January 2014 issue

The Oldies But GoodiesSpectacular, joined by special guestperformers, will bring backMilwaukee’s ‘50s and ‘60s rock-and-roll scene in a concert at theItalian Community Center, 631 E.Chicago St., Milwaukee, onSaturday, Feb. 1.

Doors of the Festa Ballroomopen at 6:30 p.m. The show beginsat 8 p.m.

Advance tickets are now avail-able at the ICC for $20. Stop in orcall 414/223-2180 to purchase yourtickets. Tickets are also availablefrom members of the Oldies But

Goodies Spectacular.Should tickets still be available

the night of the show, admissionwill be $25.

Cafe La Scala, the ICC’s publicrestaurant, will be open at 5 p.m.that Saturday night. The staff willbe on hand to take food and drinkorders in both the restaurant andFesta Ballroom throughout theevening.

Kim Marie, the founder and oneof the three lead vocalists of theOldies But Goodies Spectacular,said, “Several very special guestperformers will be joining us forthis show, which is a reunion ofMilwaukee’s best rock-and-rollartists from the late ‘50s and early‘60s.”

The special artists and thegroups they played with back inthe day include: Bob Barian of TheComic Books, Warren Wiegratz ofThe Freeloaders, Larry Lynne ofThe Skunks, Jim Rosetti of TheMidnighters (appearing withAntonio Wigley), Bob Hirschi ofThe Van Tels, Big Louie of TheRenagades and Johnny B., formerlyof The Oldies But GoodiesSpectacular.

Kim Marie added that baritonesax player Yogi, formerly of TheSoul Entertainers and The OldiesBut Goodies Spectacular, is return-ing to play with the band for thisshow.

People who have followed theOldies But Goodies Spectacularthrough the years know that the

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDMILWAUKEE, WI

Permit No. 5716

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

www.ICCMilwaukee.comVOL. 35, NO. 6 JANUARY 2014

– CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED –

PASTE ADDRESS LABEL HERE.

THE

ITALIAN TIMES

Buon Natalee

Felice Anno Nuovo

The Pompeii Women’s Club continued to show its support for the ItalianCommunity Center with a $500 donation, which was presented at the ICCmembership’s Christmas dinner and dance on Dec. 5. Joined by all of thePompeii Women in attendance that night, Pompeii President PatConsolazione presented the check to ICC President Gina Spang. Spangthanked the Pompeii Women for their ongoing support of the ICC. (Timesphoto by Tom Hemman)

Pompeii Women’sClub makes holiday

donation to ICC

35th Carnevaledate and royalty

announcedThe date for the Italian

Community Center’s social event of2014 is Saturday, Mar. 1. Thetheme for the 35th annualCarnevale is simply “Il GrandeCarnevale 2014.” There is just nobetter way to describe it, say co-chairpersons Joanne Czubek andRosemary DeRubertis.

Royal CourtCzubek and DeRubertis are

pleased to announce the selectionof the 2014 Royal Court.

They are:• Re and Regina (King and

Queen) – Dan and ChristineConley.

• Nonno and Nonna (RoyalGrandparents) – Charles and DorisEvans.

• Principe (Prince) – FrankPurpora.

• Principessa (Princess) –Benedetta Cannestra.

• Piccolo Prince (Junior Prince)

– Jack Elliott.• Piccola Principessa (Junior

Principessa) – Maria Vella.Traditionally someone is select-

ed to be Il Gran Maresciallo (TheGrand Marshal) to keep theevening’s activities on schedule.The 2014 role will be shared by theduo of Dean Cannestra and MarieLieber. Both have assumed theroles in the past.

Excitement is beginning to buildup as the committee goes into theplanning stages. They promise anevening that will again be filledwith pomp, pageantry, wonderfulfood, fun and surprises. Costumesand masked attendees will be danc-ing to the music of the Bill SargentBig Band.

Look for lots more informationin the next issue of The ItalianTimes, which will be available inprint and online the week of Jan.20.

Dates and acts set for ICC’sCabin Fever Music Series

By Thomas HemmanTimes Editor

The third season of the ItalianCommunity Center’s “Cure forCabin Fever Music Series” willbegin on Tuesday, Mar. 4, accord-ing to Joe Campagna, Jr., seriescoordinator, and Tom Sorce, musicdirector.

The series will feature jazz orblues acts on Tuesday nights andgood-time rock-and-roll bands onThursday nights. These shows willagain be offered with no covercharge or drink minimum. Theywill take place in the FestaBallroom, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The staff of Cafe La Scala, theICC’s public restaurant, will be onhand to take food and drink ordersfrom 5 p.m. in both the restaurantand the ballroom.

Who’s performing?Campagna and Sorce announced

the acts that been signed to per-form shortly before presstime.

The complete lineup follows.Please note: There will be no showsMar. 13 and Apr. 10 as the ItalianConference Center has large eventsbooked that will prevent the pres-entation of the series.

• Tuesday, Mar. 4 – Rev.Raven & The Chain Smokin’ AltarBoys. One of the most popularblues acts to play at the ICC thelast few years is Reverend Raven &The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys( w w w . r e v e r e n d r a v e n . c o m ) .Specializing in classic Chicagoblues, Reverend Raven and compa-ny won the Wisconsin Area MusicIndustry Award for best blues bandin 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008

Please turn to page 6

January generalmeeting movedfrom 2nd to 9th

Italian Community CenterPresident Gina Spang hasannounced that the January gen-eral membership meeting willnot be held on the day after NewYear’s Day but rather onThursday, Jan. 9 starting at 6:30p.m.

General meetings are normal-ly held on the first Thursday ofthe month, but with holiday cele-brations and travel, Spang saidshe thought it would be best tomove the January meeting to the9th.

Cake and coffee will be servedat the conclusion of the meeting.

All other ICC meeting datesremain as normally scheduled.

Oldies But Goodies Spectacularwith special guests to perform

at ICC on Feb. 1; get tickets now



Don’t wait to make your reserva-tions for the spectacular NewYear’s Eve party planned at theItalian Community Center. Thecelebration on Tuesday, Dec. 31,beginning at 7 p.m., will includelots of delicious food, plenty ofparty favors and dancing to the‘50s-‘60s sounds of the legendaryDoo-Wop Daddies.

General Manager PatrickMorgan said, “The Doo-WopDaddies have always drawn largecrowds every time we’ve bookedthem. So, I want to advise everyoneto get their reservations madeearly.”

The cost for the evening is $75

per person. Reservations arerequired and can be made using acredit card and calling 414/223-2180, or by mailing in the formaccompanying this story. Be sureto make your check payable to theItalian Conference Center andsubmit it along with the reserva-tion form to ICC, 631 E. ChicagoSt., Milwaukee, WI 53202.

If you wish to be seated at atable with specific persons, pleaselist the names of those people on aseparate sheet of paper. Don’t for-get to include your own name.

The ICC will not be allowingwalk-ins the night of the event.

At 7 p.m., guests will be able toenjoy a variety of the ItalianConference Center’s famous hot

and cold hors d’oeuvres in the galle-ria. There will be a cash bar.

An hour later, guests will becalled into the Pompeii GrandBallroom for a sumptuous dinner.It will begin with an Italian saladwith Romaine lettuce topped withmozzarella cheese, salami, pro-sciutto, tomatoes, black olives, arti-choke hearts and pepperoncini.The main course will feature a com-bination entrée – center cut beeftenderloin topped with wild mush-room Bordelaise sauce and jumboshrimp scampi – served over angelhair pasta, steamed vegetable med-ley, Italian bread, and coffee, tea,

iced tea or milk.For dessert, guests will be

served tiramisu (ladyfinger cookies,soaked in espresso and coffeeliqueur, layered with mascarpone,dusted with cocoa powder andchocolate shavings).

Following a midnight cham-pagne toast welcoming the NewYear, a buffet station will be madeavailable.

The buffet will feature assortedcold cuts, cheese and relish trays,fresh rolls, pasta salad and assort-ed cookies.

The Doo-Wop Daddies will playfrom 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Doo-Wop DaddiesBased in Milwaukee, the Doo-

Wop Daddies capture the demand-ing vocal styles of doo-wop musicwith unsurpassed excellence.That’s only the beginning. TheDaddies don’t merely recreate this

THE ITALIAN TIMESPAGE 2 – JANUARY 2014

• NO LONGER ASSOCIATED WITH SCHMIDT & BARTELT/GUARDALABENE & AMATO.

• Personally providing the servicesyou have come to expect at yourchurch, chapel or at theHarder Funeral Home.

• Funeral planning & pre-planningat your residence or at the funeralhome.

• Pre-planning and Title 19expertise.

• Longtime member of theItalian Community Center.

• Proud sponsor of the FestaItaliana Mass since 2002.

18700 W. Capitol Drive

HarderF u n e r a l H o m e

“Three generations of myfamily serving yours.”

www.Guardalabene.comPhone: (262) 781-8350

Cell: (414) 588-0836“As dictated by the laws of the State of

Wisconsin, all pre-paid funeral trusts areallowed to be transferred to another funeral

home at any time. I would greatly appreciate theopportunity to discuss transferring your trust tome from Schmidt & Bartelt or any other funeral

home. I would, of course, honor all the terms andwishes as originally agreed upon. It is a very

simple process that only requires your signatureon a transfer form which I would provide. In

addition, there likely could be a savings to youbecause of Harder’s more reasonable charges.”

JAMES T. GUARDALABENEASSOCIATE

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 . . . . . . . . . . . Gina SpangNewspaper CommitteeChairman . . . . . . . Rosemary DeRubertisEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas HemmanItalian PageEditor . . . . . . . Enrica Tarantino-WoytalAdvertising SalesManager . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas HemmanAdvertising SalesRepresentative . . . . . . Faye Ann KesslerEditorial Contributors and StaffWriters/Reporters . . . . , .Mario A. Carini

Angelo Castronovo, Barbara Collignonand Susan Christiansen

Staff Photographers. . . . . . .Joe Spasiano,Tim Townsend and Tom Hemman

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

Copyright 2013The Italian Community Center, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Still time to make reservations forICC’s grand New Year’s party

Doo-Wop Daddies to play after fabulous dinner at this reservations-only event

The Doo-Wop Daddies are returning for a third consecutive year to per-form at the Italian Community Center’s New Year’s Eve party.


ICC New Year's Eve Party Reservation FormTuesday, Dec. 31, 2013

Name(s) _________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________

City _______________________________ State ______ Zip _____________

Phone ___________________ Email __________________________________

Please list the names of persons in your party on a separate sheet of paper. Tablesof 10 are available. Singles and couples: If you wish to be seated at a table with

specific persons, please list their names on a separate sheet of paper.

Total number of people attending _________ x $75.00 = $

Please make your check/money order payable to: Italian Conference Center, andmail to: ICC, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916.

All payments are non-refundable and must accompany this reservation form.

