October 2012 issue

By Thomas HemmanTimes Editor

The slate of officers and direc-tors-at-large that was finalized atthe Aug. 23 general meeting for the34th annual Italian CommunityCenter election results in races forthe four open directors’ seats withall the nominated officers, includ-ing presidential nominee GinaSpang, running unopposed.

Spang, currently the organiza-tion’s vice president, will automati-cally succeed David J. Spano, whois completing his second one-yearterm as president and is ineligibleto run for the office a third consecu-tive time because of a term-limitstipulation established by theorganization in its Constitution andBylaws.

(All of the procedures for con-ducting nominations, the election

and the selection of an ElectionCommittee appear in Article V ofthe bylaws.)

During the Aug. 23 generalmeeting, the Election Committeepresented these nominees for offi-cer positions: Gina Spang forPresident; Giuseppe “Joe” Vella forVice President; Sam Purpero forTreasurer; Rose Anne (Ceraso)Fritchie for Secretary; and Joanne(Sanfilippo) Czubek for Sergeant-At-Arms. Although they are per-mitted to do so, members offered noadditional nominees for any of theoffices.

The committee then nominatedthe following individuals for direc-tors-at-large: Dean Cannestra,Anna Pitzo, Joe Zambito and JoeJannazzo. Members added thenominations of Anthony Zingale,Pietro Tarantino, Henry Piano and

Bruno Giacomantonio.The Election Committee has

confirmed that all the individualsnominated meet the eligibilityrequirements set forth in Article V,Section 1 of the bylaws.

Voting proceduresUnder the procedures spelled

out in the bylaws, ballots will bemailed to all members in goodstanding within eight days follow-ing the September general meeting.(That meeting takes place onThursday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m.)

The bylaws define a member ingood standing as anyone whobecame a member or renewed amembership at least 60 days priorto the day when the election resultsare to be announced. In terms ofthis election, if you’ve been a mem-ber since Aug. 27, 2012, you’re eli-gible to vote and will receive a bal-lot in the mail.

The Election Committee is incharge of mailing out the ballots toeligible voters.

Regarding the submission of bal-lots, the bylaws state: “All ballotsmust be postmarked no later thanthe Thursday preceding theOctober general membership meet-ing. Ballots marked after that datewill be saved, but will not beopened or counted.” The Octobergeneral meeting is Thursday, Oct.25. Therefore, ballot envelopesmust be postmarked no later thanOct. 18, 2012 to be opened andcounted.

Instructions for voting and

ICC election features races for directors’seats; incoming president Gina Spang andall other nominated officers are unopposed

Incoming President Gina Spang


Robert J. Ruggieri, a long-timemember of the Italian CommunityCenter who never smoked tobaccoproducts, lost his 10-month battlewith lung cancer on Monday, Sept.17. He was 77 years old.

Bob became actively involvedwith The Italian Times in 1985. Hestarted out as a member of theNewspaper Committee and as avolunteer proofreader. By the mid1990s, he was a regular writer forthe newspaper, assisting the editorwith virtually every issue. In April1996, he began authoring a month-ly column, “Conversazione withBob,” which became a popular fea-ture in the newspaper. He servedas chairman of the NewspaperCommittee for most of the last

two-and-a-half decades.For about a two-year period in

the late 1990s, before thiswriter/editor was given the techno-logical tools and training to layoutThe Italian Times on his computer,the work was done on paste-upboards on Bob’s kitchen table.Bob’s offer – to do this job at hishome – saved the ICC a substan-tial amount of money. At the time,it was costing several hundred dol-lars per issue to have the workdone at a publication house.

Over the years, Bob became atrusted friend and the brother thatthis writer never had. He was anunbelievable proofreader and agifted writer. More importantly, heprovided guidance and advice, andwas a great listener. He helpedthis writer get through many

rough patches. Without question,he will be sorely missed and diffi-cult to replace.

We communicated so often thatBob’s son, Paul, began to assumethat every time Bob’s phone rang,it was me. I learned that Pauloften referred to me as Bob’s “littlebrother,” something I consider acompliment.

Bob also had a great sense ofhumor, even in his final days.Though he had been weakeneddramatically by his rapidly spread-ing cancer, as late as earlySeptember, Bob insisted that hewanted to contribute to The ItalianTimes, no longer as a writer but asthe volunteer proofreader. Aftervisiting with Bob on Monday, Sept.10, it became apparent to both of

Bob Ruggieri, long-time valued contributorto The Italian Times, former ICC Boardmember, loses battle with lung cancer

Robert J. Ruggieri

First of all, I would like toextend my congratulations to ournew executive officers: Gina Spang,your new President, and Joe Vella,the new Vice President. Both arevery qualified and passionate aboutthe Italian Community Center.Equally important, they are part ofa generation that will ensure thecontinuation of the ItalianCommunity Center.

The combination of fresh newthoughts and the advice of experi-

enced Community Center memberswill ensure that the ICC reachesthe next level.

Congratulations also toTreasurer Sam Purpero, SecretaryRose Anne Ceraso-Fritchie andSergeant-At-Arms Joanne Czubek,who will be returning to serveanother term in their respectivepositions.

There will be an election witheight members vying for four open

Please turn to page 4Please turn to page 9

Please turn to page 13

President Dave Spano

A message from Dave Spano,

Italian Community Center President

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDMILWAUKEE, WI

Permit No. 5716

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

www.ICCMilwaukee.comVOL. 34, NO. 4

OCTOBER 2012

– CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED –

PASTE ADDRESS LABEL HERE.

THE

ITALIAN TIMES

PAGE 2 – OCTOBER 2012 THE ITALIAN TIMES

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 . . . . . . . . . . . Dave SpanoNewspaper CommitteeChairman . . . . . . . . . . . . To be appointedEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas HemmanItalian PageEditor . . . . . . . Enrica Tarantino-WoytalAdvertising SalesManager . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas HemmanAdvertising SalesRepresentative . . . . . . Faye Ann KesslerEditorial Contributors and StaffWriters/Reporters . . . . .Ginny Balistreri,

Bill Lavelette, Mario A. Carini Angelo Castronovo, Barbara Collignon

and Susan Christiansen, Staff Photographers . . . . Tim Townsend,

Joe Spasiano and Tom Hemman

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

Copyright 2012The Italian Community Center, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

October is Italian Heritage MonthICC announces celebration plans

Celebrate Italian Heritage Month with ahistoric look at the 3rd Ward on Oct. 5

Noted Milwaukee Historian John Gurda to speakBy Gina Jorgensen

ICC Culture Committee ChairTo celebrate Italian Heritage

Month, the Italian CommunityCenter and the Culture Committee,will present John Gurda, a notedMilwaukee historian, for a talkabout the historic Third Ward. Joinus on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. for afast-paced look at one ofMilwaukee’s most colorful neigh-borhoods.

This is event free. Cafe La Scalawill be open for its Friday nightfish fry and regular menu if youwould like to have dinner beforethe presentation.

