500 cash, 3rd – $300 cash,$200 cash and 5th – an opal anddiamond accented ring, courtesy ofGlorioso’s Gold Imports &Diamond, Milwaukee.

Raffle tickets will be $2 each orseven for $10. They will be avail-able soon.

The drawing will be held at theconclusion of the day’s activities.Winners need not be present.

Taste veterans retiringRomano, who has chaired all but

one of the Taste of Italy events,reported that Tony Zingale isreplacing Ann Skoczynski as volun-teer food ticket chair. Marie andJim Schwindt are returning to thehelm as chairs of the raffle.

“Ann Skoczynski really regretsthat she can’t continue, but herhealth issues are forcing her tostepped down,” Romano said. “Annhas volunteered to work with meevery year that I’ve been in charge.I want to thank her for her dedica-tion and service and wish her thebest in the future. She has beenand continues to be a great friend

and asset to the ICC.”Romano also announced that

Mary Pecoraro is stepping down forhealth reasons as the manager ofthe calamari booth. “I want tothank Mary for her longtime serv-ice and commitment to managingthe calamari booth. She has alwaysdone a great job running one of ourmost popular booths.” The PompeiiWomen’s Club will be in charge ofthe stand this year.

Romano added, “I’m looking for-ward to working with Tony, Marieand Jim and all the rest of the vol-unteers, organizations, societiesand the Italian Conference Centerstaff in making this our most suc-cessful Taste of Italy yet. Please getthe word out to your relatives,friends and neighbors that the‘Taste of Italy’ is Sunday, Apr. 19,We look forward to sharing thefoods of Italy and Sicily and ourculture with a full house.”

Since the beginning, “A Taste ofItaly” has successfully served as amajor fund-raising activity for thenonprofit Italian CommunityCenter. It has succeeded because ofoutstanding volunteer support,generous donations of food and sup-plies, monetary donations andlarge public turnout. Event flyersare available at the ICC.

Taste of Italy Chairperson AnnRomano (seated) held a meetingwith Ann (D’Amico) Skoczynskiand Tony Zingale on Feb. 10 to dis-cuss the menu for the upcomingfund-raiser. Tony is replacing AnnSkoczynski as volunteer ticketchair this year. Skoczynski is step-ping down due to health issues. “ATaste of Italy” will be Sunday, Apr.19. (Times photo by Tom Hemman)

from page 1

Deadline set forApril issue of TheItalian TimesAll advertising copy, news

stories and photos for publica-tion in the April 2015 issue ofThe Italian Times must be sub-mitted to the editor no laterthan Sunday, Mar. 8.

All materials can be emailedto editor Tom Hemman at [email protected], sent to TheItalian Times, 631 E. ChicagoSt., Milwaukee, WI 53202. Forfurther information, call 414-223-2801.


Thanks to allwho made

contributionsto CarnevaleCarnevale Co-Chairs Rosemary DeRubertis and

Joanne Czubek wish to thank the following individuals,groups, organizations and businesses for making contribu-tions and supporting Il Grande Carnevale 2015. Yourdonations of funds, products, time and talent helped tomake this year’s celebration a wonderful success.

Special ThanksAll of the volunteer members of the Carnevale Committee

Rose Spang and her fund-raising committeeTradizione Vivente, the Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee

I Bei Bambini, the Children’s Italian Dance Group

Our SponsorsJohnson Controls

Jennifer’s Talent – Jennifer BergSchaff Funeral Home (raffle ticket printing)

Anna PitzoBartolotta Fireworks

Divino Wine & Dine (table wine)Papa Luigi’s Pizza (table wine)

Joe and Ann Zambito (sweet table)Reina International Auto/

Vespa Milwaukee (valet parking)

DonorsItalian Conference CenterGlorioso’s Italian Market

InterContinental MilwaukeeWell Spa+Salon at the Pfister Hotel

Bartolotta RestaurantsBosley’s on BradyBuca di BeppoChristina Ziino

Carnevale’s Creative Design TeamGina and George Manning

The Chocolate Lizzard – Liz CerasoRose Anne (Ceraso) Fritchie

Kyle SchwindtBill DickinsonJohn PuchnerBetty Puccio

Susie (DeSanctis) Christiansen

Carnevale prizewinners announcedThere were several individuals,

couples and a family who wereawarded prizes at the 36th annualIl Grande Carnevale hosted by theItalian Community Center onSaturday, Feb. 14. Here is a list ofall of the winners.

Carnevale raffle winnersAs a fund-raising activity, tick-

ets were sold for the Carnevale raf-fle. Cash prizes were awarded. Thisis who won and the prize eachreceived.

• 1st prize – Vince Vitale. $500cash.

• 2nd prize – Angela Cherubini.$300 cash.

• 3rd prize – Amelia Verch.$100 cash.

• 4th prize – Greg Catalano.$100 cash.

Costume and mask winnersListed first are costume winners

and the prizes each received.• 1st prize – Dan and Chris

Conley. A one-night stay at theInterContinel Hotel Milwaukee anda $50 Marcus Entertainment giftcertificate.

• 2nd prize – Todd and MariaStrehlow. A 60-minute “Relax Me”massage at Well Spa+Salon at thePfister Hotel, Milwaukee, and a$50 Buca di Beppo gift certificate.

• 3rd prize – Jim, Sophia Berryand Isabella. A Glorioso’s ItalianMarket gift box.

These are the mask winners.• 1st prize – Natalie Ciano. A

gift basket with wine and candyand a $50 Cafe La Scala gift certifi-cate.

• 2nd prize – Mary Ann (Ceraso)Alioto. A gift basket with wine andcandy and a $35 Cafe La Scala giftcertificate.

• 3rd prize – Angelo D. Curty. Agift basket with wine and candyand a $25 Cafe La Scala gift certifi-cate.

The judging of costumes andmasks was done by a panel thatincluded Sal and Antonette LoCoco, John and Pam Mazza-Mueller, Bill and Karen Dickinsonand Elise Fritchie.

Juliet’s Wall raffle winnersTo accentuate the theme of

Carnevale, “Una Celebrazionedell’Amore” (“A Celebration ofLove”), attendees were invited topost a Valentine’s Day love mes-sage on a mural of Juliet’s Wall,made famous in the film “Letters toJuliet.” The large mural was dis-played in the ICC’s galleriathroughout the event. Post-It notesand pens were available to writelove messages, which the partici-pants pinned on the wall. Morethan 150 guests posted messageson the mural.

Every one of these messagewriters was given a free entry to aprize raffle. Listed here are thewinners of that raffle and theirprizes.

• 1st prize – Liz Ceraso. A $100Bartolotta Restaurants gift certifi-cate.

• 2nd prize – Rosa Tumminella.A $50 Bosley’s on Brady gift certifi-cate and a gift basket with wineand candy.

Top photo: Dressed as “Uncle Sam”and the “Statue of Liberty,” Danand Chris Conley were awardedthe first prize in costume competi-tion. They received a one-nightstay at the InterContinental Hotelin Milwaukee and a $50 MarcusEntertainment gift certificate.

Left: Earning second place in cos-tume competition was this couple,Maria and Todd Strehlow. Theirprize was a 60-minute “Relax Me”massage at Well Spa+Salon atPfister Hotel and a $50 Buca diBeppo gift certificate.

Times photos by Tom Hemman

Sophia and Jim Berry and theirdaughter, Isabella, captured thirdprize in the costume competition.They received a Glorioso’s ItalianMarket gift basket.

Mary Ann (Ceraso) Alioto wasawarded second prize in the maskcategory by the judging panel. Shewas given a gift basket with wineand candy and a $35 Cafe La Scalagift certificate. First prize winner,Natalie Ciano, wasn’t available fora photo when prizes were award-ed. She also received a gift basket,but it came with a $50 Cafe LaScala gift certificate. Third prizein masks went to Angelo D. Curty,who was given the same basketand a $25 La Scala gift certificate.


Il Grande Carnevale – Una Celebrazione dell Amore

Regina Ann and Re Joe Zingale are seen here moments after they werecrowned. The tradition of crowning a King and Queen goes back to thefirst Carnevale celebrated by the ICC in 1980. That year, the honor went toRay and Mary Hoffman. Every one who has ever served as Re or Reginahas left an indelible mark on the ICC for their commitment, dedicationand deserve to see the ICC succeed for generations to come. Seen behindRegina Ann is Il Vescovo (The Bishop) Frank D’Amato.

Here are the 2015 Nonna and Nonno Barbara and Tony Lupo. The ItalianCommunity Center has recognized a couple as the Royal Grandparents ofCarnevale since the first celebration in 1980 when the late TheodoreMazza and the late Nina D’Amato were selected. Many of the ICC’s mostdedicated and loyal members have served as Nonno and Nonna. TheLupos are no exception to the rule.