THE ITALIAN TIMES JANUARY 2014 – PAGE 3

ICC members: Last chance to sign upyour children or grandchildren for the

Jan. 4 party with La BefanaBy Thomas Hemman

Times EditorFor the 12th consecutive year,

the Italian Community Center willhost a post-Christmas party for theyoungest children and grandchil-dren of ICC members. This partycelebrates the legend of La Befana.

The gift-bearing witch of Italianfolklore will greet and provide giftsto youngsters on Saturday, Jan. 4at a party that begins with a noonlunch in the Pompeii GrandBallroom.

“Since the mission of the ICC isto promote Italian culture, wethink it’s important that our chil-dren and grandchildren learn aboutLa Befana,” said Liz Ceraso, chair-person of the Avanti Committee,which is organizing the event.

Having the party after the busyChristmas season has also provenquite popular with the parents andgrandparents, added Rose AnneCeraso-Fritchie and Mary AnneCeraso-Alioto, Avanti Committeemembers, who are co-chairing thechildren’s party.

Party detailsChildren are encouraged to wear

socks that day because, after theyeat lunch, the children will beasked to take off their shoes andleave them behind a curtain. ICCofficials have heard that Befanahas expressed an interest in leav-ing special treats in the children’sshoes.

The lunch will feature a buffetwith food to please both the chil-dren and the adults in attendance.

The menu will include barbecuebeef sandwiches, chicken nuggets,french fried potatoes, macaroni andcheese, fruit, chocolate or whitemilk for the kids and coffee foradults.

For dessert, everyone will beable to make their own ice creamsundae.

The cost to attend is $15 perperson. Pre-paid reservations arerequired by Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Please use the form accompanyingthis article to make your reserva-tions.

Please include on the form thename and age of each child so that

gifts appropriate for each age groupare given out. Walk-ins on the dayof the event will not be permitted.

Anna Pitzo, a director on theICC Board, is making the arrange-ments for Befana’s visit.

La Befana: The Yuletide WitchIn Italy, there still remains a

tradition involving the beneficentwitch named Befana. On the nightof the Feast of Epiphany (the 12thand final day of the Christmas holi-day observance), Befana leavespresents in children’s stockings,hung upon a hearth or a stairwayrailing (a tradition quite similar tothe American Santa Claus story).

Legend has it that when Christwas born, the Three Wise Men (I remagi) stopped at Befana’s hut fordirections on their way toBethlehem and, in the conversa-tion, asked her to join them.Befana said no, she was too busy.

Later, a shepherd asked her tojoin him in paying respects to theBaby Jesus. Again, Befanadeclined.

When it became dark, Befananoticed a great star illuminatingthe sky just as the Wise Men hadtold her earlier in the day. Shethen realized that perhaps sheshould have gone with them. So,she gathered some toys that hadbelonged to her own baby, who haddied as an infant, and boarded hermagic broom to find the kings andthe stable where the Christ Childlay.

The legend states that, regret-fully, Befana was unable to locateeither the Three Wise Men or theplace where Jesus was born. Sincethen, each year at this time, Befanacontinues her search for the ChristChild and, leaves gifts along theway for good children and pieces ofcharcoal for bad ones.

Here’s an amazing fact aboutBefana’s visits to the ICC’sannual party: Not once in thepast 11 years has Befana left char-coal in the shoes or gift bags of anyof the children attending. Couldthat possibly mean that all the chil-dren have been good?

La Befana

CHILDREN'S LA BEFANA PARTY & LUNCH RESERVATION FORM

Names of male adult members attending: ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Names of female adult members attending: ___________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cost: $15.00 per person. Total Amount Enclosed: $ . Make your check payable to: Italian CommunityCenter. Mail this form with your payment to: Italian Community Center, Attn.: Befana party, 631 E. Chicago St.,Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. Reservation form with payment due Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013. No walk-ins permitted.

NAMES OF BOYS ATTENDING AGE__________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ____

NAMES OF GIRLS ATTENDING AGE__________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ____


For the ninth consecutive year,the Italian Conference Center willparticipate in the “WonderfulWorld of Weddings.” The show –the 46th annual – will take placethe weekend of Jan. 4 and 5 in theWisconsin Exposition Center atState Fair Park in West Allis.

David Stachowiak, Director ofSales, Catering & Special Events,and Michelle LeFebvre, CateringSales Representative, will staff theICC’s booth (#229), which, accord-ing to the two, is close to the MainStage and where all the actionoccurs.

The booth will have very visiblesignage, featuring large color pho-tos of the ICC’s banquet halls andmeeting rooms.

Stachowiak and LeFebvre willhand out brochures, menus andother information on the ICC’s ban-quet facilities and food service andanswer questions that prospective

brides and grooms and weddingplanners might have.

As a result of their participationin the show the past six years,Stachowiak estimated that around200 weddings, rehearsal dinners,bridal showers and anniversaryparties have been booked at theItalian Conference Center.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30p.m., both days.

Advance tickets availableAdvance admission tickets are

$7.50. Check out the WonderfulWorld of Weddings website –www.WisconsinWeddingShow.com –for an online order form and a listof the locations that are sellingadvance tickets. General admissionon the days of the show will be $9.Children under the age of 12 areadmitted for free. For more infor-mation, you can also call 262/367-5500.

It is anticipated that theWonderful World of Weddings willinclude 175 exhibits presented by

many of Wisconsin’s leading wed-ding professionals.

There are two 45-minute fashionshows daily on the Main Stage.These will take place at 12:30 and 3p.m.

When they enter the expo,attendees should make sure theypick up a “Bridal Bag” and a show

directory, which lists all theexhibitors. As they go through theexpo, they can put all the availableliterature from the exhibitors intothe bag for future reference.

All brides-to-be who attend theshow can receive a complimentarycopy of Premier Bride, a useful pub-lication for planning a wedding.

Italian Conference Center to participate in‘Wonderful World of Weddings,’ Jan. 4 & 5

Scarvaci Florists & Gift Shoppe2663 N. Holton St., Milwaukee

Your Wedding and HolidayFloral & Gift Headquarters

Balloons • Stuffed Animals • Personal ServiceCitywide, Suburban & County Delivery

Visa • MasterCard • American Express • DiscoverPLEASE ORDER EARLY TO GUARANTEE DELIVERY!

Ann Vollmer-Goralski414/562-3214

If no answer, please leave message.

The 2014 meeting and socialevent schedules of all societies,clubs and organizations that regu-larly use the Italian CommunityCenter for their activities are need-ed by the Italian ConferenceCenter’s Sales and CateringDepartment and The Italian Times.

David Stachowiak, Director ofSales, Catering & Special Events,and Michelle LeFebvre, CateringSales Representative, need theseschedules to guarantee dates andhall/room availability.

Tom Hemman, Times editor,needs the information to provide anaccurate reporting of events in thecalendar published in this newspa-per.

All groups are asked to submittheir schedules including thestarting time of all events as

soon as possible. The goal is tohave the schedules from all soci-eties, clubs and organizations bythe end of November.

Please submit schedules byusing any one of these methods:

• Send an email to TomHemman at [email protected]

or to David Stachowiak at dsta-

[email protected] orMichelle LeFebvre at [email protected].

• Fax the information to eitherThe Italian Times or the ItalianConference Center Sales andCatering Department at 414/223-2187.

• Drop off the schedules in per-son at the ICC.

Groups that don’t comply withthis request may find it more diffi-cult at a later time to get the

accommodations they most desire.“We always try our best to accom-modate all requests, but if we canreserve dates and rooms early, it’sto everyone’s advantage,”Stachowiak said.

Added Hemman, “If we don’thave your schedule of events andthe starting time of each event,it becomes very difficult and a bit

frustrating to prepare an accuratecalendar listing for the newspaper.We do hear about it when an eventis not listed in the calendar. This iswhy we have to depend on the pres-idents or the designated represen-tatives of the many organizationsto supply that information to us.”

All schedules should be submit-ted before the end of 2013.


A message from Gina Spang,Italian Community Center President

Wishing you and your familya very Merry Christmas and aHappy and Joyous New Year!

– Gina SpangICC President

Seen here is a small portion of an American Christmas village that is nowon display at the Italian Community Center through the first week ofJanuary. The display, consisting of around 300 pieces, came to the ICCcourtesy of Enzo Brusca, a Chicago resident and member of the Society ofSan Biaggio Platani. Brusca is a friend of ICC member Ann and JoeZambito. The display has moving figures and structures such as a ferris

wheel. Brusca has been collecting the pieces for many years and hasamassed quite a collection of unique pieces. People can view the displayduring the ICC’s regular business hours. Admission is free. Large groupsshould call the ICC at 414/223-2180 when they are coming so that a volun-teer can be available to answer questions. (Times photo by Tom Hemman)

American Christmas village on displayat ICC until early January

2014 schedules sought from societies andclubs that regularly use the ICC

Since it’s too cold, wet, andsnowy to play bocce outdoors inWisconsin in the winter time, whynot play the Italian lawn bowlingindoors at the Italian CommunityCenter? Winter leagues are nowforming.

The winter bocce season getsunder way the week of Jan. 6.Teams in the senior citizen leaguesplay on Tuesday and Thursdayafternoons. Teams in the mixedcouples’ leagues compete onMonday, Wednesday and Thursdaynights. Teams in each league playonce a week. The regular seasonlasts eight weeks.

The winter season championplayoffs will take place Monday,Mar. 10.

If you’re interested in register-ing a team to play in a winterleague, here are a few things youneed to know. There are two sets ofregistration fees – one for thosewho are not members of the ICCand one for those who are ICC

members. 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 the team cap-tain. Each league is interested inhaving eight teams.

Team registration forms areavailable from the league coordina-tors: Dan Conley (Monday night),Anthony Gazzana (Tuesday after-noon), Tony Tarantino (Wednesdaynight), Anna Pitzo (Thursday after-noon) and David Alioto (Thursdaynight). The forms also can beobtained by calling Salina Castroat 414/223-2180.

The championship playoffs, fea-turing each league winner and fourteams with the next best record,will be played the night of Monday,Mar. 10. Prizes will be awarded tothe championship team and therunner-up in the tournament.

Winter bocce season tostart week of Jan. 6 at ICC


Tuesday, Dec. 17• Abruzzese Society singers rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 18• Filippo Mazzei Lodge of Order Sons of Italy in America membershipmeeting, 6 p.m. spuntino, 6:30 p.m. meeting.

Thursday, Dec. 19• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 24• Christmas Eve. The offices of the Italian Community Center, ItalianConference, Festa Italiana and The Italian Times will be closed. Cafe LaScala will also be closed.

Wednesday, Dec. 25• Christmas Day. The offices of the Italian Community Center, ItalianConference, Festa Italiana and The Italian Times will be closed. Cafe LaScala will also be closed.

Tuesday, Dec. 31• Italian Community Center New Year’s Eve party, 7 p.m. Details in thisissue.