Gurda will discuss the ThirdWard’s beginning as a “muskrat-infested swamp” and how it“became the city’s leading Irishcommunity” and “was transformedinto Milwaukee’s ‘Little Italy’ aftera catastrophic 1892 fire.”

He will also discuss how todaythe ward is a vibrant center of con-dos and commerce. and highlighthow it is “also the home of theItalian Community Center, whosemembers continue to celebratetheir culture in a neighborhood richwith memories.”

About John Gurda;John Gurda is a Milwaukee-

born writer and historian who hasbeen studying his hometown since1972.

He is the author of 19 books,

including histories of Milwaukee-area neighborhoods, industries, andplaces of worship. “The Making ofMilwaukee” is Gurda’s most ambi-tious effort. With 450 pages andmore than 500 illustrations, it isthe first full-length history of thecommunity published since 1948.Milwaukee Public Television creat-ed an Emmy Award-winning docu-mentary series based on the bookin 2006.

In addition to his work as anauthor, Gurda is a lecturer, tourguide, and local history columnistfor the Milwaukee JournalSentinel.

Gurda holds a B.A. in Englishfrom Boston College and an M.A. inCultural Geography from theUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwau-kee. Gurda is an eight-time winnerof the Wisconsin HistoricalSociety’s Award of Merit. Historian John Gurda

Two area schools to participate inOct. 8 Student Culture Day program

By Gina JorgensenICC Culture Committee Chair

An essential part of the ItalianCommunity Center’s salute toItalian Heritage Month is ourannual Student Culture Day, whichwill be presented on Monday, Oct.8.

There will be two schools attend-ing this year’s event: the 4th/5thgrade class of Maestra CathyLaurenzi from Victory School’sItalian Immersion program inMilwaukee and the 4th, 5th, and6th grade classes at St. Robert’sSchool of Shorewood.

The event, which is organized bythe ICC Culture Committee andstaffed by a dedicated group of vol-unteers, includes:

• A mini course in ItalianLanguage will be taught be EnricaTarantino Woytal. Enrica will alsodiscuss Italy today with visuals andquestions and answers.

• A lesson on the history ofItalian Americans in Milwaukeepresented by Valorie (Sanfilippo)Schleicher.

• A demonstration in makinghomemade pasta by Anna Pitzoand Rosalia Ferrante, who will pro-vide the students with hands-onexperiences in making varioustypes of pasta.

• A chance to participate inbocce, the Italian lawn bowlinggame, with instructions providedby Chris Conley and her volun-

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OCTOBER 2012 – PAGE 3THE ITALIAN TIMES

Joe Gasparetti, ’60 UNICO awardee andauthor of novel on Vietnam experience,

to do book reading at ICC on Oct. 12By Thomas Hemman

Times EditorAs part of the Italian Communi-

ty Center’s celebration of ItalianHeritage Month during October,the Culture Committee has invitedJoseph A. Gasparetti, a Milwaukeenative and author of a novel on anAmerican soldier’s return fromVietnam service, to do a book read-ing on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.

The event is free and open to thepublic.

Gasparetti, who now lives inIowa City, Iowa, was a 1960Milwaukee Chapter UNICONational scholarship recipient. Herecently published his first novel,Landon’s Odyssey, which is basedloosely on Gasparetti’s own tour ofduty and return home to a lessthan receptive America.

About the novelLandon, a returning Vietnam

veteran, has a pervasive feeling ofangst. His love is gone, his gradu-ate studies interrupted, hisprospects for a job are bleak, andhis treatment for a war woundmediocre. This is quite a platefulfor a veteran to handle while tryingto acclimate to civilian life. Tomake his current state more tolera-ble, Landon begins a journey, anodyssey, if you will, to find somerelief by seeking his past toimprove his future. His voyage ofdiscovery is prompted by the dis-covery of six letters, which he inex-plicably finds in a shipping crate hesent back to himself from Vietnam.They belong to six wartime bud-dies, who Landon plans to visit andbelatedly deliver their respectiveletters. The letters are the mysteri-ous glue that holds the story

together and propels it forward. Asif by black magic, one of the lettersbrings him back to an old collegeanti-war adversary, JoshHannigan, who knows the locationof Landon’s lost love: Becky Morris.Unknown to Landon, Hannigan isthe fortuitous acquaintance of oneof the letter recipients: JohnnieKrupke. Krupke’s letter links himto Hannigan and Corsican heroindealers. The hunt is on to findLandon and the evil contents foundin Krupke’s letter that Landon hasin his possession.

Through a series of flashbacks,both to Landon’s college days andhis Vietnam experiences, the char-acters are defined and shaped. Themajor players all come together fora climactic ending in the psychedel-ic kingdom of Haight-Ashbury inSan Francisco during the turbulentyear of 1968. To give added flavorfor this evocative age, the songs ofthe 60’s are included throughout asa thematic emphasis in the respec-tive chapters they are inserted.

Painted over a broad nationaland international canvas, Landon’sOdyssey is truly an epic journey. Itis a unique and relevant tale for ageneration, one still coming to gripswith the tumultuous times it expe-rienced. It will reach out to thosewho served in Vietnam, whoprotested against the war, whojoined the counter-culture, or whosimply gawked on the sidelines.And, for the uninitiated, it willimprove their understanding of anage that still echoes loudly acrossthe contemporary landscape. Thereis both a large audience, the babyboomers, and a general readershipfor this book. It will give insightsinto what the buzz was all about

almost four decades ago. Partromance, part mystery, and partadventure, Landon’s Odyssey isdesigned to connect with many whowant to be entertained by a goodfictional story whose time has cometo speak for the Vietnam era.

About GasparettiGasparetti graduated from

Milwaukee’s Custer High Schooland received his bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees from theUniversity of Wisconsin, withcourse work at both the Milwaukeeand Madison campuses. A Vietnamveteran, he served there with the4th Infantry Division in 1966-67.After service, he had a career insales and marketing. He is nowsemi-retired and lives with hiswife, Anne, in Iowa City. They

raised two daughters, Talia andLarissa.

Gasparetti has long been anadvocate for those who served inthe military. He recently was partof a video theatrical production ofwartime veterans telling their sto-ries on stage. Gasparetti spokeabout his participation in theVietnam conflict and “the shamefulway we (returning soldiers) werereceived when we came home.”

Gasparetti told The ItalianTimes, “UNICO awarded me with amuch needed and appreciatedscholarship in 1960. This yearshave gone by, but it has not less-ened my desire to give back to anorganization that had hope andconfidence in me. I know the spiritof my mother – Rosaria “Rose” (neeLaPorte) – born in a dwelling longgone in the Third Ward, would lookdown with favor of her oldest sontrying to assist others.”

Landon’s Odyssey is available atAmazon.com and is in paperbackand Kindle edition.

Joseph A. Gasparetti

By Bill LaveletteThe “Italian Influence” will be

the theme of the art on display atthe Italian Community Centerduring the next Gallery Night &Day on Friday, Oct. 19 andSaturday, Oct. 20.

