Dropping the (bocce) ball on the Italian Festival

While many anticipated learning Italian culture, and partaking of Italian food, during St. Joseph’s Italian Festival, we forgot to enquire into the upcoming festival. When we did, we found out that it was neither ‘up’ nor ‘coming’, and had been as much for over a year. Whoops! We’ve had in our events calendar that the […]

June 7, 2011; 8:48 PM • by RVANews staff

While many anticipated learning Italian culture, and partaking of Italian food, during St. Joseph’s Italian Festival, we forgot to enquire into the upcoming festival. When we did, we found out that it was neither ‘up’ nor ‘coming’, and had been as much for over a year.

Whoops! We’ve had in our events calendar that the Italian Festival was taking place this weekend (as did other media outlets in town). It’s come to our attention, however, that the Italian Festival was cancelled over one year ago, a fact only now, are many realizing.

Nick Maiolo is surprised that local media outlets (including RVANews) have only just “picked up on the cancellation” of the Italian Festival. It’s typically an annually held event, with proceeds benefiting St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. “I was chairman of it, and I got burned out,” says Maiolo, who is 77 years-old, and has yet to find someone to take over his responsibilities: coordinating sponsors, initiating advertising, as well as training and overseeing the vendors. “It just got to be too much.”

Previous festivals were able to generate money for the church, such as replacing its roof and updating its air-conditioning system. No such financial help will be made this year. “It’s a shame because we did so well for the church.” The lack of both support and advertising made hosting the event this year nearly impossible. Canceling the event is not surprising.

What is surprising, however, is that many thought that Maiolo initiated a last-minute cancellation. Not so. The plans to not hold this year’s festival was made back in August 2010. The fact that we, with others, missed this point shows that we are only human, and make mistakes from time to time.

When asked about the festival returning in 2012, Maiolo is blunt. “We’re hopeful, but I doubt it.”

June 7, 2011 8:48 PM 3