Wednesday, Jan. 1• Felice Anno Nuovo! Happy New Year! The offices of the ItalianCommunity Center, Italian Conference, Festa Italiana and The ItalianTimes will be closed. Cafe La Scala will also be closed.

Saturday, Jan. 4• Children’s La Befana party, noon. Details in this issue.

Week of Jan. 6• Italian Community Center’s winter bocce season begins with couples’leagues on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights and seniors’ leagueson Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Details in this issue.

Monday, Jan. 6• Italian Community Center Culture Committee meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 7• Pompeii Men’s Club Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 9• Italian Community Center general membership meeting, 6:30 p.m. Cakeand coffee served after meeting.

Monday, Jan. 13• Italian Community Center Finance Committee meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 14• Pompeii Women’s Club Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.• Abruzzese Society meeting and spuntino, 7 p.m.• Milwaukee Chapter UNICO National meeting, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 16• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 18• Italian Family History Club meeting, 10:30 a.m. Details in this issue.

Tuesday, Jan. 28• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 29• Pompeii Women’s Club general meeting, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 1• Oldies But Goodies Spectacular reunion show, doors open at 6:30 p.m.,showtime 8 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 3• Solomon Juneau Social Club, 11:30 a.m.• Italian Community Center Culture Committee meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 4• Pompeii Men’s Club Board meeting, 6 p.m.

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

Saturday, Feb. 8• Abruzzese Society dinner, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 11• Pompeii Women’s Club Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.• Milwaukee Chapter UNICO National meeting, 7 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 17• Italian Community Center Finance Committee meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 18• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO membership meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 19• Filippo Mazzei Greater Milwaukee Area Lodge of the Order Sons of Italyin America membership meeting, spuntino at 6 p.m., meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 20• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 25• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 26• Pompeii Women’s Club general meeting, 6 p.m. Tentative.

Saturday, Mar. 1• Il Grande Carnevale, 6:11 p.m. Details in this issue.

Daily and weekly classes and activities• Bocce leagues. The winter bocce leagues season will begin the week ofJan. 6. Look for more information in this issue.

• Free Children’s Italian class. Look for information on the spring semes-ter in our next issue.

• Italian classes for teens and adults. Look for information on the springsemester in our next issue.

• Tradizione Vivente, The Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee. This folkdance group practices weekly on 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.

Editor’s note: This calendar is, at best, incomplete because the repre-sentatives of some of the societies and organizations that regularly use theICC for meetings and activities have yet to submit their 2014 schedules.We guessed at some of the dates appearing here based on schedules from2013. Our apologies for any inaccuracies.

Calendar of EventsDecember 17, 2013 – March 1, 2014

Italian Community CenterHistorian Mario A. Carini (left)gave Robb Quinn, the owner ofThe Studio Q, a guided tour of thevintage Italian American photo-graphs on display at the ICC.Quinn is a photographer. Like theICC, his business is located inMilwaukee’s Historic Third Ward(at 320 E. Buffalo St.). Quinn toldThe Italian Times that he ispreparing a book of photos thatdocuments the history and devel-opment of the Third Ward. He isalso working on the developmentof a multi-media presentation.Quinn was intrigued that the ICChas hundreds of photos which dis-play life and times in the ThirdWard when Italian immigrantsfrom Sicily lived and worked there(late 1890s to late 1950s). (Timesphoto by Tom Hemman)

ICC’s vintagephotos intrigue

Third Wardbusinessman

and 2010.• Thursday, Mar. 6 – The

Ricochettes. Formed initially in1963, The Ricochettes were dubbed“Milwaukee’s Beatles” in 1964 andreleased a number of singlesincluding “Come in My Love,”which sold over 10,000 copies in thearea.

• Tuesday, Mar. 11 – PeteSorce with Jeff Labarge SwingExplosion. Featuring the smoothvocals of Pete Sorce and the classicarrangements of Jeff Labarge withthe finest musicians from southeastWisconsin, the 18-piece ensemble ofSwing Explosion brings excitement,prestige and sophistication to anystage – and they don’t just do bigband music. Their unique andeclectic style is guaranteed to haveyou tapping your toes.

• Tuesday, Mar. 18 –LeroyAirmaster with David Wake. Sincethe 1980s, Leroy Airmaster hasbeen one of the dominant bluesbands in southeastern Wisconsin.With Steve Cohen (harmonica andvocals), Bill Stone (guitar andvocals), Dave Kasik (basss) andVodie Rhinehart (drums), the grouprelies heavily on a jazz approachbut never loses the gutsy bluesframework that made the band sopopular. Joining them for this showwill be keyboardist Dave Wake.

• Thursday, Mar. 20 – TomAnthony Group. Whether it’s thesummer Courtyard Music Series orthe winter Cabin Fever Series, theTom Anthony Group(www.tomanthony.com) performsbefore a packed house. VocalistTom Anthony has long been a fix-

ture on the Milwaukee area musicscene. With his group – Tom Sorce(guitar), Joel Freisinger (key-boards) and Brian Ford (drums),Anthony presents the best of therock, pop and rhythm and blues erawith a bit of today’s country.

• Tuesday, Mar. 25 – Vivo.Warren Wiegratz, Pam Duronioand Tim Stemper are the creativeforces behind this contemporaryjazz, pop bossa and samba musicensemble.

• Thursday, Mar. 27 – BobHirschi & Groove Therapy. Thisgroup is one of southeastWisconsin’s hottest horn bands.The band covers the best in rock,soul, R&B, pop, and more in thestyle of the classic horn bands.

• Tuesday, Apr. 1 – AlteredFive. A rockin’ rhythm and bluesband from Milwaukee that hasbeen performing around theMidwest to high acclaim since2002. The group is fronted by JeffTaylor, whose vocals have beendescribed as “gloriously gritty.”

• Thursday, Apr. 3 – RickD’Amore’s Rockin’ Dance Party.Joining D’Amore will be RobChalifaux on bass; Tim Sardina ondrums; and Pete D’Amore on leadguitar. Expect to hear the best ofElvis Presley, Dion Meucci, Dion &The Belmonts, Roy Orbison andmany of the other hitmakers of therock and roll era.

• Tuesday, Apr. 8 – FrankDeMiles Combo. Jazz legend FrankDeMiles, who was the vocal musicinstructor for the Greenfield SchoolDistrict for 35 years and winner ofthe 2010 Civic Music Association“Lifetime Achievement in Music”

award, will perform with hiscombo.

• Tuesday, Apr. 15 – JimLiban’s Third Coast BluesCollective with Joel Patterson. Thisband, formerly known as the JimLiban Band, features legendaryMilwaukee-based blues artists Jimand Matt Liban, Greg Koch andKurt Koenig. They will be joined byChicago blues and jazz guitaristJoel Patterson for this show.

• Thursday, Apr. 17 – LarryLynne Band. Milwaukee’s“Godfather of Rock and Roll,” LarryLynne and his band present aunique variety show that consistsof rock, country-rock, blues andclassic favorites from the ‘50s, ‘60sand ‘70s to today’s hits and noveltymusic with a touch of comedy.

• Tuesday, Apr. 22 – ChrisHanson Band. This group featuresperennial Wisconsin Area MusicIndustry award winner Robin Pleuron vocals, 30-year veteran violinist

of the Milwaukee SymphonyOrchestra Glenn Asch, bassistMike Britz and John Parrott andChris Hanson on guitar and vocals.The band performs regularlyaround the Milwaukee area.

• Thursday, Apr. 24 – TomAnthony Group. See above.

• Tuesday, Apr. 29 – TheJimmys. Named the “2012 Best

Swing/Big Band Ensemble“ by theWisconsin Area Music Industry,the band continued wracking uphonors in 2013, winning fiveMadison Area Music Awardsincluding 2013 Artist of the Yearand Blues Performer of the Year.The group consists of JimmyVoegeli (keyboardist), DarrenSterud (brass intrumentalist) andPeterson Ross (woodwind intru-mentalist) who have been honoredindividually.

Thinking summer?For the large group of our read-

ers who enjoy the summertimeCourtyard Music Series at the ICC,you can mark down Monday, June2 as the starting date. This free-admission series will run continu-ously Monday through Thursdaynights through Aug. 28 with theexception of June 25-July 6, whenSummerfest is held at nearbyMaier Festival Park. In September,

the series cuts back to Tuesday andThursday nights only.


ICC’s New Year’s Eve PartyHosted by: Italian Conference Center

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 – 7:00 p.m.

Children’s La Befana Christmas PartyHosted by: Avanti Committee

Saturday, January 4, 2014 – Noon

Rock and Roll Winter Blastfeaturing Oldies But Goodies Spectacular

and other ‘60s Milwaukee Rock and Roll legendsSaturday, Feb. 1 – 6:30 p.m., Doors open

8:00 p.m., Show

Il Grande CarnevaleHosted by: Italian Community CenterSaturday, March 1, 2014 – 6:11 p.m.

Cabin Fever Music SeriesHosted by: Italian Conference Center

Tuesday and Thursday nights, March 4 – April 29,except March 13 and April 10

A Taste of ItalyHosted by: Italian Community Center

Sunday, April 6, 2014 – 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Children’s Easter PartyHosted by: Avanti Committee

Saturday, April 12, 2014 – Noon

ICC’s Easter BrunchHosted by: Italian Conference Center

Sunday, April 20, 2014

ICC’s Mother’s Day BrunchHosted by: Italian Conference Center

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Courtyard Music SeriesHosted by: Italian Conference Center

Monday through Thursday nights,June 2 – September 30, 2014

except during Summerfest June 25 – July 6

Festa ItalianaHosted by: Italian Community Center

July 18 –20, 2014 at Maier Festival ParkSummerfest Grounds

Dates and acts set for ICC’s CabinFever Music Series, which starts Mar. 4

from page 1

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Oldies But Goodies Spectacular with specialguests to perform at ICC on Saturday, Feb. 1Advance tickets on sale for this show reuniting Milwaukee’s early rock acts

band is comprised of several artistswho also performed in popularMilwaukee bands from the late ‘50sinto the ‘70s. Kim Marie was amember of Denny and TheDarnells. Vocalist/guitarist ChuckTravis was the leader of The Do WaWa’s. Drummer Bruce Cole playedwith The Vantels. Trumpeter MikeBetts was with The Free Loaders.Lead guitar Tom Sorce still playswith the Tom Anthony Group andhis own group, the Tom SorceBand. Bass guitarist Jeff Burhardtwas with The Do Wa Wa’s.Keyboardist Bob Sanderson playedwith The Citations. SaxophonistMike Miller was with Junior andThe Classics. The group’s thirdvocalist, Tony Clementi, is the onlyexception. He did not perform withany of Milwaukee’s early rockbands.

from page 1

• ALL ARE WELCOME. Membership is open to any person of Italian heritage or other public-spiritedindividuals supporting the purposes and objectives of the Italian Community Center.