The free show fea-tures paintings by Joanne K.O’Dell, Paul Madura and SandraDe George.

The hours for the Friday pre-sentations will be 6 to 10 p.m. withwine and cheese served, courtesyof the Italian Conference Center.On Saturday, visitors can view theartists’ works from 11 a.m. to 3p.m.

O’Dell will bring two pastels tothe ICC. Both are portraits of mod-els who posed for the MilwaukeeSketch Club.

One is entitled “Rebecca.”O’Dell used the background of theMona Lisa for the painting. Theother is entitled “Lilly.” It is asketch of a young woman with ablack bow in her hair and a blackdress.

O’Dell studied at the School ofthe Art Institute in Chicago. Shereceived a bachelor’s degree inart/education from Alverno College

in 1973. She worked as a substi-tute art teacher in MilwaukeePublic Schools and part time forthe MPS adult education depart-ment. She retired from a clericalposition with Milwaukee Countyin 1995.

Madura will show a trompel’oeil painting. The artwork createsa visual illusion. The illusionattempts to trick the eye.

De George will show oil paint-ings of the Italian countryside.

Others contributing to theevent at the ICC are Laura Easey-Jones, Karen Finerty, Mary EllenMueller, Roxanne Hanneyand more, according to the Leagueof Milwaukee Artists.

Many of the artists will be onhand to greet visitors.

The ICC will be one of morethan 50 venues throughout thedowntown area participating inthe Gallery Night & Day program,organized by the Historic ThirdWard Association and the EastTown Association. Parking is freeat the ICC.

A special flag will be postedoutside Cafe La Scala to call atten-tion to the ICC as one of theGallery Night & Day venues.

The Gallery Night & Day pro-gram is presented quarterly and isin its 24th year. For more informa-tion you are advised to visitwww.historicthirdward.org.

About the Leagueof Milwaukee Artists

The League of MilwaukeeArtists was founded nearly 70years ago by a group of localartists and teachers. Its mission isto promote artistic creativity andto actively contribute to the com-munity.

The founders got togetherbecause they were frustrated bythe lack of space to exhibit artwork in the Milwaukee area. Inthe mid-1950s, the League found ahome in the Charles AllisMuseum.

Membership in the League islimited. A jury review is held forthe few memberships openingsthat become available each year.According to a Leaguepress release, the jury review isvery competitive.

The League has donated tolocal charities and scholarshipfunds and provides classes andexhibitions while promoting artsin southeastern Wisconsin.

‘Italian Influence’ to be themefor Gallery Night & Day programat ICC the weekend of Oct. 19-20

Student CultureDay program set

for Oct. 8from page 2

teers. The students will competeagainst each other.

In addition, the students willexperience what it was like to gothrough the immigration process inthe early 1900s at Ellis Island innew York. They will be givenItalian names and experience howif felt to come to a place not know-ing the language or what theirfuture held. This activity is beingorganized by Christina Ziino andher volunteers.

Lastly, the students and theirchaperones with be given a sitdown lunch of pasta andmeatballs! There is no cost for theday to the participants, teachersand chaperones. The lunch con-sists of spaghetti, meatballs, breadand butter, milk, water and brown-ies for dessert.

This program is part of the com-munity outreach program of theItalian Community Center.

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ICC election features eight candidatesfor four director-at-large seats

returning ballots will be included inthe mailing sent out by the ElectionCommittee.

Election results will beannounced as part of the proceed-ings at the Oct. 25 general meeting.

The newly-elected officers willserve for one year while the newdirectors-at-large will earn twoyear terms. All terms begin official-ly on Nov. 1.

About the uncontested officersSpang will become the second

woman in the 34-year history of theorganization to serve as president.Betty Puccio served the ICC as itspresident during the 1989-90 term.

Spang has held the vice presi-dency on two different occasions.The first time she served in thatposition was by appointment. Afterbeing elected in 2005 and re-electedin 2007 as a director-at-large, shewas appointed to the vice presiden-cy at a special Board meeting onFeb.9, 2008. She succeeded HenryPiano, who, in accordance with thebylaws, automatically ascended tothe presidency upon the death ofDominic H. Frinzi. Frinzi, who wasin the midst of his seventh term aspresident, died Jan. 28, 2008 at theage of 86.

Last fall, Spang was elected asvice president.

A longtime, third generationmember of the ICC, Spang hasserved on numerous ICC and FestaItaliana committees over the years.

She is employed as the Directorof Facilities and Maintenance forMilwaukee Public Schools. She is acivil engineer with emphasis onfacilities and construction manage-ment.

Vella, who is completing his firsttwo-year term as a director-at-large, will take on his first officerposition when he officially becomesvice president on Nov. 1. Vella, whohas owned Peter Sciortino’s Bakeryfor 16 years, is a longtime memberof the ICC and a past president ofthe Madonna del Lume Society. Hehas been active in Festa Italianathe last several years, serving onthe Management Committee, theAdvisory Committee and the FoodCommittee.

He and his wife, Rhiana, werenamed the Re and Regina (Kingand Queen) of the ICC’s Il GrandeCarnevale in 2010.

Since the inception of the ICC in1978, Purpero has served on theBoard for all but two years, holdingthe positions of president (1982-83),president-elect, first vice president,treasurer and director-at-large.This election marks his fourth con-secutive term as treasurer. He hasbeen heavily involved in each of the35 Festa Italiana celebrationsorganized by the ICC.

Fritchie, a longtime member ofthe organization, has held the officeof secretary for the last eight years.She has long been an active volun-teer in Festa Italiana. In the mostrecent years, she has served asmanager of golf carts. She is cur-rently the president of theMilwaukee Chapter UNICONational. She is a member of theICC’s Avanti Committee and hasbeen active on the committee thatis responsible for orchestrating theorganization’s pre-Lenten costumeand mask ball, Il GrandeCarnevale.

Czubek first won the sergeant-at-arms post in the 2010 election,

making her the first woman to holdthe post in the history of the ICC.She previously served on the Boardas a director-at-large from 1997-2002. She has a long history of vol-unteer involvement in the ICC andwith Festa. She has been the co-chairperson of Il Grande Carnevalethe last five years and has chairedthe Membership Committee andbeen a member of the NewspaperCommittee and the ElectionCommittee. She has volunteeredfor many events and has been co-manager of Festa Signage the lastseveral years. For 17 years, sheserved as Festa’s volunteer coordi-nator.

Spano will continue to serve onthe Board in the non-elective imme-diate past president, which, for thelast two years, has been occupiedby Henry Piano. Also continuingtheir service on the Board aredirectors Ralph Busalacchi,Elizabeth Ceraso, Peter Gustin andTony Piacentini, who are in themiddle of their two-year terms.

Departing from the Board willbe Susan (DeSanctis) Christiansenand Thomas Balistreri, who arecompleting their second two-yearterm as directors and are ineligibleto run for their third consecutiveterms. Both could have run for offi-cer positions, but chose not to do so.