This fashion magazine worthy couple was crowned as La Principessa e IlPrincipe of Carnevale 2015. They are RebekaLee Schwindt and John PaulCarvalho. The first time the Italian Community Center recognized aPrince and Princess as part of its pre-Lenten ball was in 1982 when thehonor went to Lance Longo and Jane Consolazione. Like many of theirpredecessors, RebekaLee and John Paul have been involved in the ICCand Festa Italiana since the childhood years.

Seen here are this year’s Piccola Principessa Julia Bongert and PiccoloPrincipe Anthony Puchner. The ICC’s Carnevale Royalty has included thecrowning of a Little Prince and Little Princess since 1998. That year,Vincent Bisesi and Valerie Romano were selected. The crowning of theyounger members of the Royal Court is seen as a way to get families andthe younger generation involved in the organization.

Ted Catalano served as Il GranMaresciallo (the Grand Marshal).

On a very cold night this service –free valet parking courtesy ofReina International Auto – came inhandy for Carnevale attendees.

Apply conventional wisdom when planning your nextbusiness convention. Hold it at the

Italian Conference CenterThe Italian Conference Center offers . . .• More than 22,000 sq. ft.of convention space.• Professional planning &catering services• Handicap access.• Ample, free parking.• 7 day a weekavailability.• Easy access to freewayand downtown.To coordinate your convention plans, Italian Conference Centercall David at the Italian Community Centerat (414) 223-2800 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukeeor visit www.ItalianConference.com A block west of Summerfest

Times photos by Tom Hemman


ICC President Giuseppe Vella (at podium) welcomed guests to the 36thannual Il Grande Carnevale. Behind him are the Carnevale ChairpersonsRosemary DeRubertis (left) and Joanne Czubek and Grand Marshal TedCatalano.

A large sweet table, compliments of Re and Regina Joe and Ann Zambito,was set up in the galleria. This picture was taken moments before thegrand pyrotechnics show presented by Bartolotta Fireworks ended andthe sweet table was made available to Carnevale attendees. All of thesweet table treats were made by Peter Sciortino Bakery (the Vella family).Standing on the left are Carnevale Co-Chair Joanne Czubek and RhianaVella. In the background Rose Anne Fritchie and Frank D’Amato can beseen. Czubek made the spectacular centerpiece on this table as well ascenterpieces for dining tables in the ballroom.

These volunteers were responsible for creating, making and setting up allof the decorations. “Our Decorations Committee did a spectacular job. Wereceived complimentary remarks regarding the decorations from ourattendees.” said Carnevale Chairpersons Rosemary DeRubertis andJoanne Czubek. Front row, from the left: Frank D’Amato, Ann Zambito,Sandy Mazza, Christina Ziino, Pamela Mazza-Mueller and Craig Lieber.Back row: C.J. Lieber, Marie Lieber, Ryan Lieber and John Mueller.

Vivian Balistreri (right) and her daughter, Nina, pointed to the“Valentine’s Day love messages” they wrote and pinned to a mural ofJuliet’s wall. The concept of the wall was taken from the movie, “Letters toJuliet.” The large mural was displayed in the ICC’s galleria throughoutthe celebration of Carnevale on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Attendees whoposted a message were also given a free entry to a raffle for two greatprizes. Look for a separate article with details on who won those prizes.More than 150 messages pinned messages on the wall.

Above: I Bei Bambini, the Children’s Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee,performed before Carnevale dinner was served. The group, which rehears-es on Monday nights at the ICC, is under the direction of Susan(DeSanctis) Christiansen and Ashley DeSanctis. For details on gettingyour children involved, visit www.tradizionevivente.org. Left: The BillSargent Big Band played dance music after program ended.

Tradizione Vivente, the Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee, performedafter the conclusion of the installation of the royalty. The nationally rec-ognized folk dance group has been part of the Carnevale program the lastseveral years.


Biggio, Smoltzelected toBaseball’s

Hall of Famefrom page 7

who best exemplifies the game ofbaseball, sportsmanship, communi-ty involvement and the individual’scontribution to his team. And notonly was his uniform number 7retired on August 17, 2008, a life-size statue was erected outsideMinute Maid Park while he wasstill an active player.

John Smoltz, born May 15, 1967in Detroit, signed with his home-town Tigers in 1985, but was trad-ed to the Atlanta Braves in August1987. He would spend 20 yearswith the Braves (1988-2008) beforesplitting the 2009 season betweenthe Red Sox and Cardinals.

He was part of the trio of pitch-ers (along with Greg Maddux andTom Glavine, both Hall-of-Famers)who helped the Braves dominatetheir division in the nineties. ButSmoltz was the only Braves playerthat was with the team throughouttheir historic run of 14 consecutivedivision titles from 1991 to 2005.In 1996, after posting a 24-8 recordwith a career high 276 strikeoutsand a 2.94 ERA, he became the sec-ond pitcher of Italian descent (afterFrank Viola) to win the Cy YoungAward.

An elbow injury forced Smoltz tobecome a reliever between 2001and 2004. He flourished in thatrole as well, leading the leaguewith 55 saves in 2002, followed by45 and 44 the next two years. Hereturned to the starting rotation in2005 and went 44-24 over the nextthree seasons. For his career hisrecord was 213-155, 154 saves witha 3.33 earned run average. Aneight-time All-Star, he is the onlyplayer in big league history with atleast 200 career wins and at least150 saves.

The 6 ft. 3 in., 210-lb. righthan-der was also a big-game pitcher,going 15-4 with an ERA of 2.64 in24 postseason series. His 15 winsare the second-most ever in post-season play, and he holds therecord for most postseason strike-outs (199). His number 29 wasretired by the Braves in 2012. LikeBiggio, Smoltz was honored for hishumanitarian work, winning theLou Gehrig Memorial Award(2005), the Roberto ClementeAward (2005) and the 2007 BranchRickey Award (2007).

In 2006 he told an Atlantapaper that his Italian grandmotherlit candles and prayed whenever hepitched. “She was a full-bloodedItalian,” he said, “the greatest cookin the world, and I loved her todeath.”

The election of Biggio andSmoltz comes on the heels of lastyear’s induction of two ItalianAmerican managers, Joe Torre andTony La Russa. Two years earlier,Ron Santo, the longtime ChicagoCubs third baseman, was electedposthumously. This recent spate ofHall of Fame inductions serves as avivid reminder of the long and richlegacy of Italian Americans in thenational pastime. Previousinductees include Joe DiMaggio,Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, ErnieLombardi, Tony Lazzeri, PhilRizzuto and Tommy Lasorda.Editor’s note: Lawrence

Baldassaro, Professor Emeritus ofItalian at UW-Milwaukee, is theauthor of Beyond DiMaggio: ItalianAmericans in Baseball (U. OfNebraska Press).


Member pledges to ‘Annual DonorSociety’ nearing $20,000 mark

An appeal to Italian CommunityCenter members to support theorganization through its “AnnualDonor Society” has resulted in$19,686.37 in pledges as of Feb. 4,2015.

The “Annual Donor Society” wasinitiated in mid October when cam-paign material was sent to mem-bers.

This marked the first time inover 25 years that the ICC hasasked its members to participate ina donor campaign. During the mid1980s, it was an appeal to raisefunds for the construction of theorganization’s current building at631 E. Chicago St., in Milwaukee’sHistoric Third Ward, the home ofmany of the city’s early Italianimmigrants.

Today, the ICC is asking itsmembers to contribute for the con-tinuation and growth of the organi-zation which they cherish and loveand all that it has come to stand forsince its founding in 1978.

Like many nonprofit organiza-tions, the ICC wants to make thisan annual appeal to its members toensure that the organization canprosper for years to come. Memberswho participate will become part ofthe “Annual Donor Society.”

In the letter that was part of thecampaign material, then-PresidentGina Spang and then-VicePresident Joe Vella stated that theICC has become a “dependable,friendly, welcoming place whereMilwaukee’s Italian American com-munity meets to enjoy friends, won-derful food and celebrate its richheritage. More than bricks andmortar, the ICC is a testament toour ancestors who were unwaver-ing in their quest to pave the wayto a more prosperous life for them-selves and generations to follow.”(Spang is now the immediate pastpresident and Vella is the organiza-tion’s president.)

The pledge form is reprinted inthis issue.

“Many organizations have annu-al appeals to their members anddonors to sustain themselves and togrow,” said Rose Purpero Spang,who headed the volunteer commit-tee that developed the campaignliterature. “We believe an annualappeal is something that is longoverdue here at the ICC. We trustthat all of our members will readthe literature that was sent tothem, think it over carefully and dowhatever they can to support ourItalian Community Center.

“We hope that our members whocan afford it will make the largestgifts, in our gold category of $5,000or our silver category of $2,500,”she said.