• A MEMBERSHIP IN THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER IS A PERFECT GIFT for friendsand relatives, holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and other special occasions.

BENEFITS OF INDIVIDUAL OR SENIOR MEMBERSHIP• Home delivery of The Italian Times* • Complimentary ticket to Festa Italiana • Voting privileges** • Free international

television in Members Room for sports and cultural programs • Special events discounts • Social, recreational, cultural andeducational opportunities • Discount on advertising in The Italian Times. *Online edition of The Italian Times available for

everyone. Visit www.ICCMilwaukee.com. **Persons, 18-25, who purchase individual membership, will have voting privileges.

Italian Community Center MembershipJoin us today! What’s not to love?

TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP� Individual Membership (64 or younger) @ $35.00/year. � Senior Membership (65 or older) @ $30.00/year.FREE Junior Membership, available for children, teens and adults under the age of 25 with a paid individual membership.Please complete the following information and mail this application form with your payment to: Italian CommunityCenter, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. If you have any questions or want further information, please call(414) 223-2180. If there are more than two persons in each category, please list the additional persons on a separate sheetof paper. All memberships are valid for one full year.

Names and birthdates of persons applying for or renewing an individual membership:First individual New Membership �Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �Second individual New Membership �Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �

Address: _____________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________________________

Phone: __________________ Cell: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________

Number of persons applying for or renewing an individual membership ____ @ $35/person = $_______________________

Names and birthdates of persons applying for or renewing a senior membership:First individual New Membership �Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �Second individual New Membership �Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �


Phone: __________________ Cell: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________

Number of persons applying for or renewing a senior membership ____ @ $30/person = $____________________________

Names and birthdates of persons applying for or renewing a free junior membership:First individual New Membership �Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �Second individual New Membership �Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �


Phone: __________________ Cell: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________

Number of persons applying for or renewing a junior membership ___________ at no cost.

Date of application TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $ _

Doo-WopDaddies to

play at ICC’sNew Year’sEve event

from page 2classic genre, but have redefined itand made it their own 21st centurydoo-wop.

The group’s live shows attainthat ideal unity of masterful per-formance and entertainment.Combining elements of vintage andcutting edge musical technologies,the Daddies produce an excitingtheatrical show that remains faith-ful to the doo-wop style.

The Doo-Wop Daddies’ lineupincludes Mike Sturino, MikeWelch, Ryan Clark, Mark Lansing,Tom Riepenhoff, Lee Stephens, LeeWanek and Terry Casey.

For yourWeddingRecept ion

andRehearsal

Dinner

The ItalianConference Center

located at theItalian Community Center631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee

You'll welcome our attention to detailand the way our staff goes out of itsway to meet your every need. Yourguests will love the setting, the food,and easy access and parking.

Our wedding specialists will workclosely with you to make certain thatyour day is everything you dreamed itwould be. They'll even assist with flo-ral arrangements, music, photography,ordering the wedding cake and otherextras.

Call David or Michelle now for avail-able dates and a tour.

(414) 223-2800www.italianconference.com


ICC volunteers bring Italian Christmastraditions to Brookfield museum

A dedicated group of ItalianCommunity Center volunteers pre-sented Italian Christmas traditionsat the Dousman Stagecoach InnMuseum in Brookfield, over thesnowy and frigid weekend of Dec. 7-8.

ICC Culture Committee ChairChristina Ziino said “Each year, adifferent ethnic group is asked topresent its holiday traditions at themuseum, and this year, they invit-ed us.”

Joining Ziino in the making ofthe presentation at the museumwere ICC members Anna Pitzo,Sandi Mazza and Fran Tollefson.Others such as Bea Ceraso, SophiaMichalovitz, Pam Mazza-Muellerand Nick Mazza also contributed invarious ways to the display.

The group brought with themexhibits and representations thattold the story of the zampognari,the shepherds from the hills; theceppo, the traditional wooden frameChristmas display; La Befana, thewitch of folklore who delivers giftsto good children on Epiphany Eve;and offered displays and examplesof how Christmas Eve andChristmas Day are celebratedacross Italy. (A fact sheet on thetraditional Italian Christmas thatthe volunteers prepared accompa-nies this story.)

“It was a real team effort,” Ziinosaid. “Bea Ceraso lent us beautifulChristmas dishes made in Italy fora dinner table. Sandi Mazza andher daughter Pam came up withthe idea of the fact sheet on ItalianChristmas traditions. Theydesigned and developed the con-

tent. We all pooled our resourcesfrom home to make the displays.We had three ceppos, a grotto madeby Sandi’s son Nick, and we allmade foods that are traditional tothe season like cucciddati (the figfilled cookies), tutus and sesamecookies, manicotti and struffoli. Wehad bowls of nuts and chestnutsand plates of cannoli, plasticbreads, cheese and salami. It wasSandi’s remembrance of the story ofthe shepherds coming down fromthe mountains that inspired us totransform our Mr. Funnoli manikin(a Festa Italiana prop) into the bag-pipe playing shepherd. Anna recasther La Befana character and recit-ed tale of this good witch of Italianfolklore.”

Ziino added that Italian decora-tions were placed throughout thebuilding. Some of the volunteersbrought their own crocheted bed-spreads that their grandmothersmade to put on the beds of the for-mer stagecoach inn. “We even hadone from Sophia Michalovitz thathad a hand-painted scene of Venice

A manikin was adorned as a shepherd with a bagpipe in remembrance ofthe Biblical story of the shepherds coming down from the mountains toproclaim the birth of the Christ Child. Seen here with the shepherd are (l-r): Sandi Mazza, Fran Tollefson and Christina Ziino.

Here’s Fran Tollefson standingalongside the ceppo she made forthe presentation. This was one ofthe three ceppos that the ICC vol-unteers had on display.

Continued on page 9


A dinner table was set with Christmas dishes from Italy that were provided for the presentation by Bea Ceraso.Photos provided by Anna Pitzo and Christina Ziino

on it,” she said.In 2012, a Nordic Christmas

was celebrated at the museum.

About the museumThe Dousman Stagecoach Inn

Museum once stood at the corner ofBluemound and Watertown PlankRoads. It was built in 1842 byTalbot Dousman.

In 1857, Daniel Brown pur-chased the property and ran it as astagecoach inn to accommodatetravelers using the plank road thatran from Milwaukee andWatertown.

After 1875, railroads supplantedstagecoach travel and the innbecame a farm owned by FrederickZimdars. From 1887 to 1980, itsowners were Charles Dunkel andhis descendent, John Behling.Behling donated the inn to the Cityof Brookfield, who leased it to theElmbrook Historical Society.

In 1981, the inn was moved bythe historical society to its currentlocation at 1075 Pilgrim Parkwayin Brookfield. Since then, societyvolunteers have restored and fur-nished the inn.

from page 8

Sandi Mazza stands next to a hand-made grotto with manger scene. Thegrotto (cave) was made by Mazza’s son, Nick.

Some of the traditional Italian Christmas treats were on display here fromcookies, to nuts and breads.

Volunteers bringItalian Christmas

to Brookfieldmuseum

Cafe La Scalamakes it easy for you to enjoy great

Italian food like pasta, pizza and dailyspecials at affordable prices.

• Dine-In: Lunch, 11 am - 2 pm & Dinner from 5 pm,Monday - Thursday:from 4:30 pm Friday. Have our

bartender mix your favorite cocktail.

• Carry-Out: Call 414/223-2185 to place your orderand pick it up at the time you requested.

Cafe La Scala, 631 E. Chicago St., Milw.A block west of Summerfest

414/223-2185 • www.LaScalaMilwaukee.com

Have you tried our all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry?

Copies of vintage photos displayed at ICC or Festaavailable through Milwaukee County Historical Society

Persons interested in acquiringa copy of any of the vintage ItalianAmerican photographs that are dis-played throughout the year at theItalian Community Center or dur-ing the four days of Festa Italianamust contact the MilwaukeeCounty Historical Society (MCHS)to obtain the photo, ICC HistorianMario A. Carini announced.

“The Historical Society is thekeeper of all of the negatives,”Carini said, who donated a massivecollection of artifacts, photos andother memorabilia to the society onbehalf of the ICC and the earlyItalian immigrants in 2010.

Please call either the MCHS.They can be reached at 414/273-7487 or 414/273-8288.

The Italian Community Centerdelivered early Christmas cheer toabout 150 members and non-mem-ber friends at the organization’sannual holiday dinner and dance inthe Festa Ballroom on Thursday,Dec. 5.

Besides a tasty Sicilian steakdinner and danceable music appro-priate for all ages, the event includ-ed a fabulous bake sale, a 14-prizeraffle, an opportunity to have a freephoto taken with fun props, and avisit from Santa Claus.

The general chairperson wasSusie Christiansen. JoanneCzubek, Rosemary DeRubertis andGina Manning served as chairs ofthe bake sale. Santa Claus’s visitwas made possible by John Alioto.

Thirty people volunteered toprovide homemade bake goodies,which were sold as a fund-raisingactivity the night of the party.

Many of the attendees tookadvantage of the opportunity tohave their picture taken with avariety of props (or without props ifthey desired). Gianni Vaccaro, amember of Tradizione Vivente: theItalian Dance Group, volunteeredas the photographer.

Christiansen announced thateach person (or group) having aphoto taken that night could pickup a small free print at the ICCafter Dec. 20 and that a members’Christmas party photo albumwould be made. The photo albumwill be available for viewing at theICC in the near future.

Christiansen said the photoalbum will be available for pur-chase, but that the price has notyet been set..

Also as a fund-raising activity,raffle tickets were sold for a varietyof prizes that were donated.

The prizes included:• BYKI, an Italian Language

Computer Program. One of the eas-iest ways to learn Italian on the

computer. The program uses flashcards that you turn around withthe click of a button, and a commonsense approach to learning.

• Cultured freshwater-pearl ear-rings.

• Wine aerator gift set.• Set of six Krosno wine glasses

(made in Poland).• Choice of four pairs of tickets

to see the Milwaukee Bucks play atthe Bradley Center.

• A choice of two gorgeousbowls.

• An insulated picnic basket.• Stainless steel pasta colander

filled with pastas, infused olive oiland grater.

• Two copies of the cookbook,Fast Track to Fine Dining, byLinda Mutschler.


ICC gets members and friends into holidayspirit with fun-filled Christmas party

Here are Susie and Tom Christiansen standing along-side some of the prizes that were available in the raf-fle. Susie Christiansen, a director on the ICC Board,

served as the Christmas party’s general chairpersonand coordinated the raffle as a fund-raiser.

Rosemary DeRubertis (front),Joanne Czubek and Gina Manningserved as chairpersons of the bakesale. DeRubertis told The Italian

Times that 30 people baked thegoods that were sold the night ofthe party as a fund-raising activity.