Director nomineesseek your vote

As an informational service tothe ICC membership, The ItalianTimes asked the eight nominees forthe four open director-at-largeseats to complete a questionnaire.They were asked to (a.) list perti-nent personal information and (b.)the reasons why they’re running.Some of the candidates chose torespond with separate answers toeach question while others com-bined their personal informationwith the reasons they are running.

A drawing for ballot positionswas held on Tuesday, Aug. 28 Itwas conducted by ElectionCommittee chair RosemaryDeRubertis with committee mem-ber Mary Ann Maglio present.Names of the eight nominees fordirector-at-large seats were drawnfrom a box by Italian CommunityCenter staff.

The nominees’ comments arepresented below in the same orderas their names appear on the offi-cial ballot. The Italian Times staffdid not edit the content of any ofthe nominees’ statements.

* * *Bruno Giacomantonio: “Dear

Members: My name is BrunoGiacomantonio. Most of you knowme. I am running for the Board ofDirectors. My experience as a resi-dential custom-home builder formany years gives me the knowl-edge on how to be competitive inbusiness. I have proudly accom-plished projects at the ItalianCommunity Center as a member ofthe Building Committee. I stillcontinue to volunteer to preparethe grounds before Festa starts,and help during the festival whereneeded.

“In regards to our finances, I amconcerned. I can tell you that theICC’s long term debt hasincreased. When I was on theBoard of Directors years ago myadvice was always to concentrateon increasing profit. Expenseshave to be cut to survive. Themoney coming in from the

Conference Center, our parking lot,Festa Italiana, membership dues,Taste of Italy, other events anddonations need to be increased tooffset expenses.

“It’s a fact that over the pasteleven years Festa has not showngood returns. The last time Festashowed high earnings which nettedmore than four hundred thousanddollars was in the year 2000. Sincethen Festa has suffered some loss-es. These facts need to beaddressed and improved.

“I will push for more profits andfewer expenses, and report thefacts to you. We should give morethought to whom we vote for. I amasking for your vote.”

* * *

Dean Cannestra: “After serv-ing for two years on the Board ofDirectors, I enthusiastically seekanother term.

“With my wife Mary, I’ve ownedand operated Nessun DormaRestaurant for 10 years. Our chil-dren, Joe and Benedetta, are in col-lege. We’re members of the SaintTheresa Society and Three HolyWomen Parish.

“These past four years I’veserved on the Festa FoodCommittee, co-managed bocce atFesta and participated in Taste ofItaly. These past two years I’veserved as Membership Chairman.Our goal —- to revitalize interest inthe ICC among the younger genera-tion. Successful social gatheringswere held. Enthusiasm was high!Younger members now volunteerwith our hard working dedicatedmembers who started this journey.

“Our Board is called upon tomake decisions during these tougheconomic times to ensure the futureof the ICC. I’m known for askingquestions. I’ll continue to look atall sides of issues, seek input frommembers, analyze debates andcome up with solutions that lead tolong-term growth and stability.There is much on the line! Wehave valuable land to be developedand budgets to be restructured.

“I pledge my time and effort topreserve our Center and long-heldtraditions. I follow the lead of mylate Grandmother, Jennie Puccio,and my Aunt Betty, who haveserved our community for over 50years.

“I ask for the opportunity to con-

from page 1

Giuseppe Vella

Bruno Giacomantonio

Sam Purpero

Rose Anne (Ceraso) Fritchie Joanne (Sanfilippo) Czubek

Continued on page 5


tinue to serve you with creativeleadership that’s rooted in past tra-ditions and thoughtful independentideas for our future.

“I’m asking for your vote.”

Henry Piano: Personal infor-mation: “Married to former JoanneDestefano, two children and fourgrandchildren. Practicing attorneysince 1958. Graduate of MarquetteUniversity with B.S. degree, Doctorof Laws.

“A past Court Commissioner,member of Draft Board 43(Presidential appointment); pastmember of Third Ward Association;past Chairman of CudahyCondominium Association; StateChairman of QuincentennialColumbus Day Celebration.

“Served ICC since its inceptionas: Director of Land Acquisition;Festa Chairman; President-Elect;Vice President; President; Fund-Raising Chairman; SummerfestRepresentative; Festa FoodChairman; Land Development; andICC and Festa attorney withoutcompensation.

“Recipient of Business Journal’s‘Real Estate Deal of Year’ (2011).”

Reason for running: “To helpcontribute to the fiscal and budgetcompliance at Festa and theCenter.

“I will provide to the board ofdirectors and officers legal andfinancial advice on the developmentof our land and share my morethan 54 years of experience in thepractice of law.”

Anna Pitzo: Personal informa-tion: “I have been a member of theICC for over 30 years during whichtime I was secretary for nine yearsand served as a director-at-large. Ihave volunteered at Festa Italiana,serving as chair of the regionalexhibit for a number of years. Ihave volunteered at the Taste of

Italy since its inception. Since theICC has taken over the Italianexhibits at the Holiday Folk Fair, Ihave chaired the culture booth. Ihave also done demonstrations onbehalf of the ICC at schools, seniorcenters and nursing homes.”

Reasons for running: “I am run-ning for the position of director-at-large of the ICC because I am adedicated and hardworking mem-ber of the organization. In addi-tion, I am passionate on my com-mitment to the ICC and hope tovote on issues that are beneficial tothe organization and its members.”

Joseph O. Jannazzo, Jr.:Personal information: “I’m a thirdgeneration Italian American livingin Waukesha and member of theICC’s Membership Committee. Mywife is Jennifer and I have threedaughters, Gillian, Mia, andGianna. I’m the Agency Managerfor COUNTRY Financial inWaukesha and Milwaukee andhave been with COUNTRY for over14 years. I was born in Springfield,Ill., where my family has owned theTrack Shack for the past 34 years.It’s a bar and restaurant servingour family recipes for meatballs,sausage, beef, and pasta sauce. I’malso active in the WaukeshaCounty Business Alliance and wasrecently accepted into theLeadership Waukesha program.”

Reasons for running: “My pas-sion lies in understanding the his-tory and traditions of my Italianheritage and making sure thatlegacy is preserved for my childrenand future generations. I recentlylost my Grandmother at the age of94. With her passing, my familylost a piece of our story and moreimportantly we lost her. I askedher a lot of questions while she wasalive, because I wanted to makesure our family story will continueto be told. Even at my relativeyoung age, I realize the importance

and significance of what is happen-ing at the ICC. We have seriousitems that need to be addressed,and we need individuals who canask the right questions. I’m run-ning to preserve the legacy that hasbeen built and to ensure this greatorganization will be there for yourfamily and mine to enjoy for gener-ations to come.”

* * *Joseph Zambito: “I’m honored

to have been nominated for theBoard of the ICC. I know that Ihave the knowledge and commit-ment to make a difference.

“I’m a graduate of the UWMBusiness School, and recent retireeof the M & I Trust Company.