Other categories of support are:$1,000, $750, $500, $250, $150 orother amount. All donations arewelcomed and appreciated. Alldonors will be recognized in TheItalian Times. Contributions can bemade by check or credit card. As anoption, donors can contact the ICCoffice at 414-223-2180 to set up apayment plan.

So far, two gold categorypledges have been made. Thosecame from Sam Purpero andEbbie and Joe Mangiamele .One silver category donationhas been made, coming fromJoseph John and Rose PurperoSpang.

Listed below are the names ofthe members who made a commit-

ment to the “Annual Donor Society”through Jan. 5, 2015:

• RoseMarie DeMichele• Michele R. Butz• William and Rita Jennaro• Leonard and Marlene Widen• Joe Manone• Vincenza and Vincent Vitale• David and Jeannie Doern• Gordon and Bernice Boucher• Joseph and Virginia Magestro• Gerald and Judith Perona• Keith Gross• Jerry W. Hermann• Maurine and Nick DeLeo• Anthony and Barbara Lupo• Margaret Mary Carini• Mary L. Herro• Joe and Carole Casamento• Joseph and Diane Barbieri• Peter and Mille Gustin

• Santa L. Mazza• Gaetano Canzoneri• Wayne Kitzerow and Sheila

Vivi• Vincent and Lucretia Lo Coco• Joseph Charles Spang• Joseph John and Rose Purpero

Spang (Silver Pledge)• Sam Purpero (Gold Pledge)• David C. Shaw• Otto and Joan Satula• Rosario and Josephine Spella• Gwen Wood• Sandy M. Powers• Bob Mari and Ann Larsen• Frank and Betty Fugarino, Sr.• Anna L. Pitzo• Joseph and Jane Vento• Donald and Frances Tollefson• Grace M. Elliott• Theodore F. Mazza

• Michael N. Balistreri• Edward and Edith Brown• Kenneth H. Pakulski• Ebbie and Joe Mangiamele

(Gold Pledge)• Joseph J., Jr. and Christine

Ziino• Tony and Lena Zingale• Gino A. Dentice• Robert and Isabel Vezzetti• James and Alexandra Celoni• Gina M. Spang• Mary G. Winard• Charles and Doris Evans• Ray and Caroline Besasie• August J. Amoroso• Anthony and Catherine

Gazzana• Joseph and Ann Zambito• Michele Butz• Nancy Castrovinci Oberleitner


Ask anyone who knew Antonio“Tony” Sparacino, “What kind ofperson was he?” Unquestionably,they say he was a magnificent manwith many diverse interests andtalents that he offered willingly. Hewas someone who anyone would beproud to have as a lifelong friend.Tony died Jan. 7 at the age of 89.

Here’s a synopsis of his remark-able life: Tony was a faithful hus-band for more than 66 years andthe father of three sons (and threedaughters-in-law) and grandfatherto 10. He was a loyal public servantfor 40 years. He was an activemember of his church. He was adedicated and valuable veteran vol-unteer for Festa Italiana. He was alongtime member of the ItalianCommunity Center and one of theorganization’s unsung volunteers.He was extremely proud of hisItalian heritage. And he lovedsports, especially the WisconsinBadgers, the Green Bay Packers,and playing bocce at the ICC. Andas everyone who got to know himknew, he was quite the joke teller.

Tony was born on Oct. 19, 1925.He was raised by his mother,Lucretia (Balistrieri) Sparacino, inWard 1 of West Allis, which, at thetime, was that city’s Italianenclave. His father, Vincenco, diedwhen he was two years old. Tony’smother was one of the founders ofOur Lady of Mount CarmelCatholic Church in West Allis,which opened in 1939 but wasclosed by the Archdiocese ofMilwaukee in the late 1990s. Tonyobtained some of the memorabiliafrom the church at its demise,which he donated to the ICC andFesta, to keep the name of thisneighborhood church alive for gen-erations to come.

Tony told The Italian Times thathe met his wife-to-be, BerniceHoltz, while they were teenagersworking at the old ParadiseTheater in West Allis. “She was 16and was the popcorn girl. I was 17and the usher,” he said. “I knewright away, she was the one forme.”

The couple was married on May1, 1948. Tony and Bernice becameparents to three sons (all of whom

are married): Terry (Patricia),Michael (Pam) and Mark (Margie).The sons and daughters-in-law pro-vided them with 10 grandchildren.

Tony first worked for the City ofWest Allis in the recreational andelectrical departments beforebecoming a member of the city’sfire department and an emergencymedical technician. He was a cap-tain on the fire department whenhe retired in 1983.

Tony was introduced to FestaItaliana in 1979 by Ray Hoffman,who, like Tony, worked for the Cityof West Allis. Ray’s wife, Mary,worked and volunteered for theICC and Festa for more than 30years. Tony initially volunteered toserve on the “911” crew. This groupwas comprised of elderly male vol-unteers who worked diligentlystarting days before Festa openedto set up festival decorations tables,chairs, fencing, lights and signs ofall sorts. Then, right after the festi-val closed, they would return totake down and pack away every-thing. Tony told this writer thatwhen he turned 70, he was “theyoungster” of the crew, which her-alded volunteers who worked wellinto their 90s.

Tony went on to additionallybecome a volunteer on the FestaPatrol, whose members often serveas first responders to a variety ofsituations ranging from securityand first aid to lost children. Theystrive to keep order along paradeand procession routes and work toensure that festival guests experi-ence a pleasant and safe familyevent.

Tony assumed the responsibilityof ordering the mobile radios usedby designated Festa officials andvarious volunteers to handle thefestival’s vital communications andsecurity operations. Obtaining andkeeping all of the radios that Festaordered charged and operatingappropriately meant Tony and hiscrew had put in long hours before,during and after the festival closed.He and his volunteers kept a check-list of who had radios, the frequen-cy to which each radio was tunedand whether the radio of each indi-vidual was turned in at the end ofthe day. Tony volunteered for everyFesta between 1979 and 2013.

Illness prevented him from volun-teering in 2014.

“Tony has been my partner andmanager for many years at FestaItaliana. He always would give100% every year. He has left a lega-cy of hard work and loyalty tomyself and the rest of the securitycommittee,” said Ralph Busalacchi,Festa Patrol Manager.

When the current ItalianCommunity Center opened in theearly 1990s, Tony joined Carmenand Lorre Zingara and other volun-teers in doing painting jobs in thevarious rooms and corridors. Tonyalso helped to lay tiles in thekitchen and service corridor. Mostof these chords were doneovernight, after activities at theICC had ended. “All the work wasdone for free. We wanted to showour support for the ICC,” Tony said.

Tony also contributed financiallyto the organization’s building fund,resulting in a plaque on the IÇÇ’s“Wall of Honor.” His plaque readsin honor of his wife Bernice and hismother Lucretia.

So how much did Tony lovesports? Well, he was a WisconsinBadgers football season ticket hold-er for more than 60 years and aGreen Bay Packers season ticketholder for more than 50 years. Hewas also an avid fan of theMarquette Warriors (now theGolden Eagles) and the MilwaukeeBucks basketball teams.

On Oct. 20 2012, the Universityof Wisconsin Athletic Departmenthonored Tony as “Season TicketHolder of the Game.” Tony saw hisfirst Badgers game in 1937 whenhe was 13. UW played MarquetteUniversity, and he said he “fell inlove with Badger football.” Between1950 until the time he became ill,Tony missed only three homegames. He even followed theBadgers on the road, includinggoing to Tokyo, Japan in December1993 to see Wisconsin playMichigan State. He attended twoRose Bowls in Pasadena, Calif. inwhich the Badgers played. He alsosaw the team play in several othercities across the United States. As“Season Holder of the Game,” Tonyreceived a variety of prizes and hadhis picture on the front of the game

day program.Tony’s family recalls him telling

them that in his early years as aBadgers fan, he sometimes had tohitch hike to Madison and backhome to see the games at CampRandall Stadium.

Tony told The Italian Times thathe followed the Packers for morethan 70 years. In that time, he col-lected a lot of Packer memorabilia.“My greatest treasure is that I havea Don Hutson autographed gameday program,” he said. “Hutson isstill on the list of top athletes in allsports in the world.” Another cher-ished item is a letter that Packersquarterback Bart Starr sent himand his wife to congratulate themon their 35th wedding anniversary.

For many years, Tony had beenan active member of Whitnall ParkLutheran Church in Hales Corners.

He is survived by his wifeBernice, his three sons and daugh-ters-in-law, 10 grandchildren, otherrelatives and many, many friends.The Italian Times learned thatTony and Bernice’s first great-grandchild is to arrive soon.


ICC member and Festa volunteerTony Sparacino led a remarkable life

The following people became members of the Italian CommunityCenter between Jan. 9 and Feb. 8, 2015. Benvenuti! (Welcome!)