Nigal Reinbachs, an ICC memberwho regularly attends the organi-zation’s general meetings, kept tothe dance floor.

Photo below: Those attending themembers’ Christmas party on Dec.5 had an opportunity to dance tothe music played by a deejay fromMusic on the Move Plus. The dee-jay played danceable music for allages. As guests ate dinner, the dee-jay played holiday music.

Times photos by Tom Hemman


Quentin and Rosalea Oliva were among the many Christmas party atten-dees to put on some of the fun props for a free photo taken by volunteerphotographer Gianni Vaccaro.

Santa Claus arrived bearing gifts of candy. His pre-Christmas visit wasmade possible by ICC member John Alioto.

Remember the ICC inyour gift-giving plansthis holiday season.The “giving” holidays are approaching. You can give someone dear to you a veryspecial gift by making a contribution to the Italian Community Center in his or hername. We will send your “honoree” a special holiday card telling them of yourgenerosity on their behalf.

If you wish to make a gift in honor (or in memory) of a friend or family member,please fill out the form below and send it to the Italian Community Center, 631 E.Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. All donations of $1,000 or more arerecorded on the Wall of Pride or Wall of Honor and are listed in the official contri-butions book situated between the Walls at the entrance to the Pompeii GrandBallroom. Donations of less than $1,000 are recorded in the book.

For more information on making a donation, please call (414) 223-2194, weekdaysbetween 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Your Name ________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________

City ______________________________ State _______ Zip _______________

My contribution of $ ___________ is made

In memory of _______________________________________________________

In honor of _________________________________________________________

On the occasion of: Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Other

(please specify) _____________________________________________________

Send acknowledgement to:

Name _____________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________

City ______________________________ State _______ Zip _______________

Snowblowers – Ariens & Toro• Briggs & Stratton, Kohler & Tecumseh Engines •

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ICC Member

By Susie ChristiansenSocial networking websites,

such as Facebook and Twitter, aswell as e-mail and cell phone tex-ting, are currently the most com-mon methods of communicating forpeople. Using those avenues, wewant to develop a way to reach outto our membership to inform youabout upcoming events organizedby the Italian Community Center,such as Il Grande Carnevale, ATaste of Italy and Festa Italiana.

We can even email you a copy ofThe Italian Times.

When the ICC hosts wine tast-ings, musical events and cookingclasses, it would be helpful toeveryone involved to be able tosend an e-mail blast or a cell phonetext blast to ICC members and asmany non-members as possible.Right now, committee chairs andevent planners here don’t alwaysknow what advertising options areavailable to them and how to reachout to you. Without spending a tonof money, we just aren’t sure howto let the people out there knowabout upcoming events at the ICC.

ICC members can be placed on

an e-mail list and a cell phone listwhen they sign up for or renewtheir membership. Our applicationincludes a place for your e-mailaddress and cell phone number.

Our membership contact list isextremely private, and we will con-tinue to keep it that way. We donot distribute our address, phoneor e-mail lists to anyone. Restassured your contact informationwill be retained by the ICC andonly the ICC, and you will only besent messages on a limited basis.

We simply want to inform you.We want to tell you about the fan-tastic events, activities and ethnicexperiences that the ItalianCommunity Center has to offer.

These are the other optionsavailable for submitting your cellphone number and e-mail address:

1. Through our website:www.iccmilwaukee.com – use theContact Us Form (the last tab onthe site).

2. By sending me an e-mail:[email protected].

3. Calling Constance Palmer atthe ICC – 414-223-2808.

Request from ICC for cell phonenumbers and e-mail addresses

Times photos by Tom Hemman

Deadline set for Februaryissue of The Italian TimesAll advertising copy, news sto-

ries and photos for publication inthe February 2014 issue of TheItalian Times must be submitted tothe editor no later than Thursday,Jan 9. This will be both a printed

and online issue.All materials can be emailed to

editor Tom Hemman at them-

[email protected], sent to TheItalian Times, 631 E. Chicago St.,Milwaukee, WI 53202.

ICC Historian Mario Carini seeking yourhigh school yearbooks and

other memorabiliaDon’t throw away your old high

school yearbooks or other memora-bilia. If you attended a high schoolin Milwaukee County or surround-ing counties, Italian CommunityCenter Historian Mario A. Carini isinterested in using the yearbooksand other high school memorabiliafor furthering his research on localItalian Americans.

Carini will deposit the year-books and memorabilia at theMilwaukee County Historical

Society after he completes hisresearch.

“These can be yearbooks andmemorabilia from public, Catholicor private high schools,” Carinisaid.

Yearbooks and memorabilia canbe dropped off at the reception deskin the main office of the ICC.Please include a note with yourname and phone number so Cariniknows who made the donation.


This year, Phyllis Travia and her daughter, Geralyn Travia, were incharge of the Italian culture exhibit. The booth featured displays that cap-ture the Folk Fair’s 2013 theme, “Celebrating the Culture of Community.”Among them were a display pertaining to sports of Italy (soccer andbocce), the arts and crafts handed down from Italian ancestors (knittingand crocheting), and religious traditions celebrated by the Italian commu-nity. Seen here are Geralyn Travia (standing) and her daughters Racheland Victoria. Phyllis Travia was not available for the photo. (Photo pro-vided by Anna Pitzo)

Photo on left: Tradizione Vivente:The Italian Dance Group is shownhere in a performance at theHoliday Folk Fair. The group hasbeen a representative of Italianculture and folk dance for manyyears. (Photo provided byTradizione Vivente)

Photo on left: I Bei Bambini, theChildren’s Italian Dance Group,performed on the closing day ofthe 70th annual Holiday Folk Fair.The children, who rehearse regu-larly at the Italian CommunityCenter, are under the direction ofSusan (DeSanctis) Christiansenand Maria Mattia, members ofTradizione Vivente: The ItalianDance Group of Milwaukee. TheFolk Fair was Nov. 22-24 in theWisconsin Exposition Center atState Fair Park. (Photo providedby Sarah DiCamelli)

Italian culture well-represented at theHoliday Folk Fair by ICC volunteers,

Tradizione Vivente and I Bei Bambini

An Italian food booth was operated by members of Tradizione Vivente andits volunteers during the Holiday Folk Fair weekend. Guests could pur-chase pizza, meatball sandwiches, bruschetta, chicken pastina soup withItalian bread, and arancini (rice balls) along with traditional Italian pas-tries and desserts, such as cookies, tiramisu, cannoli and cassata cake.Sciortino’s Bakery and Palermo’s Pizza supplied the food. At the time thispicture was taken (from the left) Lory Bresina, Lisa DeSanctis, LindaDeSanctis and Angie (Caputo) Wolter were staffing the booth. (Timesphoto by Tom Hemman)


Gratitude extended to all who donated toThanksgiving dinner for less fortunate

On behalf of the Ragione Cluband the volunteers from the ItalianCommunity Center, general chair-man Tony Lupo extended a “heart-felt thank you” to all who donatedproduct, money or time and talentto the 38th annual Thanksgivingdinner for the less fortunate.

The dinner was served onSunday, Nov. 17 at the Open DoorCafe, a meal site on the campus ofSt. John’s Cathedral in Milwaukee.

“Your input, be it product, mone-tary or onsite volunteering madethe serving of a Thanksgiving feastto the less fortunate a success,”Lupo said. “We served hundreds ofpeople a full complimentary din-ner.”

Lupo noted that every donation– no matter how large or small –

was greatly appreciated. “From thelargest donations of $500 from JaneGertler and Ted Glorioso and to theone dollar donations, every onehelped us to provide a dinner thatmany of the less fortunate mightnot otherwise have a chance toenjoy,” he said.

Lupo added that Gertler, whowas not mentioned in earlierreports in The Italian Times, madeher donation in memory of her hus-band, Dr. Gertler, and the lateSadie Machi, wife of past ICC pres-ident Tony Machi.

In all, $3,116 was raised for thedinner, which was prepared anddelivered to the meal site by theItalian Conference Center staff.

In addition to Gertler and

Glorioso, other donors includedJohn Pellmann, Milwaukee Ladiesof UNICO, Carmello J. Sanfelippo,Anne Marie Costrini, JohnFiorenza, Sam Purpero, PompeiiMen’s Club, Pompeii Women’sClub, Sal Quarino, Rose Purpero-Spang, William and Rita Jennaro,Phillip and Geraldine Purpero,David Spano, Tony and BarbaraLupo, Anthony and KathleenCarlson, David and LonnetteRichards, Gina Spang, Thomas andBarbara Balistreri, TheresaAccetta, Tom and Pat Consolazione,Steven M. Taylor and MarissaGatti-Taylor, Aggie and GeorgeCollura, George and Gina Manning,Societå Maria Santissima, Anthonyand Adeline Zingale, Ray and CarolMartinez, Grace Gazzana, Mike

Palmisano, Anna Rose San Felippo,Sal and Antonette LoCoco, Queenieand Rosalie Olivia, Anna Pitzo,Joseph Lembo, Joe and AnnZambito, Frank and Nina Galioto,Sophia Michalovitz, Isidore andMary Pecoraro, Mary Winard,Christina Ziino, Joseph Dentice,Faye Ann Kessler, Lucy Raimondoand the Italian Conference Center.

Another $119 was collected inanonymous cash donors.

Lupo also extended thanks tothe students of St. Dominic Schoolin Brookfield who volunteered asservers the day of the event.

“Thank you to everyone for yourgenerosity. We look forward to yourparticipation in 2014, which will beour 39th year of service,” he said.

Here are many of the volunteers who served the Thanksgiving dinner toless fortunate guests at the Open Door Cafe on Nov. 17. Front row, kneel-ing: John Pellmann, Linda Mohr, Jane Kline, George Collura, JudySandvick and Peggy Rooney. Middle row: Aggie Collura, Theresa Accetta,

Mary Foti, Lena Zingale and Barbara Lupo. Back row: Ray Martinez, CarolMartinez, Mary Carlson, Tony Carlson, Francesca Busalacchi, Mike Cardo,Mike Toffler, Tony Lupo, Charlie Zingale, Tony Zingale and TylerHromadka.

Ray Martinez, Francesca Busalacchi and Tony Zingale worked on theThanksgiving feast serving line. Behind Martinez is Charlie Zingale, whoserved as a runner between the kitchen and the serving line.

George Collura, Tyler Hromadka and general chairman Tony Lupo areseen here with the delicious cupcakes that were served to guests.

Times photos by Joe Spasiano


ICC member Peter Orlando rememberedas a musician and restaurateur

Peter A. Orlando, who per-formed with The Jolly Polkats andThe Sicilian Serenaders and owneda restaurant and cocktail lounge,died Oct. 29 at his home inFranklin. The longtime member ofthe Italian Community Center was85 years old.

Born on Aug. 11, 1928 inMilwaukee, Peter was the first oftwo sons of Antonino and AntoninaOrlando. Antonino was an immi-grant from Porticello, Sicily.Antonina’s parents had emigratedfrom Porticello just before she wasborn.