“As ICC member since its incep-tion, my family and I havebeen volunteers at Festa Italianafor years. My wife and I served onmany committees, Taste of Italy,Carnevale, Festa Italiana (FestaMass, Cinema Tent, Hospitalityand Culture).

”I witnessed the birth ofthe ICC, and felt the pride of thecommunity for achievingthe impossible dream of creating agathering place for all ItalianAmericans for the present andfuture generations. As years pass,extended families blend with othernationalities, it’s wonderful to havea place to showcase our rich Italianhistory and culture. Our Italianheritage is something to be proudof; no man can know who he isunless he knows from where hecomes from. This is one reason whyI feel it’s important that we pre-serve the ICC. The Center is theplace to meet and the place thathas put the Milwaukee Italians onthe map. We owe it to our foundingfathers to continue the journey theystarted, and most important weowe it to our children.

“I know that I have the qualifi-cations, passion and time to devoteto this responsibility. If elected, youhave my promise that I will be yourvoice on this Board.

“Thank you for your vote.”

Anthony Zingale: Personalinformation: Married to LenaZingale for 49 years; have four mar-ried children, 16 grandchildren(two presently in active duty withU.S. Air Force) and 3 great-grand-children. Retired Johnson Controlsemployee, 45 years. Proud memberof Three Holy Women Parish andMother of Good Counsel.

“ICC member for many years.Volunteered since the first FestaMass. Past volunteer involvementincludes ICC Board representativeto Festa Steering Committee,advertising and membership drive.Actively involved as a co-chair offood drive for the homeless. Hadprivilege of chairing Taste of Italy(2006), and chaired Carnevale (two

years), both great fund-raisers.Last three years, co-chaired Festavolunteer food booth.

“Member of Pompeii Men’s Club,Sons of Italy and La Società di SanGiuseppe. I’m proud of my Italian-Sicilian heritage.”

Reasons for running: “Securingthe position to be voted as a mem-ber of the ICC Board of Directors isto increase the quality of serviceI’ve given to the community bring-ing integrity to this office. In thepast, I’ve served as an officer in theposition of sergeant-at-arms.

“With your vote, I’ll be consider-ate of your needs at all meetings,asking questions when necessaryfor the membership and the Center.

“At the board meetings, I’ll beattentive to vote on issues that arefor the good of the ICC.

“It would be an honor to servethe ICC as a board member. Yourvote would insure this. Thank you.”

Pietro Tarantino: “I’m a 25-year member and served on theBoard as a director (1999-2005,2006-2008, 2008-2010). I’ve heldthese positions relative to the ICC:liaison to Italian Consulate inChicago and all Italian governmen-tal agencies; Newspaper Committeechair; Culture Committee member;and director of Italian classes foradults and children.

“I’m co-founder/president ofSicilia Mondo USA; member of LaSocietà di San Giuseppe andMadonna del Lume Society Men. Iwas selected by the Italian ConsulGeneral as a delegate to the Italiangovernment’s 2001 pre-conferenceon immigration in Toronto.

“I’ll continue to provide passportservice and other related mattersinvolving the Italian Consulatewithout compensation. SpeakingItalian fluently, I can contribute bypromoting more cultural activitiesdirectly from Italy.

from page 4

Dean Cannestra

Henry Piano

Joseph O. Jannazzo, Jr. Pietro Tarantino

Anna Pitzo

Joseph Zambito

Anthony Zingale



Tuesday, Sept. 25• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO Board meeting, 6 p.m.• Courtyard Music Series: Tuesday Bluesday with Reverend Raven & TheChain Smokin’ Altar Boys, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 26• Pompeii Women’s Club Board meeting, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 27• Italian Community Center membership dinner, 5:30 p.m.• Italian Community Center general membership meeting, 6:30 p.m.• Courtyard Music Series: Rock and Roll featuring Tom Anthony with theTom Sorce Band, 6:30 p.m. Last show in the 2012 summer series.

Monday, Oct. 1• Solomon Juneau Club meeting, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 2• Pompeii Men’s Club Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 3• Pompeii Women’s Club Board meeting, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 5• Italian Community Center salutes “Italian Heritage Month” with presen-tation by noted Milwaukee Historian John Gurda, 7 p.m. Details in thisissue.

Monday, Oct. 8• Italian Community Center volunteers host “Student Culture Day,” 9 a.m.Details in this issue.

Tuesday, Oct. 9• Italian Community Center Culture Committee meeting, 6 p.m.• Abruzzese Society meeting, 7 p.m.• Milwaukee Chapter UNICO National meeting, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 12• Abruzzese Society social, 6 p.m.• Italian Community Center salutres “Italian Heritage Month” with a bookreading by author Joseph A. Gasparetti, 7 p.m. Details in this issue.

Monday, Oct. 15• Italian Community Center Finance Committee meeting, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 16• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO membership dinner meeting, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 18• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 19• St. Rosalia Society dinner meeting, 6 p.m.• Italian Community Center participates in Gallery Night, 6 p.m. Detailsin this issue.

Saturday, Oct. 20• Italian Community Center participates in Gallery Day, 11 a.m. Detailsin this issue.

Tuesday, Oct. 23• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 25• Italian Community Center membership dinner, 5:30 p.m.• Italian Community Center general meeting, 6:30 p.m. Election results tobe announced.

Wednesday, Oct. 31• Pompeii Women’s Club membership dinner meeting, 6 p.m.

Daily and weekly classes and activities• Bocce leagues. The fall bocce season will get under way the week of Sept.10 with a mixed couples league on Monday night and seniors leagues onTuesday and Thursday afternoons. Team registration forms are availableby calling 414/223-2194 or contacting any league coordinator. Details inthis issue.

• Free Children’s Italian class. The fall semester of the ItalianCommunity Center’s free children’s Italian class (for those ages 6-12) isunder way and runs each Saturday through Nov. 3 from 3 to 5 p.m.Children, ages 6-12, can be registered before the start of any class.

• Italian I and II classes for teens and adults. The fall semester of ItalianI and II classes for teens and adults is under way and runs throughTuesday, Nov. 13. No new registrations accepted.

• 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.

Calendar of EventsSeptember 25 – October 31, 2012

“I’ve arranged and coordinatedseveral performances by Italianartists: Giovani ’90 and Lucio Dalla(1998); Sicilian puppet show(1998); Anema e Core (1999); MottaS. Anastasia flag throwers (2000);Parma Opera Ensemble (2001);Nebrodi dance group (2001); ‘Wingsof Italy’ exhibit (2002) and LaZagara musicians (2005).

“It’s extremely crucial to thedevelopment of our Center to rein-force the bridge between ItalianAmericans and the land of theirorigin, to enrich our culture andleave a legacy to our children.

“I’ve volunteered for Festa sincethe beginning. I love our Centerand am extremely concerned aboutits future. I believe that the ICC isexperiencing problems. If I’m elect-ed, I can help bring changes to bet-ter safeguard and preserve theexistence of our Center and FestaItaliana.”