Pat Maglio of Wauwatosa, WI

Carl Maglio of Whitefish Bay, WI

Charles P. Purpero & Sandy Siwieck of West Bend, WI

Rick Blomstrom & Phyllis Purpero of Austin, TX

Joe & Cheryl Muskus of Winneconne, WI

John DeStefanis & Joan Bollero of Mequon, WI

Ervin & JoAnn Stern (David & Giovanna) of Shorewood, WI

Sandra Zambito of Milwaukee, WI

Giovanni & Gina Santagati of Shorewood, WI

Donato Di Pronio of Francailla Al Mare (Chieti), Italy

Michael Scicero of Milwaukee, WI

WWeellccoommee nneeww IIttaalliiaannCCoommmmuunniittyy

CCeenntteerr mmeemmbbeerrss!!

Here’s Tony Sparacino standingout in front of the Festa SecurityOffice. (Times photo by TomHemman)

Here’s Tony doing patrol on a Festa golf cart. (Times photo by TomHemman)


Name MarriedVaccarella, Joseph Oct-1935Vaccarella, Salvatore Jun-1939Valent (Valenti), Mary (Giovetti) Jun-1935Valenti, Carmello Jun-1940Valenti, Joseph Nov-1938Valenti, Mary (Cortese) Sep-1934Valenti, Tony Jun-1930Valenti, Virginia (Krawczyk) Sep-1940Valentino, Maddalena (Fugiasco) Oct-1929Valerio, Angelo Sep-1940Valerio, Constance (?) Jul-1933Valerio, Domeneca (Borth) Jul-1936Valerio, Henry Feb-1937Valerio, Jack Dec-1936Valerio, John Jun-1935Valero, Maria (Stier) Aug-1940Vallazza, Charlotte (Pavlo) Aug-1927Vallone, John Nov-1936Vallone, Joseph Jun-1939Vannelli, Mary (Curran) Sep-1940Varisco, Josephine (Metko) Jan-1938Varisco, Louis Oct-1937Varisco, Phyllis (McAdams) Nov-1934Velio, Erma (Giacoletto) May-1937Vento, Antonia (Alfino) Jun-1926Vento, Brigeda (Massmann) Jun-1937Vento, Frank Jul-1939Vento, Frank J Aug-1936Vento, Joseph Jan-1929Vento, Joseph Sep-1938Vento, Joseph Jr Jul-1931Vento, Marie (Oblamski) May-1935 Vento, Samuel Oct-1927Vento, Stephen Jun-1935Vento, Steve Dec-1940Venturi, Laerte Jun-1940Venturi, Parisina (Gariglietti) Jul-1930Venturi, Ruth (Conti) Nov-1933Venturini, Joseph Oct-1934Verga, Aldo Jun-1937Verga, Lawrence Oct-1928

Name MarriedVerga, Lydia (Polidori) Jun-1939Vergolina, Emma (Bornfleth) May-1939Vergolina, Margaret (Mayer) May-1939Vergolino, Ralph Dec-1927Verniglio, Antonio Oct-1936Versegi, John May-1926Vinci, Anthony Jun-1933Virgili, Mary (Lathrop) Sep-1927Viscioni, Lawrence Nov-1937Viscuso, Michael Jan-1928Vitale, Grace (Cera) Nov-1935Vitale, Lena (Brush) May-1940Vitale, Rosalie (John) Oct-1938Vitrano, Anna (Tarantino) Aug-1929Vitrano, Antoinette (Stragnola) Nov-1936Vitrano, Charles T Feb-1936Vitrano, Dominic Dec-1928Vitrano, Eugenia (Luckowitz) Jun-1937Vitrano, Gaetano Jun-1936Vitrano, John Jr Aug-1939Vitrano, Josephine (Alioto) Nov-1927Vitrano, Lucille (DeMarinis) Aug-1939Vitrano, Rosalia (Busalacchi) Dec-1935Vitrano, Rose (Colla) Apr-1927Vitrano, Rose Ann (Medich) Oct-1940Vitrano, Stephanie (Enrico) Nov-1939Vitrano, Thomas Oct-1931Vitrano, Vincent Sep-1934Vittallo, Ben Jul-1939Vitucci, Florence (Jennaro) Jul-1926Vitucci, Jeanette (Alaimo) Oct-1934Zaccara, Joseph Jul-1931Zaccardi, Nicholas Jun-1939Zaccardi, Raymond May-1940Zaffiro, John Jun-1928Zaffiro, Michael Jun-1928Zammataro, Sam Feb-1939Zana, Mamie (Cima) Oct-1934Zanchetti, Donald May-1936Zanchetti, Elizabeth (Marino) Jul-1928Zanchetti, Marcello Feb-1930

Name MarriedZanconato, Virginia (Schiavo) Aug-1938Zaneanaro, John Feb-1928Zanella, Rose L (Mollica) Jul-1934Zanola, Domenic Jun-1937Zanoni, Adeline (Leonardelli) Oct-1938Zanoni, Richard Jun-1926Zanoni, Silvio Apr-1926Zanotelli, Angela (Zeni) Jul-1939Zanotelli, Ermina (Fellin) Jan-1927Zanotelli, Lenda (Mengoni) Nov-1928Zanotelli, Vera (Parisi) Aug-1928Zanotti, Anton Oct-1936Zanotti, Marie (Kolesar) Jun-1932Zarcone, Angeline (Tomasello) Jul-1926Zarcone, Charles Mar-1931Zarcone, Domenic Jul-1935Zarcone, Frances (Fowler) Dec-1935Zarcone, Marie (Balistrieri) Apr-1939Zarcone, Mary (Halbarth) Dec-1935Zarcone, Philip Apr-1931Zarcone, Phillip Sep-1939Zello, Benedict Jun-1940Zello, Margaret (Sidello) Jul-1938Zello, Samuel Oct-1940Ziino, Joseph Oct-1939Ziino, Josephine (Lalli) Oct-1936Ziino, Marie (Endres) Jul-1939Zingale, Charles May-1927Zingale, James May-1938Zingale, Lawrence Mar-1928Zingara, Mamie (Krieser) Jul-1939Zingara, Saraphina (Bawiec) Oct-1934Zitella, Ida (Brisighella) Dec-1930Zitella, John Apr-1932Zito, Pasquale Sep-1934Zizzo, Annette (Fuller) Jan-1940Zizzo, Josephine (Bauer) Jul-1936Zizzo, Vincenza (Balistreri) May-1937

This concludes the listing ofItalians married in Milwaukee (1926-1940).

Italians married in Milwaukee: 1926-1940Part XI

Compiled by Mario A. Carini, Italian Community Center HistorianIntroductory Notes

The Milwaukee Marriage Index: 1926-1940 includes the name of the individual married and the month and year the mar-riage took place.

Information contained in the Milwaukee Marriage Index: 1926-1940 was compiled by this researcher in January of 1993 andwill be featured in The Italian Times the next several months.

Reporting of the volume Milwaukee Marriage Index was obtained from the Milwaukee County Historical Society and copiesat the City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau. These works are all copyrighted and an original copy is at the Library ofCongress in Washington, D.C. for all time.

Please keep in mind that these marriages were actualized only in the City of Milwaukee. Accordingly, if you were marriedoutside the city limits (e.g., Shorewood, West Allis, Cudahy), your name won’t appear in this listing. Names appearing here arelisted and spelled exactly as found in the marriage volumes. If you know of a relative who was married in Milwaukee during thetime period 1926-1941 and that relative’s name does not appear in these listings, please contact the Milwaukee County HistoricalSociety.

Remembering the IdesBy Blaise DiPronio

While walking aimlessly at lastyear’s Festa, I was for a momenttransported to the RomanColiseum’s outside perimeter usu-ally frequented by faux-Roman centurions posing (for a fee)for pictures with tourists. There infront of me were a couple of thesame centurions only these twowere not posing but apparently tak-ing a leisurely walk. So I decided tohave a little fun and see where itwould lead.

I approached them and theystopped so I semi shouted: “veni,vidi, vici?” They looked at me a lit-tle dumfounded. “So where’s theSPQR emblem?’ I asked. Again, noreaction. I tried one last question:“So why do they call you guys cen-turions?” You guessed it. No com-ment. So we took a picture and offthey went to conquer Festa notknowing they could have chargedme a fee like their brethren inRome – do as the Romans do –remember?

Their addition to the festivitieswas a nice surprise and it seemedevery one was enjoying their pres-ence as it added a little atmosphereto the Festa experience. Thinkingabout my novel and humorousencounter with our home grownRoman soldiers reminded me of

where these kids were, as theysay, ‘coming from’.

So, in honor and remembranceof this month’s upcoming annualIdes of March, let me write a littlebit about our most famous Roman,which gave rise to my jesting atFesta, and that would be JuliusCaesar, of course. “I came. I saw. Iconquered,” he reportedly andfamously boasted in a letter to theRoman Senate after winning thebattle of Zela. Today it connotes aswift and conclusive victory, some-thing which is unheard of and evi-dently elusive in today’s manyongoing worldly conflicts.