Peter’s family lived on VanBuren Street, next door to St. RitaCatholic Church. He and his broth-er, Baldassaro “Ace” Orlando,attended Cass Street School. Petergraduated from Lincoln HighSchool. He played football andboxed in the Golden Gloves NoviceDivision.

For 62 years, he was married tothe former Patricia A. “Patsy”Koszewski. She preceded him indeath on Aug. 15, 2012.

At the age of 8, Peter began

playing the accordion at LoDucaBrothers Accordion School. In 1945,he joined “Pizza” Frank Balistrieri,Nick Tripi, Jimmy D’Amato andJoe Balistreri in forming The JollyPolkats band. The Jolly Polkatsplayed at clubs throughout theMidwest and Canada and recordedtheir music on Capitol Records.They also had a prime time liveradio show each weeknight onWEXT, a radio station inMilwaukee.

Peter and “Pizza” FrankBalistrieri went on to open theirown Jolly Polkats Club at 1207 S.16th St., Milwaukee.

Later, Peter joined “Pizza”Frank Balistrieri and JoePappalardo to form The SicilianSerenaders. They played at wed-dings, parties and were a fixture atMilwaukee’s Festa Italiana from itsbeginning in 1978. Peter and Frankcontinued to perform together longafter Joe’s death. Throughout theyears, they played at numerousevents at the ICC. The SicilianSerenaders continue today as PeterBalistrieri, the son of the lateFrank Balistrieri, and Tom and TedPappalardo, Joe’s sons, have takenthe helm.

In addition to being a musician,Peter owned and operatedOrlando’s Restaurant on 47th andVliet Streets in Milwaukee and theIslander Lounge, a cocktail loungeon Brown Deer Rd. in Brown Deer.His son, Michael, bought therestaurant after Peter retired.

From 1978 to 2009, Peter andhis son Tom, along with “Pizza”Frank Balistrieri and BobbyCefalu, hosted tours of Italy and

Sicily as Adventure Sicily.Travelers would be treated tomusic, food, personalized tours andcooking schools while attending fes-tas in Sicily. A tribute to Peter,Frank and Bobby is posted atwww.adventuresicily.com. Peter,Frank and Bobby have largeextended families in Porticello,Sant’Elia and Aspra, Sicily.

In 1987, Peter and Patsy retiredto their lake home in Wautoma,Wis. and remained there until2010, when they returned to the

Milwaukee area due to declininghealth.

Peter is survived by four chil-dren: Michael (Karen), GinaMomich, Anthony (Connie), andTom; four grandchildren: Angela(Greg) Jones, Peter (Renee)Orlando, Alex and Marc Momich;five great-grandchildren: Christina,Anna and Sophia Jones andMichael and Samuel Orlando. He isfurther survived by nieces,nephews, other relatives and manyfriends.

Accordionist Peter Orlando is seen here performing with his longtimepartner and guitarist, the late Frank Balistrieri, as The SicilianSerenaders. This picture was taken at one of the many times they playedat Festa Italiana, the annual Italian festival organized and hosted by theItalian Community Center. (Times file photo)

In recognition of his distin-guished career in music – spanningmore than 50 years – Nicholas“Nick” Contorno was recently rec-ognized by three different organiza-tions.

Contorno, a past music coordina-tor for Festa Italiana, was giventhe 2013 Lifetime Achievement inMusic Award by the Civic MusicAssociation in October, theDistinguished Alumni AchievementAward from the University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee on Nov. 8,and was recognized on Nov. 12 bythe St. Paul Band, an ensemble heco-founded after he retired in 2007as Marquette University’s Directorof Music Programs.

After receiving his bachelor’sand master’s degree from UW-Milwaukee, Contorno went on toearn a doctorate of musical arts incomposition from UW-Madison. In1961, he began teaching instru-mental music in the GlendalePublic Schools and directing thebands at Dominican High School inWhitefish Bay.

In 1968, he was hired by KettleMoraine High School in Wales,where he built the band, whichgrew dramatically in numbers andgarnered recognition throughappearances in major nationalevents across the nation. Ten yearslater, he founded the high schoolorchestra.

In 1983, Contorno was appoint-ed to Marquette University, wherehe founded and directed the univer-sity orchestra.

As a professional musician,Contorno’s bands played every yearin Milwaukee’s Great CircusParade. He served for more than adecade as the music coordinator forFesta Italiana, the annual festivalhosted by the Italian CommunityCenter on the Summerfest grounds.He was the musical direc-tor/coordinator of the First Brigade

Civil War Band in Wisconsin andconducted the Milwaukee ConcertBand, formerly the Civic MusicAssociation’s Civic SymphonicBand, for six years.

Contorno has performed withnumerous bands and orchestras,including the MilwaukeeSymphony Orchestra. He playedwith artists such as LindaRonstadt, Natalie Cole, JohnnyMathis, Manhattan Transfer, MelTorme, Johnny Desmond andSonny and Cher.

After a devastating earthquakein Haiti in 2010, a former studentof Contorno’s at Kettle MoraineHigh School established a charity,which allowed for the establish-ment of the Nick Contorno Schoolof Music in Gonaives, Haiti.Contorno uses his internationalmusic connections to secure dona-tions, including instruments andsheet music in French, for theschool.

Today, Contino and his wife,Lucille, are retired. Nick, however,is still active in music, includingvolunteering to work with the St.Paul Band, a school- based ensem-ble in Genesee Depot, teaching thestudents leadership and responsi-bility through music.

Nick’s parents, the lateNicholas, Sr. and Mary Contorno,were longtime members of the ICCand Festa volunteers.

Nick Contorno, formerFesta music coordinator,

receives three honors

Nick Contorno

Pietro Tarantinooffers help to

Italian citizensPietro Tarantino, a longtime

member and past board member ofthe Italian Community Center, isoffering free assistance to membersof Wisconsin’s Italian communityon matters involving the Italiangovernment. Tarantino will be atthe ICC on the first Saturday ofthe month from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Tarantino is a member ofComites (Comitato degli Italianiall’estero) and a liaison to theItalian General Consulate ofChicago.

Among the matters for whichTarantino can provide assistanceare visas and passports, power ofattorney, verification of signatures,documents relating to death certifi-cates and declarations dealing withcitizenship, civil status and pen-sions.

Looking for theideal holiday gift?

How aboutCafe La Scala

giftcertificates?

Available in anydenomination.

Stop in today or call(414) 223-2185.

Cafe La Scalaat the

Italian Community Center631 E. Chicago St.

A block west of Summerfestin Milwaukee’s

Historic Third Ward.


Granddaughter of Paul and Rose Iannelliplaying varsity basketball at Wichita State

Valerierose Agnello, the grand-daughter of longtime ItalianCommunity Center members Pauland Rose Iannelli, is helping theWichita State University women’svarsity basketball team to get off toa winning start in the 2013-14 sea-son.

Agnello, a junior, is a 5 ft. 10 in.guard/forward on the Wichita StateShockers, which plays in theMissouri Valley Conference andreached the NCAA Tournament forthe first time ever last season.

Her coach is Jody Adams, whowas a starting point guard on theTennessee Lady Vols’ 1991 NCAAnational championship team,coached by the legendary PatSummitt.

Agnello came to Wichita Stateafter attending KishwaukeeCollege in Malta, Ill. Serving ascaptain of the Kishwaukee Kougarslast year, she led a team that fin-ished #6 in the NCAA Division IIfinal poll. She started all 33 gameswhile averaging 12.8 points, 6.3rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 steals and1.8 blocked shots and was namedAll-American Honorable Mention.The Kougars finished with a 26-7record overall and 12-0 in theArrowhead Conference.

While attending BrookfieldCentral High School, Agnelloearned three letters in basketball.

She was named first team all-Metro Conference, first team all-

suburban and second team all-county as a senior.

Her parents are Paul and NancyAgnello.

By George KoleasItalian Family History Club

This may be the year that you decide to start to research your Italianfamily history. Perhaps you have always wanted to record your family his-tory for future generations but did not know how to start, or maybe youwere inspired by shows like “Who do You Think You Are” on TLC or“Genealogy Roadshow” on PBS.

Whatever the reason, you can benefit from advice from people who arealready doing this research on their own families. We are the ItalianFamily History Club at the Italian Community Center. We are alsoknown as Pursuing Our Italian Names Together, Chapter 22 and theMilwaukee County Genealogical Society’s Italian Area Interest Group.These are some of the lessons we have learned:

• Decide what you want to learn about your ancestors. Are youtrying to find out what became of a specific family member? Do you wantto learn about their immigration experience? Are you trying to find yourancestral home for a possible visit to Italy? Do you want to compile a com-plete family tree? Your objectives may change over time.

• Start at the beginning. That means that your research starts withyou and your immediate family, not your grandparents or great grandpar-ents. Don’t leap ahead. You are the beginning. From there you workbackwards in time.

• Every family story has a grain of truth. The family story youknow may have been embellished, but there is likely to be some grain oftruth in it. The trick is figuring out what is truth and what is embellish-ment.

• Review every family document you have. These include birth,marriage or death certificates, announcements for births, communions,confirmations, wedding invitations, prayer cards from funerals, deathnotices, newspaper clippings, a family bible, photographs or anything elsethat you may have inherited, but never reviewed.

• Talk to your living family members before it is too late.Document their stories. Get as much information as you can. You will beglad you did. Too many people have missed this opportunity. Don’t be oneof them.

• Remember the times your family gathered. What did your fami-ly celebrate? What did they do at holidays? What were the favorite familyrecipes? Who created the recipe? Where were the celebrations held? Werethere family reunions? Who came to the reunions?

• Learn about how to search for Italian family information.Read a book like “Italian Genealogical Records” by: Trafford Cole, ISBN0916489582 or ISBN13: 9780916489588 or read Getting Started withItalian Research on the internet at familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Italy.

• Look for people who share your interest. These are people youcan share information with and who can help you find reliable informa-tion such as other family members and genealogical societies such as

ours. You may find that there is someone else who has already researcheda part of your family. There are many members in our group who havefound they are related. Collaborate with the people you find. Share yourinformation with people who share with you.

• Verify everything you have been told by finding source docu-ments. Memories fade and people confuse facts. Records made at the timeof the event are likely to be much more reliable.

• Verify any information you find on the internet. The internet isa great information source, but it is loaded with bad information as wellas good. You may find a family tree with your name and even names ofpeople you know are relatives. Use this information as a guide only untilyou can verify that it is accurate.

• Use reliable websites. The most reliable internet websites arethose that link to original documents. Can you view those referenced doc-uments online? Does the information that is reported match the informa-tion on the document? An example of a site that does all of this is the freesite Familysearch.org.