ICC election:Tarantino’sstatementcontinued

from page 5There’s no need to debate whose

turn it is to make the ThanksgivingDay dinner. Let the ItalianConference Center staff do thecooking on Thursday, Nov. 22. Forthe first time, the ICC is offering aThanksgiving Day buffet.

Pre-paid reservations are neces-sary for this bountiful feast, whichwill beginwith the first seatings at11 a.m. Reservations will be takenon the half-hour from that time on,with the last seating scheduled for6 p.m.

Business Manager PatrickMorgan has set the prices at $24.95per adult, $15.95 for children, ages5-12, and free for children, 4 andyounger.

You make your reservations inperson at the reception desk at theItalian Community Center onweekdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., or bycalling 414/223-2180 to pay with acredit card. You may also leavename and contact information in avoice message after regular busi-ness hours.

The Thanksgiving menuHere’s what awaits for persons

who opt to come to the ICC for theirThanksgiving dinner.

• Salads: Garden salad with

assorted dressings; Caesar salad;Caprese salad; seafood tortellinisalad; and Waldorf salad.

• Appetizers: Fresh fruit; assort-ed cheese and crackers; antipasto,vegetables and dill dip; and cran-berry relish.

• Sides: Garlic mashed potatoes;sweet potato casserole; roastedyams; sweet corn; fresh greenbeans almondine; and penne pastamarinara.

• Meats: Oven-roasted turkeyand gravy; honey glazed ham;carved prime rib au jus; Italiansausage sauté; baked cod withlemon dill butter; and meatballs insauce.

• Desserts: Tiramisu; cannoli;pumpkin pie; apple pie; wild berrypie; and many other assortedtortes.

• Add-ons: Italian bread; butter;coffee; tea; and milk.

Free parking in available in thelot south of the building.

Make your ThanksgivingDay dining plans at the ICCPre-paid reservations required for this bountiful feast

All advertising copy, news andfeature stories, letters from thereaders and photographs for pub-lication in the November 2012issue of The Italian Times mustbe submitted to the editor no laterthan Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Materials can be emailed to

editor Tom Hemman at [email protected], sent to TheItalian Times, 631 E. Chicago St.,Milwaukee, WI 53202, or droppedoff at the reception desk in theItalian Community Center office.

Your cooperation will insuretimely publication of the newspaper.

Deadline set for Novemberissue of The Italian Times

ICC Members: Please keep this inmind. In order for your election

ballot to be opened and counted,it must be postmarked no later

than Oct. 18, 2012.


Moments to RememberCome and enjoy a tribute to35 years of Festa Italiana

entertainment

Sponsored by:

By Fred MeierIf you have enjoyed the

entertainment at FestaItaliana over the past 35 years,you won’t want to miss theshow coming to the ItalianCommunity Center’s PompeiiGrand Ballroom on Saturday,November 24 from 7 to 11 p.m.

The show will be a benefitfor the Hunger Task Force ofMilwaukee, whose missionsince 1974 is ending hungeramong children and the elder-ly, veterans, displaced workersand working poor families.

The show will be a tribute tothe 35 years of entertainmentat Festa Italiana. It willinclude songs that have beenperformed by some of the bestand well known entertainerswho have ever been at Festasince 1978.

The show will include themost well known songs fromABBA, Frankie Avalon, TonyBennett, Dick Contino, VicDamone, Vic Dana, Danny &The Juniors, Dion & TheBelmonts, The Four Aces, TheFour Lads, Sergio Franchi, Jay& The Americans, DeanMartin, Al Martino, LizaMinelli, The Monkees, TheRighteous Brothers, JimmieRodgers, Bobby Rydell, NeilSedaka, Frank Sinatra, NancySinatra, Jerry Vale, TheVogues and many more.

Performing these songs willbe Sherwood Alper, Johnny B.,Mike Betts on trumpet, BruceCole on drums, Larry Lynne -vocals and guitar, FreddyMeier, Mike Miller on sax,Judy Oswald, Joe Palumbo,Elvis Prince, Bob Sanderson on

guitar, Sam Schiera, TomSorce on guitar, Tony Spavone,Jeff Stoll on keyboards, JayneTaylor and Tommy Zingale.

There will be a buffet dinneroffered for $12.95 per personbefore the show from 5 p.m. to7 p.m. and the ItalianCommunity Center’s publicrestaurant, Cafe La Scala, willbe open for dinner and latenight dining and drinks.Reservations can be made bycalling 414/223-2185. Two cashbars will also be set up in theballroom.

Advance tickets for the showare now on sale for $30 per per-son and can be obtained bycalling 414/764-4145. Thenight of the show, tickets willbe sold at the door for $35 perperson.

Hope to see you there!

China Inn Restaurant10539 W. Forest Home AvenueHales Corners, WI 53130(414) 425-4903

Nessum Dorma Restaurant2778 N. WeilMilwaukee, WI 53212(414) 264-8466

Reina InternationalItalian Sports Car Center12730 W. Capitol DriveBrookfield, WI 53005(262) 781-3336

Peter Sciortino’s Bakery1101 E. Brady StreetMilwaukee, WI 53202(414 272-4623

Diversified Capital ManagementMichael R. Palmisano11805 W. Hampton AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53225(414) 688-7547

Lucille’s Rockin’ Pianos1110 N. Old World Third StreetMilwaukee, WI 53202(414) 225-0304

Sail Loft Spirits and Dining649 E. Erie StreetMilwaukee, WI 53202(414) 223-0100

Uptown Ford Lincoln2111 N. Mayfair RoadMilwaukee, WI 53226(414) 771-9000


Don’t wait to make your reserva-tions for the spectacular NewYear’s Eve party planned at theItalian Community Center. Thecelebration on Monday, 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 packed the houseevery time we’ve booked them. So, Iwant to advise everyone to get theirreservations made early.”

The cost for the evening is thesame as last year, $70 per person.Reservations are required and canbe made using a credit card andcalling 414/223-2180 or by usingthe form accompanying this story.Be sure to make your checkpayable to the Italian ConferenceCenter and submit it along withthe reservation form to ICC, 631 E.

Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202.If you wish to be seated at a

table with specific persons, pleaselist the names of those people on aseparate sheet of paper.

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 hotand 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 dou-ble entrée – center cut beef tender-loin topped with wild mushroomBordelaise sauce and jumbo shrimpscampi – served over angel hairpasta, steamed vegetable medley,Italian bread, and coffee, tea, icedtea or milk.

For dessert, guests will beserved tuxedo black and white tortewith a layer of New York cheese-cake, raspberry filling, chocolatebutter cream, moist double choco-late cake and topped with Frenchvanilla butter cream.

Following a midnight cham-pagne toast welcoming the newyear, a buffet station will be madeavailable. The buffet will featureassorted cold cuts, cheese and rel-ish trays, fresh rolls, pasta saladand assorted 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 thisclassic genre, but have redefined itand made it their own 21st centurydoo-wop.

The group’s live shows attain

that 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, Mike Welch,Ryan Clark, Mark Lansing, TomRiepenhoff, Lee Stephens, LeeWanek and Terry Casey.