The initials SPQR stood for“Senatus Populusque Romanus,”Latin for “The Senate and thePeople of Rome.” This was in refer-ence to the government of the origi-nal Roman Republic and is todayused as part of the official emblemof the Municipality of Rome.The ‘Q’ comes from“Populusque,” although written asone word, it is a compounded formof “populus” and “que” which, asused here, means “and.” As to “cen-turion,” as all good ItalianAmericans should know, it comesfrom the Latin “centuria,” whichmeans a group of 100. So he’s aRoman army officer in charge of100 soldiers. Thus, our century

(100 years), centennial (100 yearanniversary) and cent (1/100 of a100 cent dollar).

Now what about the Ides ofMarch? The Ides were madefamous by Shakespeare’s soothsay-er’s warning to Julius Caesar,“Beware of the Ides of March.” Butto no avail, as Caesar was, in fact,assassinated in 44 BC by his goodfriend Brutus (“E tu Brute?”),among others. The Ides of March -was a day in the Roman calendarwhich corresponds to our March 15.The word “ides” comes from Latinand in essence means “divide” andits mid-month day in the calendarwas usually determined by the fullmoon in compliance with thelunar/moon-based origin of the

Roman calendar. It takes place inthe middle or “divide” of the monthon either the 13th or 15th, depend-ing on the number days in themonth.

The importance of the Ides ofMarch in Julius Caesar’s life isobvious. Shakespeare loaded hisplay with a lot irony in that he pro-vided numerous portents such asthe ominous thunderstorm.Caesar’s wife dreaming of his mur-der and, of course, the old soothsay-er. Nevertheless, Caesar goes forthin his usual fortitude but only tomeet his doom. Just as our Festasoldiers strutted off with pride andswagger but to a much nicer end-ing, a sausage sandwich, a beer andfireworks!

The 21st annual Rome Mara-thon (known as the “Maratona diRoma”) will be held on Sunday,Mar. 22 in Rome, Italy.

The 42-km marathon – inwhich more than 12,000 athletesare expected to participate – willstart at 9 a.m. in front of theColiseum.

The route continues throughthe narrow, winding streets of theEternal City. Runners will pass

by St. Peter’s Basilica, the Piazzadi Spagna, the Piazza Navona,and countless other landmarks.

Alongside the more serious andintensive Maratona di Roma, aparallel event is held for thoseless athletically inclined.

Known as “La Stracittadina,”this “Roma Fun Run” is gearedtoward families and seniors andbenefits dozens of Roman chari-ties.

Maratona di Roma


Spotlight on Cultural Arts

Carroll University announcesupcoming concerts in itsInternational Cultural ExchangeProject. These concerts are jointlyhosted by the Carroll UniversityWind Symphony conducted byLawrence Dale Harper, the CityBands of Norcia and Bevagna con-ducted by Maestro Filippo Salemmiand the Morlacchi Conservatory ofMusic in Perugia. The combinedmusicians from the ensembles willpresent two public performances,both of which will be offered free ofcharge to the community. The con-certs will be performed under thebaton of Maestro Salemmi.

The first concert will be held atthe Shattuck Auditorium on theCarroll University Campus onThursday, Mar. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Thisperformance will also feature the

Youth Wind Orchestra ofWisconsin in addition to the CarrollUniversity Wind Symphony. Thisconcert, as well as the April one,will feature student wind, percus-sion and piano soloists from theMorlacchi Conservatory of Musicfrom Perugia, Umbria, Italy.

The second concert will takeplace again in the ShattuckAuditorium on Saturday, Apr. 18 at8 p.m. and will again feature stu-dent soloists along with 16 musi-cians from Umbria performingalongside students of the CarrollWind Symphony. The public is cor-dially invited to attend.

Carroll University is located at100 N. East Ave., Waukesha. Formore information, visitmy.carrollu.edu.

Music students from Italy to performin free Carroll University concerts

The Italian Community Centerhas been contacted by MusicProfessor Larry Harper, fromCarroll University’s MusicDepartment, regarding help need-ed in housing and feeding musicstudents coming from Italy inMarch and April of this year.

For the last three years,Carroll University has been devel-oping strong ties with Italianmusicians from the Umbria regionin central Italy. On several occa-sions, the university has enteredinto international culturalexchanges in order to give bothAmerican and Italian students anopportunity to make music andcreate friendships in new places.The Carroll Wind Symphony hasacted as a host for Italian musi-cians to join them in concerts hereand has also traveled to Italy totour with wind bands there. Onevery occasion, the students havefound it to be enriching and, inmany cases, a transformativeexperience.

The university has announcedthat it will be hosting Italian stu-dent musicians on its campus inthe spring 2015 semester. Therewill be two different weeklongseries of rehearsals, masterclassesand concerts under the directionof Maestro Filippo Salemmi.Maestro Salemmi will be replac-ing Professor Harper for thesemester while the professor is ona sabbatical leave.

Fourteen students will be com-ing here for a week in March and16 will be coming for a week inApril. The school is seeking out-side help in arranging housingand meals for them. Host families

are needed for two students perfamily during the weeks of March1-9 and April 13-21. The family’sresponsibilities would involvetransporting them to and fromcampus each day, feeding thembreakfast and dinner and provid-ing a small snack lunch for themdaily during their stay.

Their schedule has them inrehearsals and traveling duringthe day and some evenings sothey leave each morning around 9or 10 a.m. and return in the earlyor later evening. Families who arenot available early mornings orhave committed evenings neednot worry as the university canaccommodate the students oncampus early in the day or untilthey can be picked up at a latertime in the evening.

Professor Harper indicatedthat the people who housed thestudents last year spoke highly ofthem and how respectful anddelightful they were to host.“They are friendly and have goodEnglish skills so communicationwill not be a problem,” he added,and “It should be a wonderful andrewarding experience for all. Wehope that there are members outthere that will come forward andhelp these kids and provide themwith the welcome and hospitalitythey deserve.”

Lastly, please read an accom-panying article regarding the freeconcerts in which the Italian stun-dents will be participating.

All inquiries and responsesshould be directed to LarryHarper at 262-327-4378 or [email protected].

Help! Hosts needed forvisiting Italian students

Opera Topicsby Angelo Castronovo

Comedy and drama are the twofaces of characters in plays, musi-cals and opera. This thought bringsto mind two renowned operas:Gaetano Donizetti’s L’elisirD’Amore and Giacomo Puccini’sTosca.

Both operas are on the springschedules of area companies. TheLyric Opera of Chicago is currentlyoffering Tosca through March andMilwaukee’s Florentine is present-ing The Elixir of Love on May 8thand 10th. You can obtain moreinformation about the Florentine at414-291-5700 and the Lyric at 312-332-2244 or 312-827-5600. Alsonote that there is a separate articlein this issue which provides aneasy to follow synopsis of the plotline in Tosca.

Donizetti was a very prolificcomposer with more than 60 operasto his credit. He is noted primarilyfor dramatic works such as AnnaBolena, Lucia di Lammermoor andLa Favorita along with several oth-ers not frequently performed. Hiscomic work, The Daughter of theRegiment, is still staged regularlyand one of its most celebrated per-formances among the major housesof the world paired tenor LucianoPavarotti and soprano JoanSutherland at the Met. This is theopera which requires the tenor tosing nine high C’s in the aria AhMes Ami.

Puccini, considered by many asGiuseppe Verdi’s successor, wrotelyrical dramatic operas, venturingbriefly into comedy with his GianniSchicchi which is one of the Tritticoworks which includes SuorAngelica and Il Tabarro. The onlyother lighter work by this master ishis operetta style opera, LaRondine which contains lovelythemes and the famous Doretta’sSong.

Speaking of Puccini, there is alittle known story which tells operalovers of the early friendshipbetween Puccini and RuggieroLeoncavallo, the composer of Ipagliacci. That relationship disin-tegrated when both composers dis-covered each was working on indi-vidual versions of La Boheme.

Puccini’s Boheme ultimately

became worldfamous. TheLeoncavalloversion waseclipsed asP u c c i n i ’ sB o h e m esoared intoprominence.But one ariasurvived fromLeoncavallo’swork. It wasthe one titledT e s t aA d o r a t awhich Enrico Caruso released in amemorable recording. To myknowledge, there is an excellentmodern-day recording of this ariaby Giuseppe Di Stefano.Quotable Quote: The most I can

do for my friend is simply to be hisfriend. – Henry David Thoreau.