• Don’t be misled by vendors at fairs, festivals and mail solici-tations that offer your family crest or the history of your sur-name. There is no such thing as a family crest. Arms or crests weregranted to a person, never a family. Surname histories are nothing morethan a story about a family with the same surname as yours. Just becauseyou have the same name as someone else does not make you related.

• Don’t forget the rest of your family. There will be a time that youwill run into a “brickwall”. When this happens, try to find sisters, broth-ers, cousins, uncles and aunts. When you can’t find someone, considerthat they may be living with another family member, changed their nameor temporarily moved.

• Italian women used their maiden names. Italian women oftentraveled under their maiden names and used their maiden names at vari-ous times throughout their lives.

• Italian immigration was not always a one way trip. ManyItalian immigrants came to the United States with the intention of earn-ing money and returning to Italy. Some made many crossings back andforth. Each of those crossings presents opportunities to find new docu-ments.

• Study the history of when your relatives lived. What was it liketo live during the World Wars, the Depression or other significant events?What was happening around them? How did it affect their lives? Did theyserve in the military?

• Remember to take time to live your life and make some fami-ly history of your own. Documenting your family history will be timeconsuming. Break down your research into smaller, more manageableblocks of time and limit what you are looking for during any given time.

Lessons we learned researchingour Italian families



Spotlight on Cultural ArtsThe Italian Cultural Institute in

Chicago is offering a series ofItalian language classes this win-ter, all of which begin the week ofJan. 13.

The classes, which will run for10 weeks, include beginner, ele-mentary, intermediate, advanced,children’s and travelers and areavailable in the daytime, eveningsand Saturdays.

The classes meet for two hours

once a week and are based on theCommon European Framework ofReference Specification, a systemthat determines language proficien-cy.

All courses are taught by highly-qualified native speakers of theItalian language and are under thedirection of ItalCultura, the officiallanguage school of the ItalianCultural Institute of Chicago.

For more information on

ItalCultura’s Italian languageclasses visitItalCulturaChicago.com or call 312-245-0652. Class registrations aredue Wednesday, Jan. 8.

Silvio Marchetti, Director of theItalian Cultural Institute ofChicago, said, “Italian is a lan-guage of culture. Knowledge ofItalian provides a unique windowinto a linguistic legacy that hasshaped most European languages.

It also allows a deeper access to thecountry’s theatre, music, opera, cin-ema and television production.Italian is also a language of busi-ness, connecting global leaders toItalian industry, technology andservices. Perhaps most important-ly, learning Italian is a joy simplybecause of the pure beauty ofspeaking it, and it is a useful toolfor those visiting the country onvacation or work trips.”

Interested in taking Italian language classes in Chicago?

We in Wisconsin are well acquainted withsnow. I wondered just how well Italians knowsnow and if it inspired poetry there as much aswe here are inspired to wax poetic about thiscold type of precipitation. I learned some knowit very well indeed.

In fact, in February of 2012, heavy snowwreaked havoc across Europe, damaging someof the continent’s most recognized historic mon-uments including the coliseum in Rome. Thestructure was examined to determine the extentof the damage due to snow and to help preventfurther deterioration. Much to the disappoint-ment of thousands of tourists, the coliseum wasforced to close after small pieces of its wallscrumbled away as a result of freezing tempera-tures.

Buildings in the historic walled town ofUrbino – a UNESCO World Heritage Site –were reported to be at risk of collapse under theweight of snow, following unprecedented bliz-zards in the area.

Gabriele Cavalera laments, it was “an enor-mous quantity of snow compared with what wenormally get in winter and it’s had a heavyimpact, the equivalent of a flood. When thetemperatures drop below zero, and there is rainand snow, it causes ice to form which, with theincrease in volume, pushes the external plastermasonry and causes small pieces to fall off,” hesaid.

However damaging, inconvenient and dan-gerous snow can be, it still can instill wonderand peace in our winter minds, especiallyamong those with a poetic bent.

Here are three poems about snow by MiriamBruni, whose poetry was featured in theSeptember/October issue, with translations byRoberto Ciampi

Neve

Neve fresa,che dalle cime dei cieli

cadi, e nell’inverno più freddofiorisci...Tu che attraenti

rendi i nostri arbusti.Neve bella, che ti annidi

e sorridi,che calpesti i nostri prati,

ai cartelli di divieto indifferente!

Oh neve,che ti posi

con magnifica dolcezza,è sacrale

il tuo aspetto, il tuo colore.

Nel tuo specchiovedo il cuore, la sua gioia,

da te imparol’eleganza sopraffina

per entrare in ogni dovesenza invito, senza chiave.

E ti ho vista, neve,che hai riempito di pane, divertita,

quei cestini degli umani,pane per bambini svelti e coraggiosi

di quelli che ti assaggiano,curiosi...

(E così, anche oggi,mio candido creatore,ti ho udito cantare,

sussurrando: “Deponete la bruttafatica, il dolore frusto e quella

tristezza opaca,dimenticate per un attimo

i cancelli: lo scontrarsi,la non-pace,

e venite, venite a me,e Respirate!”)

– By Miriam Bruni

Snow

Fresh snow,you that from the summits of heaven

fall, and in the colder winteryou blossom… You that make

our shrubs attractive.Beautiful snow, that nestles

and smiles,that tramples upon our lawns,heedless of prohibition signs!

Oh snow,that lies

with wondrous sweetness,sacred is

your aspect, your color.

In your crystalsI can see the heart, its joy.

From you I learnthe superfine eleganceof entering every place

without invitation, without a key.

And I saw you, snow,amused, fill with bread

those baskets for us humans,bread for swift and brave children

of those who taste you,curious….

(And so, even today,my dear creator,

I’ve heard you sing,whisper: “lay down

all weariness, all pain andgloomy sadness,

for one moment forgetall barriers, clashes,

non-peace,and come, come to me,

and Breathe!”)

Rivelazione reciproca

Anche se freddoè bello

ugualmenteil paesaggio

Dio quanto grandeil tuo splendore

sotto questosole mattutino,

e il biancoredeciso della neve.

Cantacanta il mio cuore

e alzola voce, bambina

felice,signora

di croce e delizia,di sangue,

visioni e premuraverso coloro

che ama

– Di Miriam Bruni

Shared Revelation

Though cold,the landscape is

nevertheless beautiful.God,

how great your splendorunder this morning sunand the bold whiteness

of snow.

My heart sings, singsand I raise my voice,

happy child,lady of pain and pleasure,of blood, visions and care

for the one she loves.

– Translated by Roberto Ciampi

L’Angolo del PoetaPrepared by Barbara Collignon and Roberto Ciampi

Miriam Bruni

BarbaraCollignon

RobertoCiampi

Opera has its grand and not sogrand moments and has many ofboth since its early days in the1500s. Great singers aboundthrough the hallowed halls of the-aters large and small, and we mustnot forget the great composerseither, but to try and list all ofthem would be a monumental taskto be sure.

But, let’s list some to give youan example about what we arespeaking. Among the composers areBellini, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti,Wagner and Benjamin Britten,whose 100th birthday we are mark-ing this year along with the 200thbirthday of Verdi and Wagner.Among singers, there are of courseCaruso, Gigli, Pavarotti, DiStefano, Martinelli andMacCormack. Also, Amato, Alda,Chaliapin, Ruffo, Tebaldi and

Callas to name only a few.Of necessity, we must neglect

many of the great ones who camebefore them, but I’ll mention sever-al just to give you an idea – MattiaBatistini, Maria Grisi, Emma Calveand so many more. In a way, it’s anembarrassment of riches and somany great ones must be passedover, regrettably. However, there isone singer I want to mention who isnot already listed and that is theincomparable soprano EileenFarrell, who marked an almost 60-year long career in music. She per-formed classical and popular musicin numerous concerts, theaters andon radio and television, as well ason recordings.

This American lady, who wasborn in February 1920 and died inMarch 2002, is often rememberedmore for her concerts than her clas-

sical and opera performances.Farrell performed mainly in theUnited States, although she didsing internationally. Notableachievements involve appearanceswith the New York Philharmonic,the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago’sLyric Opera and the San FranciscoOpera. In 1952, Arturo Toscaniniengaged her for his first and onlystudio recording of Beethoven’sNinth Symphony with the NBCSymphony.

An interesting highlight of hercareer occurred in 1955 whenFarrell furnished the voice forEleanor Parker who starred asAustralian soprano MarjorieLawrence in the film InterruptedMelody. A year later, she appearedbefore more than 13,000 operagoers at New York’s LewisohnStadium singing arias from Verdi’sErnani.

Farrell made her stage debut inopera in 1956 as Santuzza inMascagni’s Cavaliere Rusticanawith the San Carlo Opera inTampa, Fla. She opened the Met’s1962-63 season in Giordano’sAndrea Chenier with tenor Franco

Corelli (one of my favorite operas).She also appeared 46 times in sixroles. Among her other accomplish-ments were a number of albums onColumbia featuring popular musicselections. She has also been a pro-fessor of music at two universitiesand recorded a special album withFrank Sinatra.

Quotable quote: This month ourquote comes from the renownedBrazilian soprano Bidu Sayao, whosaid of Australian soprano JoanSutherland: “If there is perfection insinging, this is it.”

For centuries, Italy has pro-duced some of the world’s mostextraordinary music composers.One of the contemporaries is EnnioMorricone, 85, a legendary compos-er, orchestrator, conductor and for-mer trumpet player who has writ-ten for more than 500 motion pic-tures and television series, as wellas contemporary classical works.

Morricone’s career includes awide range of composition genres,making him one of the world’s mostversatile, prolific and influentialfilm composers of all time. Hismusic has been used in more than60 award-winning films.

Born in Rome, Italy, on Nov. 10,1928, Morricone was a classmate ofdirector Sergio Leone with whomhe would form one of the greatdirector/composer partnerships.Morricone’s career took off in 1964when he was hired by Leone tocompose the score for A Fistful ofDollars. His score for that film,with its sparse arrangements,unorthodox instrumentation (bells,electric guitars, harmonicas, thedistinctive twang of the jaw harp)and memorable tunes, revolution-ized the way music would be usedin Westerns.

Morricone also contributed to ahuge range of other film genresincluding comedies, dramas,thrillers, horror films, romances,art movies and exploitation movies.Besides composing scores for sever-al Leone films, among his mostmemorable works include GilloPontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers(1966), Roland Joffè’s The Mission(1986), Brian De Palma’s TheUntouchables (1987) and GiuseppeTornatore’s Cinema Paradiso(1988).

Morricone received an AcademyAward for Career Achievement in2007. He has been nominated forfive Oscars for “Best OriginalScore” during his career. Thesenominations include: Days ofHeaven (1979), The Mission (1986),The Untouchables (1987), Bugsy(1991) and Malena (2001). He hasbeen nominated for eight and wontwo Golden Globe Awards for “Best

Original Score.” The Golden Globes’win came in 1982 for Butterfly and2000 for Legend of 1900.