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?

ICC’s New Year’s Eve party plans announcedDoo-Wop Daddies to play after fabulous dinner at this reservations-only event

ICC New Year's Eve Party Reservation FormMonday, Dec. 31, 2012

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 $70.00 = $

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.

Doo-Wop Daddies

By Gina JorgensenFall approaching and with it

comes Holiday Folk FairInternational 2012. The Folk Fairis an annual three-day festival cele-brating cultures from around theworld This year’s event will be heldFriday, Nov. 16 through Sunday,Nov. 19, the weekend beforeThanksgiving.

The annual event is at theWisconsin Exposition Center ofWisconsin State Fair Park in WestAllis. It is the largest indoor multi-cultural festival in America.Holiday Folk Fair’s mission is toencourage peace through respectand inter-cultural understanding.

Once again, volunteers from theItalian Community Center andmembers of Tradizione Vivente andI Bei Bambini will be the represen-tatives for Italian culture, food,entertainment and sales of Italianmade merchandise.

Folk Fair offers continuousentertainment, food from aroundthe world, exhibits, market anddemonstrations. A visitor can findpizzelle, egg rolls, strudel, scones,falafel and sushi all under one roof.The main entertainment takesplace in two areas, the All NationsTheater and the Music Pavilion,where dancers and musicians rep-resenting over 53 different ethnicgroups perform for the crowds..

Youth also perform on theInternational Stage throughout theweekend.

The fair opens early withEducation Day on Nov. 16 for stu-dents in grades 4-8, which givesstudents the opportunity to person-ally experience global connectionsthrough ethnic displays, work-shops, mini-language classes,demonstrations, music and danceperformances, foods and a market-place. Participation in EducationDay includes student passports andthree-day wristband tickets.Encourage your children or grand-children’s schools to attend!

Advance admission is $10.Advance tickets will be availablesoon at the ICC. Tickets at the gatewill be $12 or $10 for seniors 62and old with identification and forchildren ages 6-12. Military person-nel and children, under 5, can getin free. A family four-pack ofadmission tickets can be orderedonline for $36 at the fair’s website,www.folkfair.org or by calling414/225-6235.

Tradizione Vivente will be chair-ing the Italian food booth.Christina Ziino and her volunteerswill be in charge of the Italian mer-chandise booth. Valorie SanfilippoSchleicher and her volunteers willhandle the Italian culture booth.

ICC, Tradizione Viventepreparing to take part in

Holiday Folk Fair, Nov. 16-18

Correcting an error inour September issue

The September issue of TheItalian Times incorrectly statedthat a memorial donation made tothe Festa Italiana Mass andProcession Committee was made inmemory of Virginia Maestroinstead of Virginia Magestro. Weextend our sincere apologies to JoeMagestro and family for our error,and we thank the Magestro familyfor its generous contribution.

board spots. As we are in full-fledged election season – fromboard positions at the ICC to 1600Pennsylvania Avenue – you mayread the candidates’ written sub-missions, which haven’t been fact-checked. Understanding that, ICCmembers should look for a ballot intheir mailboxes soon; so pleasevote.

Our Italian HeritageMonth programs

October is Italian HeritageMonth. The ICC will host a talk byprominent Milwaukee HistorianJohn Gurda on Friday, Oct. 5, ourStudent Cultural Day program onMonday, Oct. 8, a book reading byauthor Joseph Gasparetti onFriday, Oct. 12, and the GalleryNight and Day program on theweekend of Oct. 19-20. Please comedown and enjoy your ItalianCommunity Center.

Look for articles in this issue forfurther details on all of these greatevents.

Courtyard Music Series successAbout 12 years ago, then ICC

President Joe Campagna startedour Courtyard Music Series, andevery year the series seems to getbetter. But this year I think itreached new heights.

If you haven’t had a chance toenjoy a beautiful night and listen togreat music in our courtyard Iinvite you to put next summer’sCourtyard series on your agendaand to attend the remaining 2012programs.

There are three remaining

shows in this summer’s series.They will be held in the FestaBallroom because of the expectedchilly evenings. The programsinclude jazz with Gail Valenti andTom Sorce Trio on Monday, Sept.24; blues with Rev. Raven & TheChain Smokin’ Altar Boys Tuesday,Sept. 25; and rock and roll with theTom Anthony Group on Thursday,Sept. 27.

Festa updateWe continue to tally up the final

results of Festa Italiana 2012. Onething we know for sure, despiteattendance being down our expens-es and income seem to be in line.

As in recent years, the entirecommittee works throughout theyear to reduce expenses and raiserevenue any way that we can.However, our challenges are enor-mous. Competition from otherevents, the weather, the generalmalaise in our economy, thedemand for everyone’s discre-tionary dollar, and a change in ourdemographics all add to our chal-lenges. Festa Italiana is not alonein these challenges. All the ethnic

festivals have had and are facingsimilar hurdles.

Throughout the year, we listenand vet out all recommendationsbrought to the Festa Advisoryboard. We take into considerationall the information that we haveand then the decisions are made asa group. For example, this pastyear we had a budget that includeda 13% decrease in expenses fromthe prior year, and we all decidedthat discipline will have to continuein the future. Furthermore, thequality and the scope of a balancedentertainment offering were verywell received.

We are now conducting ourreview, and determining what wentwell and where we can improve. AsI wrote last month, if anyone hasconstructive criticism or a way wecan do something better, pleaseoffer it.

Property development updateOn the development front, we

continue to do our due diligencewith the Marcus Corporation aboutthe best way to use our grounds.Marcus has hired consultants and

has been working with local politi-cians and other stakeholders to findthe highest and best use of ourproperty.

We will continue our conversa-tion and will meet with Marcusrepresentatives again in October.

As of this date, no decisionshave been made but some excitingideas are being floated. We willcontinue our due diligence efforts,and will certainly keep youinformed.

Remembering Bob RuggieriLastly, we lost our dear friend

and consummate ICC member BobRuggieri on September 17. Bobedited and contributed to TheItalian Times for many years. Heserved on our board and many ICCand Festa committees. He also vol-unteered for numerous communityorganizations and was always apleasure to be around. We will misshim.

As always, best regards,Dave Spano

ICC President


from page 1

A message from ICC President Dave Spano

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

• A MEMBERSHIP IN THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER IS A PERFECT GIFT forfriends and 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 and educational 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 purchaseindividual 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:New Membership �

Name: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership �

Address: _________________________________ Phone: _________________ Email: _____________________________New Membership �


Address: _____________________________ Phone: __________________ 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:New Membership �





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:New Membership �





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

Date of application TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $ _

ICC membersdefeat proposedbylaws revisions


Two proposed amendments toArticle V of the Italian CommunityCenter bylaws were defeated bymembers in attendance for theAug. 23 general meeting. Article Vaddresses procedures for nomina-tions and elections.