The poetry of Aleardo Aleardi, born Gaetano Mariain Verona in 1812, is not extensive. Nevertheless, as aneo-romanticist, he is a poet of transition between clas-sicism and realism. Much of his poetry revolves aroundhistory and the fatherland, and some have called himthe “poet of history.” He studied law but eventuallybecame professor of aesthetics in Florence, where hedied in 1878.

This little poem is charming in its simplicity.

Fanciulla, che cosa è Dio?Che cosa è Dio?

Nell’ora che pel bruno firmamentoComincia un tremolioDi punti d’oro, d’atomi d’argento,Guardo e dimando: « Dite, o luci belle,» Ditemi cosa è Dio?»- « Ordine» - - mi rispondono le stelle.

Quando all’april la valle, il monte, il pratoI margini del rio,Ogni campo dai fiori è festeggiato,Guardo e dimando: «Dite, o bei colori,» Ditemi cosa è Dio?»- «Bellezza» - - mi rispondono quei fiori.

Quando il tuo sguardo inanzi a me scintilla,Amabilmente pioIo chiedo al lume della tua pupilla:«Dimmi, se il sai, bel messaggier del core,»Dimmi che cosa è Dio?»

E la pupilla mi risponde: -« Amore.»

Little girl, what is God?In the hour when in the dusky fir-mamentBegins a flickerOf golden points, of silvery atoms,I look and ask: “Tell, o beautifullights,Tell me: What is God?”“Order” the stars reply.

When in April the valley, the mountain, the meadowThe banks of the river,Every field with flowers are exalted,I look and ask: “Tell, o beautifulcolors,Tell me: What is God?”“Beauty” those flowers reply.

When your eyes before me spark,Lovingly pious,I ask the light of your pupil:“Tell me, if you know, o beautifulmessenger from the heart.Tell me: What is God?”And the pupil replied: “Love”.

– Translated byRoberto Ciampi

L’Angolo della Poeta Prepared by Barbara Collignon and Roberto Ciampi


A night at the opera: A tale of doom,despair and redemption

By Blaise DiPronioWhat features explosive drama,

turbulent politics, erotic charges,test of wills, edge of seat tension,high body count and doomed love?No, not the latest movie block-buster but Giacomo Puccini’sTosca, an opera which first pre-miered in Rome in 1900. Tosca is agreat melodrama full of deceptionand cruelty, intrigue and hypocrisy,but it is ultimately redeemed by thecourage of one’s convictions, brav-ery and devotion. Yes, it is opera tothe extreme. Sound interesting?Tosca is being performed at theLyric of Chicago (lyricofchicago.orgor 312-827-5600) through Mar. 14.

Here’s a quick summary of theplot, but be aware of a spoiler alert!Tosca is a renowned singer who

is in love with Cavaradossi, a rebel-lious painter who is the prey of thecorrupt police chief, Scarpia. Thechief is a lecherous schemer whowants to get Cavaradossi out of the

way in order to conquer Tosca forhimself, and he will resort to anymeans in order to possess her.

Early in the opera, Cavaradossipromises to help escaped politicalprisoner and friend, Angelotti, evenif it means risking his own life. AsScarpia searches, they both escapethe church where Cavaradossi hadbeen painting and Angelotti hadbeen hiding. Angelotti runs off dis-guised as woman, but he leaves abehind a woman’s fan at the churchwhich is then used by Scarpia todeceive Tosca into believing thatCavaradossi might have beenunfaithful to her with Angelotti’ssister. She had left women’s clothesat the church for her brother’sescape. Tosca falls for the deceitthus setting up the devastatingfinale.

Cavaradossi is captured andbrought before Scarpia who is nowdetermined to kill him off and getto Tosca who is also summoned to

appear before the unscrupulouspolice chief. Tosca is made awarethat Scarpia plans to tortureCavaradossi mercilessly in order toget him to reveal Angelotti’swhereabouts and then to be fol-lowed by his execution. Tosca can’tbear what is being planned for thelove of her life so she agrees to giveup both herself and Angelotti toScarpia’s will but only if he sparesCavaradossi by staging a mock exe-cution with blank bullets and get-ting a safe conduct letter out ofRome for both of them.

It is in this setting that Toscasings her most famous aria: VissiD’Arte where in essence she sings:I’ve always lived for art, but look atme now and the mess I’m in. It isher farewell to innocence. She livesfor art but will sacrifice herself anddie for love. But as the gloatingScarpia is signing the safe passage

letter, she picks up a knife andstabs him to death declaring: Thisis Tosca’s kiss.

Meanwhile, at the executionsite, Cavaradossi sings his famousE Lucevan le Stelle. He looks backat his life and his love of Toscawhich has now come to nothing andsings “I die in desperation!”

Tosca arrives at Cavaradossi’sside and explains the scheme tohim telling him to put on a goodshow by faking his death after hegets shot with blanks. However,when the soldiers take aim. theyuse fire real bullets andCavaradossi falls to ground withTosca thinking he did a great job infeigning death. Ecco un artista shesings. What an artist for sure. Helies dead. The soldiers leave. Shediscovers the truth. Unimaginablyheartbroken, she jumps to herdeath. We cry.

Having dinner for up to 300 guests?

Entertain them at the Italian ConferenceCenter’s

FESTA BALLROOM.A gorgeous setting in which to enjoy great food!

The Italian Conference Centerin the Italian Community Center

631 E. Chicago St. (a block west of Summerfest)Call David at 414/223-2800 to

reserve your party or meeting space at the ICC.Visit: www.ItalianConference.com

The special reverence thatItalians (Sicilians in particular)bear for St. Joseph is representedin the traditional St. Joseph’s DayAltar, which is an integral part ofevery celebration during the feastday.

The altar is piled with tradition-al foods including zeppole (deep-fried dough balls), fava beans, fish,

and bread (the crumbs are thoughtto represent saw dust, as St.Joseph was a carpenter).

The altar, known as la tavola diSan Giuseppe, is often given threetiers to represent the Holy Trinityand is always blessed by a priest.The table always features imagesof St. Joseph, candles, and prayerrequests placed in a basket.

In many parts of Italy, zeppole(or zeppoli in southern Italiandialects) are traditionally eaten onLa Festa di San Giuseppe (St.Joseph’s Day), Mar. 19.

Zeppole are deep-fried doughballs that are usually topped withpowdered sugar and may be filledwith custard, jelly, cannoli-stylepastry cream or a butter and honeymixture. In Rome, Naples and theregion of Sicily, these little pastries

are sold on many streets and aresometimes given as gifts.

The custom of preparing zeppolefor St. Joseph’s Day was popular-ized in the early 19th century by aNeapolitan baker named PasqualePintauro.

Zeppole have been served as thedessert at the Italian CommunityCenter’s St. Joseph’s Day luncheonsince 2010.

Zeppole – a St. Joseph’sDay pastry treat

The St. Joseph’s Day Altar

Matt Morgan will make hisFlorentine Opera Company debutin its production of Elmer Gantryin Uihlein Hall at the Marcus

Center for the Performing Arts,Mar. 13 and 15. The tenor, as FestaItaliana fans should recall, has per-formed in Milwaukee at the festivalon five occasions in the last nineyears.

Morgan will sing the role ofEddie Fislinger in Elmer Gantry.The opera is based on the SinclairLewis novel about a small-townBaptist minister. The cast alsoincludes Craig Verm in the titlerole and Katherine Pracht as evan-gelist Sharon Falconer. FrankKelley will direct the productionand Maestro Christopher Larkinwill conduct the MilwaukeeSymphony Orchestra.

Morgan, who resides in Floridawith his wife, Kelly, and daughtersDaphne and Lena, is no stranger toMilwaukee. In 2004, he starred inthe Skylight Opera Theatre’s pro-duction of Romeo & Juliet. Hemade his debut at Festa Italiana in2006 and had return engagementsin 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012.Matt Morgan

Tenor Matt Morganmaking Florentine Operadebut in Elmer Gantry

Request from ICC for cell phonenumbers and e-mail addresses

By Susie ChristiansenSocial networking websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as e-mail

and cell phone texting, are currently the most common methods of communicat-ing for people. Using those avenues, we want to develop a way to reach out to ourmembership to inform you about upcoming events organized by the ItalianCommunity Center, such as Il Grande Carnevale, A Taste of Italy and FestaItaliana.

We can even email you a copy of The Italian Times.When the ICC hosts wine tastings, musical events and cooking classes, it

would be helpful to everyone involved to be able to send an e-mail blast or a cellphone text blast to ICC members and as many non-members as possible. Rightnow, committee chairs and event planners here don’t always know what advertis-ing options are available to them and how to reach out to you. Without spendinga ton of money, we just aren’t sure how to let the people out there know aboutupcoming events at the ICC.

ICC members can be placed on an e-mail list and a cell phone list when theysign up for or renew their membership. Our application includes a place for youre-mail address and cell phone number.