YourSpecialOccasionDeservesOur

SpecialAttention.Whether you're planning significant family functions -- reunions, christenings,quinceañera, bridal or baby showers, or you're faced with organizing a last-minute event,such as a funeral luncheon . . .

Or you want the perfect setting for a wedding reception or engagement or weddingrehearsal dinner, or your company is looking for an ideal location for a business or socialgathering . . .

the Italian Conference Center is your answer.Our Catering Director will work closely with you to make sure that every detail that goesinto a successful event is planned. And the food at the ICC! Ah, the food. Your guestswill shower you with compliments after they've eaten the delicious meals prepared by ouroutstanding chefs and served by our friendly and efficient wait staff.

Everything you need for a successful event is ready and waiting at the Italian ConferenceCenter. For assistance in scheduling and planning your event, call David or Michelle at . ..

414-223-2800 or visit: www.italian conference.com

In the Italian Community Center631 E. Chicago St., MilwaukeeFree parking • Handicapped accessible

Minutes from downtown and freeway access in theHistoric Third Ward

Opera Topics by Angelo Castronovo

Ennio Morricone: award-winning Italian composer

Get in touch with the ItalianCommunity by placing an ad in

our next issue. Contact TheItalian Times for details. Phone: (414) 223-2180

Email: [email protected]

THE ITALIAN TIMES

LA PAGINA ITALIANAa cura di Enrica Tarantino-Woytal

PAGINA 18 – GENNAIO 2014

Dopo quasi 100 date in tuttaItalia, ma anche in Europa eOltreoceano, si è concluso ieri alPalasport di Andria (BT) “OperaSeconda in Tour”, la tournée deiPooh che ha registrato per un annooltre 150.000 spettatori e che ha

visto per la prima volta Roby, Dodie Red (con Danilo Ballo alletastiere aggiunte e Phil Mer allabatteria) accompagnati daun’orchestra sinfonica: l’EnsembleSymphony Orchestra diretta dalmaestro Giacomo Loprieno.

Pooh, 150 mila per Operaseconda in tour

Quasi 100 date in tutta Italia, ma ancheEuropa e Oltreoceano Torneo prenderà il via il 12

giugno. Il 26 giugno si concluderàla fase a gironi.

GRUPPO A: 1) Brasile2) Croazia 3) Messico 4)Camerun.GRUPPO B: 1) Spagna 2) Cile3) Olanda 4) Australia. GRUPPO C: 1) Colombia2) Grecia 3) Costa D’Avorio4) Giappone.

GRUPPO D: 1) Uruguay 2)

Costa Rica 3) Inghilterra 4)Italia.

GRUPPO E: 1) Svizzera2) Ecuador 3) Francia 4)Honduras. GRUPPO F: 1) Argentina2) Bosnia 3) Iran 4) Nigeria.

GRUPPO G: 1) Germania 2)Portogallo 3) Ghana 4) StatiUniti. GRUPPO H: 1) Belgio2) Algeria 3) Russia 4) Corea.

Mondiali: ecco i gironidi Brasile 2014

La Buca, il nuovo film diDaniele CiprìCastellitto, Papaleo e

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi protagonistiS’intitola La Buca il nuovo film

di Daniele Ciprì che torna dietro lamacchina da presa dopo il successodi E’ stato il figlio, presentato inconcorso e premiato alla Mostra delcinema di Venezia.

La nuova commedia diretta dalregista siciliano e co-sceneggiata

insieme ad Alessandra Acciai,Massimo Gaudioso e Miriam Rizzo,vede protagonisti SergioCastellitto, Rocco Papaleo e ValeriaBruni Tedeschi.

Prodotto da Passione con RaiCinema sarà distribuito da LuckyRed.

Qualita’ vita, Palermo penultimaPerde sette posizioni rispetto al 2012

Nella classifica della qualitàdella vita, del Sole24ore, laprovincia di Palermo e’ alpenultimo posto, sopra Napoli, eperde sette posizioni rispettoall’anno scorso. In fondo alla

classifica anche Catania, che perde11 posizioni, Caltanissetta, Trapanie Agrigento. La provincia miglioretra le siciliane e’ quella di Ragusache e’ all’84simo posto su 107.

Mondo del cinema a lutto perla morte del regista franceseEdouard Molinaro, 85 anni, chediresse importanti film tra cui ‘Lacage aux folles’, titolo originale delprimo episodio della saga de ‘IlVizietto’, con Ugo Tognazzi. Perlui il cordoglio del presidente

francese: ‘’Il nostro Paese perdeoggi un grande cineastaappassionante e originale’’, hascritto Hollande. Molinaro eraricoverato in ospedale a Parigi edè morto per una insufficienzapolmonare.

Asti è la città più pop, a BustoArsizio si sente risuonare piùmusica classica, Pordenone è altop per il jazz, Cremona èmetallara, Siena è ‘indie’, aCesena batte un cuore rock. E’ laclassifica di Amazon.it delle

vendite di musica rispetto alnumero di abitanti.

In base a questo criterio Romae Milano non figurano nella topten né del pop (sonorispettivamente 17/a e 33/a), nédel rock (26/a e 21/a).

Vasco, esce ‘Siamo solo noi’ deluxeIl 3 dicembre, riproposto album

del 1981 con vinile originaleSiamo solo noi”, l’album di Vasco

Rossi del 1981, torna in versioneDeluxe. Un cofanetto che contiene,oltre il cd, la riproduzione del vinileoriginale, l’unico 45 giri estrattodall’album (“Dimentichiamociquesta città” e “Brava”), un libroillustrato di 128 pagine sulla storia

del disco attraverso foto inedite,documenti dell’epoca, la relativarassegna stampa, e un gadgetesclusivo.

L’album, a oltre trent’anni dallapubblicazione, è ancora oggiconsiderato un manifestointergenerazionale.

Morto Molinaro,regista del Vizietto

Hollande, Francia perde cineasta appassionante

Asti città più pop,Cesena più rock

Having up to 300 dinner guests?

Entertain them at the ItalianConference Center’sFESTA BALLROOM.

A gorgeous setting in which to enjoy great food!The Italian Conference Center

in the Italian Community Center631 E. Chicago St. (a block west of Summerfest)

Call David or Michelle at 414/223-2800 toreserve your party or meeting space at the ICC.

Visit: www.ItalianConference.com

• Don’t just collect facts.Facts like births, marriages anddeaths alone will not be as interest-ing to your family as a written his-tory will be.

Take the information you havelearned and use it to write yourfamily story. Writing your familyhistory helps you identify informa-tion you may be missing and helpsyou make sure the information youcollected is correct.

To learn more, come to our nextmeeting on Saturday, Jan. 18 at

the Italian Community Center, 631E. Chicago St., Milwaukee,Wisconsin, starting at 10:30 a.m.and concluding at noon. You arealso welcome to come to any of ourother meetings in 2014 on Apr. 26,Sept. 20, and Nov. 8. Please feelfree to bring guests. We welcomeanyone with an interest in Italianfamily history. If you have anyquestions or need additional infor-mation, please feel free to contactme, George Koleas, by e-mail [email protected] or by call-ing 262/251-7216 after 7 p.m.

Lessons we learned researchingour Italian families

from page 15

Abruzzese Society thanks theItalian Conference Center

Dear Italian Conference CenterStaff:

Thank you so much for execut-ing such exception service at theannual Abruzzese Society annualholiday dinner and dance on Dec. 7.

Our organization would like toextend our gratitude and apprecia-tion for all of your efforts in making

sure our evening was wonderful.Thank you again for providing

yet another year of dependableservices.

Vince VitalePresident

Abruzzese Galileo GalileiSociety


Victory School Italian ImmersionProgram report

Maestra Horntvedt’s four-year old kindergarten class is preparing for Christmas concertFor the Victory School Holiday

Concert Mr. Tom Bruno’s five-yearold Italian language students willbe singing two songs. The‘warmup’ will be a little song Mr.Bruno created as a daily reminderfor the class to practice their greet-ings. The second song will be anItalian version of “Deck the Halls.”

Math is being taught in Italianin Room 106 and the students aredoing really well at understandingand speaking their numbers, colorsand shapes. They also do the cal-endar in Italian every morning anddiscuss the months, days, dates andweather. “We have been seeing‘molti giorni freddi’, but today was‘freddo e ventoso’ as one young manshared very clearly.” Hallway direc-tions are given in Italian with thechildren lining up “in fila dirittacon una bollicina in bocca!”Andiamo avanti!

All first graders have been chal-lenged to get a library card. Therewas a guest speaker from theMilwaukee County Library whovisited Victory to share many of the

resources that are available. Oneonline resource that werecommend to learn Italian iscalled “Mango.” Mango is a lan-guage program offered through theMilwaukee County library. Findinstructions on how to take advan-tage of this resource at:http://countycat.mcfls.org/screens/mango.html.

Ms. Annette Robertson’s secondgrade class is preparing for theChristmas concert with an Italiansong about being together, sharingtraditions, hand in hand, withmothers, fathers, sisters, brothers,aunts, uncles, grandmothers andgrandfathers. The students plan todress up and accompany their songwith a short dance. Students arelearning about La Befana e FesteTradizionale di Natale.

Mr. Steven Falsetti’s thirdgraders are focused on “WritingCircles,” where the students chal-lenge each other the length of indi-vidual reading “stamina.” Studentshave challenged Mr. Falsetti on a“Stamina Run” to see if their read-

ing minutes can match the miles heruns each day. The class willattend the Milwaukee Ballet’sbeautiful production of TheNutcracker.

Ms. Cathy Laurenzi’s fourthgrade class is studying the historyof Wisconsin and famous people ofWisconsin such as: GeorgiaO’Keefe, Harry Houdini and VinceLombardi. Students are learningabout the Native American Tribesof Wisconsin. Wisconsin becamecharted as a State in 1848. Thebranches of Government are practi-cal and interesting for the studentsespecially since “collective bargain-ing” is a hot current event inWisconsin.

Mrs. Diane Wilcox’s fifth gradeis learning about the ScientificMethod. They have made some cre-ative posters with lots of steps thatgo with the experiment. Theposters are labeled with these nec-essary steps: “Questions,Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure,Observation, Data Collection,

Result, Conclusion and the NextStep.” All of these steps are veryimportant because if you miss astep, the whole project could beruined. Students thought up theirown ideas for the science project.They assigned themselves to theirown projects. It was a way for themto express their ideas and have funwith it. They have finished someprojects and presented them totheir class. The students did a won-derful job. It was reported thatthere were no messy clean-ups orexplosions.

Stay tuned for more experi-ments soon.

– Submitted merrily by:Annette Robertson

Italian Team ScribeThe PTO at Victory has organ-

ized a roller skating evening, apajama movie night, and afundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings.We are always looking for morefamily members to becomeinvolved, please consider attendingan event or a monthly meeting.

Documents

January 2014 issue