Our membership contact list is extremely private, and we will continue tokeep it that way. We do not distribute our address, phone or e-mail lists to any-one. Rest assured your contact information will be retained by the ICC and onlythe ICC, and you will only be sent messages on a limited basis.

We simply want to inform you. We want to tell you about the fantastic events,activities and ethnic experiences that the Italian Community Center has to offer.

These are the other options available for submitting your cell phone numberand e-mail address:

1. Our website: www.iccmilwaukee.com – use the Contact Us Form (the lasttab on the site).

2. By e-mail: [email protected]. 3. Call Constance Jones at the ICC – 414-223-2808.


Report from the MPS Victory SchoolItalian Enrichment Program

Maestro Kaftan’s K4 bambinicontinue to learn the alphabet,numbers, colors and greetings inItalian. One of his students spendsthe summer in Porticello, Sicily,and is excited to continue learningItalian throughout the year.

Maestre Brunnelli and SabrinaLupoli’s K5 class has been verybusy studying the science of plantsin Italian such as: how seeds andplants grow and the fruit and veg-etables that they produce. The stu-dents are learning to sing songsabout plants such as: “Ci Vuole unFiore.” They learned to prepare andeat real fruit and vegetables. Theyare starting to write words inItalian and have begun to learn the“Italian Anthem.”

In January, the class went tothe musical, “How I Became aPirate.” Students were excited tolearn about the life of a pirate,especially that they don’t brushtheir teeth.

Students are learning to see inreal life that which theyread/observe in books. They will belearning to compare fiction andinformational text in their earlyschool career. The teachers areplanning to take the class to visitthe Italian Community Center inspring.

Maestre Zizzo and Lagrutta’sfirst graders participated in theSharp Literacy Program for thethird year. It is an excellent pro-gram where students learn vocabu-lary words in an engaging way.Students read two stories: “TheApple Pie Tree” and “A Busy Bee.”The students each received a copyof both stories accompanied by aworkbook. The class recently visit-ed the Museum of Wisconsin Art inWest Bend. Students toured themuseum with docents and looked atpieces of art related to the vocabu-lary words. After lunch the stu-dents made a model of a honeybee.A student named Kya said herfavorite part was the skit put on bya docent.

Maestre Bozano and Robertson’sclass is studying “I Vestiti.” Nextup, students will learn about “ILavoratori.” They will choose theirfuture profession, dress in the par-ticular costume of that professionand put on a short skit to introducethemselves in that role, all inItalian. Students are preparing tosing “Pirate Song” in Italian at theICC. Students learned about theproperties of matter such as ice,water and vapor. The class made“Snow Candy” with boiled maplesyrup dropped into shapes byspoonfuls into a giant pan packedwith snow. Students enjoyed pack-ing the snow and eating the hard-ened candy! The students love to

sing and are planning to sing “OSole Mio” for the Victory K8 SpringConcert.

Maestra Laurenzi’s thirdgraders have been learning aboutcivil rights, courage and compas-sion through the teaching of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. and RubyBridges. They have been learningabout what makes a communityand how to be responsibly awesomecitizens. One project that hashelped their class work together isthe team building tower project.Students had to build the tallesttower using the same materialwithout talking. Third gradersexperienced the MilwaukeeSymphony Orchestra, salutingAmerican history. At the symphonyconcert, students were able to lis-ten to the reading of a speech byMilwaukee Police Chief Flynn, orig-inally given by Abe Lincoln. Inmath, students are learning themetric system.

Mr. Falsetti’s fifth and sixthgraders have missed their studentteacher from Marquette Universityso they went on a fieldtrip togetherto Bounce Milwaukee. The stu-dents are learning about moneyand economics to prepare for theirtrip to Junior Achievement BizTown this month.

The class is learning two Italiansongs: “Bella Ciao” and “L’innod’Italia.” The fourth, fifth and sixthgrade classes are learning thesongs together and the teachersfrom Italy are helping studentsunderstand the lyrics of the ItalianNational Anthem.

– Submitted byAnnette Robertson

Mi affretto a comunicarti che ilMinistro degli Affari Esteri PaoloGentiloni, molto opportunamente,ha riaperto i termini per lapresentazione delle liste candidateal rinnovo dei Comites nelle 24Circoscrizioni dove non ne eranostate presentate in tempo utileper la data del 19 dicembre.

Ti ricordo che per votare ènecessario registrarsi entro il 18marzo 2015, inviando una e-mail,un fax o una lettera cartacea alproprio Consolato di riferimento,allegando anche la copia deldocumento di identità.

La riapertura dei termini èassolutamente preziosa perchéconsente ai connazionali di poterepartecipare, con tutta tranquillità,alla competizione elettorale che

garantisce loro il diritto di sceglierei propri rappresentanti nell’insos-tituibile ruolo dei Comites.

Ti raccomando, quindi, ilmassimo impegno per aprire unacampagna vera e propria diinformazione, ricerca e convinci-mento nei confronti dei soci e dellacomunità italiana.

Dopo il rinvio del 19 dicembre,sarebbe stato opportuno ma anchelogico domandarsi del perché soloil 2% degli aventi diritto avevascelto di votare.

Certamente il Governo ed ilParlamento, e quindi il Paese,attraversano un momento difficileper la coincidenza di importantiadempimenti istituzionali di primagrandezza, aggravati dai soprav-venuti inquietanti eventi inter-nazionali dei nostri giorni, ponendoin seconda fila altri provvedimentinonostante la loro importanza.

Siamo convinti che molto si puòfare ancora tramite l’impegno delleAssociazioni nei confronti dei soci edei connazionali con quella eroicasupplenza alle distrazioniistituzionali, divenuta epopea dellapresenza italiana nel mondo.

Desidero sottolinearti l’impor-tanza nell’esercizio del tuo diritto ascegliere democratica- mente chidovrà rappresentarti nei tuoi dirittied interessi.– Mimmo Azzia – Sicilia Mondo


Pagelle ItalianeCiao! Mi chiamo Cecilia Grinis. Io sono il Vice Presidente di Bradford

High School Club Italiano. Ogni settimana, ci riuniamo come gruppo perdiscutere le opportunità di raccolta fondi, gite scolastiche, e gliargomenti che abbiamo imparato in classe. Pensiamo anche ai modi perportare la cultura italiana alla nostra comunità scolastica. Mostriamo ilnostro orgoglio italiano in occasione di eventi come la parata annualedel Bradford.

Durante i nostri incontri, la signora Niespodziany verifica con ogniofficer di club e membro per discutere lo stato della nostra vendita deibiglietti, idee di raccolta fondi / opportunità, e le competenze di linguaitaliana. La maggior parte dei nostri membri sono attualmente studentidi signora Niespodziany, e usiamo il nostro tempo per esercitarci aparlare italiano tra di noi. Gli studenti avanzati aiuteranno i membripiù giovani sulle loro capacità di comunicazione e di grammatica.

Nel mese di febbraio, avremo una raccolta di fondi in un ristoranteitaliano locale. I membri del Club e gli studenti italiani sono statiincoraggiati a vendere il maggior numero di biglietti possibile e otteneredonazioni di imprese locali. Il nostro obiettivo è quello di raccogliereabbastanza soldi per finanziare il nostro viaggio programmato in Italianell’estate del 2016. Fundraisers contribuirà a ridurre il prezzo pesanteche ogni individuo viaggiatore deve pagare. Se continuiamo ad averesuccesso con la nostra raccolta fondi, più studenti avranno l’opportunitàdi viaggiare con i loro compagni di classe.

Quando la gente partecipa nella nostra Club Italiano, si lascianoimmergere nella cultura italiana e utilizzano ciò che stanno imparandoin classe. Non riesco a capire su quanto sia importante per mantenere lacrescita di ogni programma italiano compreso Bradford. Io viaggiornero’ spesso sullo stato del nostro club ed i suoi eventi in arrivo.

English translationHello! My name is Cecilia Grinis. I am the Vice President of Bradford

High School’s Italian Club. Each week, we gather as a group and dis-cuss fundraising opportunities, class trips, and topics that we’ve learnedin class. We also think of ways to bring the Italian culture to our schoolcommunity. We display our Italian pride during events such as theBradford’s annual homecoming parade.

During our meetings, Signora Niespodziany checks in with each clubofficer and member to discuss the status of our ticket sales, fundraisingideas/opportunities, and Italian language skills. Most of our membersare currently students of Signora Niespodziany, and we use our meetingtime to practice speaking Italian to each other. More advanced studentswill help the younger members on their communication and grammarskills.

In the month of February, we had a fundraiser at a local Italianrestaurant. Members of the Italian Club and students were encouragedto sell as many tickets as possible and get donations from local busi-nesses. Our goal is to raise enough money to fund our planned trip toItaly in the summer of 2016. Fundraisers will help reduce the heftyprice that each individual traveler has to pay. If we continue to be suc-cessful with our fundraising, more students will have the opportunity totravel with their fellow classmates.

When people participate in our Italian Club, they allow themselvesto immerse into the Italian culture and utilize what they are learning inclass. I cannot fathom on how important it is to maintain the growth ofevery Italian program including Bradford’s. I will frequently update onour club’s status and its oncoming events.

* * *Ciao! Mi chiamo Rianna Hrycay, e io sono una studentessa nella

classe di italiano tre. La nostra insegnante è Rosalia MonicaNiespodziany. Mrs. Niespodziany (o signora N) è molto intelligente emolto gentile. La nostra classe della italiana tre è piccolo, e noicondividiamo una classe con italiano due. Ci sono quattro studenti initaliano tre, e aiutiamo italiano due con i loro compiti. Ai giovanistudenti piace parlare molto, ma piace anche a imparare.

Noi abbiamo fatto progetti divertenti in italiano. Noi abbiamo fattostorie per conoscere imperfetto e passato prossimo. Abbiamo coloratoillustrazioni e abbiamo scritto su carta colorata. Poi, abbiamo letto lenostre storie alla classe. Era un progetto divertente, e spero di fareprogetti più divertenti presto. Ciao!

English translationHello! My name is Rianna Hrycay, and I am a student in Italian 3.

Our teacher is Rosalia Niespodziany. Mrs. Niespodziany (or Mrs. N) isvery intelligent and very kind. Our class of Italian 3 is small, and weshare a class with Italian 2. There are four students in Italian 3, and wehelp Italian 2 with their homework. The young students like to talk alot, but they also like to learn.

We have made fun projects in Italian. We have done stories to learnabout imperfect and past tense. We colored illustrations and wrote oncolored paper. Then, we read our stories to the class. It was a fun proj-ect, and I hope to do more fun projects soon. Ciao!

Premio per il Maestrodell’Anno da WisItaliaWisItalia é l’organizzazione, con

sede nello Stato di Wisconsin, che éstata determinante e responsabilea promuovere lo studio della linguae cultura Italiana nelle scuole diesso stato. Loro annunciano il 2015Banchetto onorando il Maestrodell’Anno insieme col Premio delloro Presidente e il Premio alContributore Culturale.

Il ricevente del Premio diMaestro dell’Anno sará SteveFalsetti, un insegnante a VictorySchool(Scuola) in Milwaukee. Sonosei anni che lui insegna lá. MaestroFalsetti ha contribuito grandiimpegni e lavori al successo delprogramma di Immersione Italianaa Victory. Il premio lo ringrazianon solo per i risultati passati maanche in previsione e attesa del suocontinuo aiuto nel futuro,specialmente nello sviluppo delprogramma Italiano.

Il Premio del Presidentequest’anno andrá a Tom Balistreri,un buon conosciuto nella nostracommunitá Italo-Americana per isuoi lavori e impegni inpromuovendo e coltivando i valori etradizioni Italiano. Lui é stato socionel Consiglio dei Direttori delCentro Italiano e ConsiglioScolastico della cittá di Milwaukee.Tom era presidente della scuola diRufus King durante il periodo cheinsegnavano l’Italiano. MaestroBalistreri ha contribuito molto inpromuovere quest’insegno nellenostre scuole specialmente nelsudetto Victory e lui ha intenzionedi continuare in questapartecipazione nel futuro.

Ultimamente, Anna Pitzo, una

membra del Centro Italiano datanto tempo e una contributriceinfaticabile nelle attivitá e funzionidello stesso, sará onorata colPremio di Contributrice allaCultura Italiana. Il premio é inonore e gratitudine in questapartecipazione nel Centro e pureper i suoi anni che era maestra discuole locale. Anna continua apromuotere la lingua e culturaItaliana, specialmente durante lafestivitá della Fiera Popolare(FolkFair)di Milwaukee e nella suaimpersonazione della Befanadurante le feste Natalizie.

Il banchetto comincierá con unricevimento alle 5:00 seguito alle6:00 con un pranzo di scelta frapollo, pesce o pasta. Il prezzo sará$45 a persona e bisogna fareprenotazioni mandate a FrankAlfano a 4809 Eldorado Lane,Madison WI 53716. Nota bene chele prenotazioni devono esserericevute da Frank prima di Sabato,Aprile 4, 2015.

Termini riaperti perla presentazione

delle liste ai ComitesNotice to Italian citizens: Time limitsto submit Comites lists reopened

Questo Marzo e Aprilearriveranno all’Universitá diCarroll due gruppi di studenti dellaRegione Umbria nel centr’Italia perstudiare musica con i lorocontroparti Americani. Il primogruppo, compreso di 14 studenti,saranno a Milwaukee dal primo di

Marzo fino alle 9 e il secondogruppo di 16 studenti dal 13 diAprile fino al 21. Gli studentiavranno bisogno di vitto e alloggioe di trasportazione all’universitá-andata e ritorno. Se li poteteaiutare, bisogna chiamareProfessore Larry Harper a 262-327-

4378 al piú presto possible.Prima di ritornare all’Italia, i

sudetti studenti avranno dueconcerti musicali offerto gratis alpubblico. I concerti sarannonell’Auditorium Shattuck a Carrolla Marzo 5 alle 7:30pm e Aprile 18alle 8:00pm. Tutti sono invitati.

Studenti dall’ItaliaBisognano Aiuto


150-year history of Milwaukee’sItalian community explored in MPTVdocumentary that premiered at ICC

Milwaukee’s Italians and told ofcourageous, personal journeys fromItaly and Sicily to the Milwaukeearea. It also told of hardships andthe importance of faith, family andtogetherness. It also looked at thecrossroads of generations andwhat’s to come of the future for theItalian community. The children ofimmigrants challenge the youngergenerations to carry on meaningfultraditions first established by theirgreat-grandparents, grandparentsand parents and why it’s critical forthe young to write the next chapterof this 150-year old story.

Numerous local Italian

Americans were interviewed for thelocal documentary including ICC

Historian Mario A. Carini, GinaCamillo Manning, Mary Lo CiceroMaglio, Anne De Leo, Tony andLeonard Machi, UWM EmeritusProfessor Larry Baldassaro,Vincenzo Balistreri, Frank D.Alioto, Carl De Leo, and JoyDraginis-Zingales and Gianfranco

Zingales and their sons Gino andGianfranco, who participate in theItalian Enrichment Program atMilwaukee’s Victory K8 School.

Video included footage taken atthe ICC, Festa Italiana, theHistoric Third Ward, the Bay Viewcommunity and Victory School.

from page 2

Cafe La Scala wants to make lunchyour favorite meal of the day!

Now available a different lunch buffet Monday throughFriday, 11am - 2pm for just $8.50per person!

Monday – Tex Mex: Black bean salad, soft flour torillas, crispycorn torillas, ground beef, grilled chicken, shredded lettuce,chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, chickenenchiladas, rice and beans.Tuesday – Pasta Abbondanza: Caesar salad, Italian pasta salad,lasagna, eggplant parmesan, penna pasta, meatballs, tomatobasil sauce, Alfredo sauce.Wednesday – Southern BBQ: Cobb salad, cole slaw, pulledpork shoulder, Mississippi roast beef, mac and cheese,fried potato wedges, corn bread.Thursday – Italian: Antipasto, rice balls, pasta alla eggplant,chicken Florentine, minestrone soup, sautèed cauliflower.Friday – Fish Fry: Tossed salad, tuna pasta salad, baked cod,fried cod, French fries, parsley boiled potatoes, potato pancakes.Also try Cafe La Scala’s new lunch and dinner menu,including our famous pizza, with your favorite beverage!Cafe La Scala is open Monday through Saturday for Breakfast:6am - 11am; for Lunch, 11am - 2pm; and for Dinner: 5pm - 9pm,Monday-Thursday, 4:30 pm, Friday and 5pm-10pm, Saturday.Closed Sunday.

Cafe La Scala at the Italian Community Center631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee • Free Parking(414) 223-2185 •www.LaScalaMilwaukee.com

Here’s Anthony T. Machi, the firstpresident of the ICC, whoappeared with his younger broth-er, Leonard, in the documentary.The Machi brothers discussedtheir memories of growing up inthe old Third Ward.

Some of the video was shot at the 2014 Festa Italiana. This video showsthe Madonna del Lume Society Men in the Festa procession.

Here’s 99-year old Mary Magliowho was interviewed in the docu-mentary on her life experience asthe child of immigrant parentsfrom Sicily. After the screeningMrs. Maglio, who traveled fromArizona to Milwaukee to watch thepremiere screening, was given abouquet of flowers by the MPTVstaff.

Anna De Leo, who also appeared inthe documentary reading hermother’s memoirs of coming toAmerica and living in Milwaukee’sold Third Ward, was also given abouquet of flowers.

march 2015 online

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