One of the proposed amend-ments would have changed thedate when the Election Committeeis chosen from the May generalmeeting to the April general meet-ing. The other proposed amend-ment would have changed the lan-guage on when election ballots aremailed to members from “withineight days following the Septembergeneral meeting” to “within fifteendays following the Septemberboard meeting.”

Both proposed amendmentsreceived more yes votes than novotes; however, the bylaws requirea proposed amendment to receive atwo-thirds majority to be enacted.The proposal on the date changefor the selection of the ElectionCommittee received 44 yes votesand 35 no votes. The proposedamendment changing the languageon when election ballots are mailedgarnered 44 yes votes and 32 novotes.

ICC President Dave Spanodirected the Bylaws Committee tore-address the amendments andcome back with new proposals.

The committee’s decision tobring forth these proposals wasbased on a decision of the ICCBoard to reduce the number of gen-eral meeting dates from 11 to six in2013.


As the saying goes: “All goodthings must come to end.” It’s cer-tainly applicable to this summer’sCourtyard Music Series, which islikely to go down as the most suc-cessful in its 12 years of existence.The free weeknight series enters itsfinal week, Sept. 24-27, with pro-grams on Monday, Tuesday andThursday nights.

Scheduled for performances onthose final nights are:

• Vocalist Gail Valenti with key-boardist Joel Freisinger, guitaristTom Sorce and drummer BrianFord on Hot Jazz Monday, Sept. 24.

• Reverend Raven & The ChainSmokin’ Altar Boys on TuesdayBluesday, Sept. 25.

• The Tom Anthony Group onRoll and Roll Thursday, Sept. 27.

All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. andgo on rain or shine. In the event ofinclement weather, the ICC bringsthe shows indoors to the FestaBallroom. As usual, the staff ofCafe La Scala will be on hand tohandle all food and drink orders.

Talent detailsGail Valenti has performed

nationally with Doc Severinsen andshared the spotlight with SteveLawrence and Eydie Gorme, TonyBennett and Dionne Warwick. Shehas also worked as a national jinglesinger and spokeswoman repre-senting Oldsmobile, KentuckyFried Chicken, State Farm Insur-nce, Northwestern Mutual Life,Bank of America, Disney World,

Anheuser Busch and Miller Beer.Valenti is exactly the kind of act

Tom Sorce and his cohorts love toback up. “Joel Freisinger writesgreat arrangements for thesesingers,” said Sorce. “His arrange-ments bring out their beststrengths, which adds so much.”

Reverend Raven & the ChainSmokin’ Altar Boys specializes inclassic Chicago blues, The groupwon the Wisconsin Area MusicIndustry Award for best blues bandin 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008 and2010 and has been a big drawingcard in the Courtyard Music Seriessince their first performance in

2011.Vocalist Tom Anthony has long

been a fixture on the Milwaukeearea music scene. With his group,Tom Sorce (guitar), Joel Freisinger(keyboards) and Brian Ford(drums), Anthony presents the bestof the rock, pop and rhythm andblues eras.

Anthony is famous for his LasVegas-style show, singing the hitsof Elvis, Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin,Everly Brothers, Frankie Valli, RoyOrbison and even some of today’sbiggest hit makers such as MarcAnthony, Brooks & Dunn andDwight Yoakam. The latest CD by

the Tom Anthony Group is “JustFor You.”

The group is coming off of a busysummer schedule, which included a10-day gig at the Wisconsin StateFair.

Just the factsThis summer’s series has seen

some standing room only crowds.The Doo-Wop Daddies attracted thelargest crowd of the summer.According to restaurant/bar manag-er Jim Schultz, 322 people attendedthat night.

Other very large draws havebeen the Oldies But GoodiesSpectacular, the Tom AnthonyGroup, Rick D’Amore’s Rockin’Dance Party, Reverend Raven &The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys,Bryan Lee Band, The Bel Airs, TheAll-Star Super Band, Leroy Air-master with Junior Brantley, PeterSorce and Jeff Lebarge with SwingExplosion Band, Sandra Mandellawith the Tom Sorce Band, JimLiban Combo, Janet Planet & Trioand Frank DeMiles Band.

The Wednesday night opera,classical and Broadway night con-cluded on Aug. 29 with a largestaudience of the season – 147 people– for a performance by theMetropolitan Opera NationalCouncil Singers.

Joe Campagna, Jr. was the coor-dinator of the Monday, Tuesdayand Thursday night programs. SalQuarino was in charge of theWednesday night programs. TomSorce served as the music directorand booking agent for the Monday,Tuesday and Thursday night acts.Kay Sparling acted in those capaci-ties for the Wednesday night pro-grams.


• 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 with a cost guarantee.

• 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

Successful Courtyard Music Seriesdrawing to a close

This year, the Italian Community Center’s 12th annualCourtyard Music Series was sponsored by La CoppaArtisan Gelato. La Coppa is based in Glendale, Wis.Their gelato is made with the freshest fruits and all-natural ingredients and is never processed. All of theirgelatos and sorbettos are made on site daily from origi-

nal recipes. Unlike ice cream, which contains a mini-mum of 10% butter fat with most having up to 18% ormore butter fat, La Coppa’s gelato contains only 6.9%fat with their fruit sorbettos containing 0% fat. LaCoppa Artisan Gelato is available at Cafe La Scala.(Times photo by Tom Hemman)

Italian ancestrycommon among last

two Miss USA winnersFor the second consecutive year,

Miss USA happens to have anItalian ancestry. Olivia Culpo, a20-year old from Rhode Island, wonthe 2012 title in June. Last year’swinner was Alyssa Campanella,who represented the state ofCalifornia.

Culpo, who played the cello (anItalian invention), impressed thejudges in her purple bikini andevening gown. When answering thedaring question, “Would it be fairfor a transgender male to win theMiss Universe Contest?,” sheresponded with the politically cor-rect answer of “yes.”


Throughout the course of the 2012 Courtyard MusicSeries, thousands of people came to the ItalianCommunity Center for the great entertainment in an

outdoor setting, the delicious food and beveragesserved by the staff of Cafe La Scala. (Times photo byTom Hemman)

International recording artistJanet Planet performed before alarge crowd in the ItalianCommunity Center’s Courtyard onMonday, Aug. 27. Planet was theheadliner in this year’s Mondaynight jazz schedule of theCourtyard Music Series. Planetappeared with a three-piececombo. Her latest CD is titled“Janet Planet Sings the Bob DylanSongbook, Vol. 1.” (Times photo byTom Hemman)

World PastaDay set for

Oct. 25World Pasta Day is celebrat-

ed on Oct. 25 every year. Thechief purpose is to encourage anappreciation for the nutritionaland culinary advantages ofpasta. Eating Italian food, fea-turing homegrown pasta, is oneof the pleasures of traveling inItaly.

Pasta is the well-recognizedpart of the Italian diet. TheItalian people eat more pastathan any other ethnic group inthe world. Italy also makesnearly one-third of the pastathat is consumed globally.

It has been reported thatpasta utensils have been foundin the early Roman archaeologi-cal sites and the Etruscantombs, demonstrating thatpasta has been eaten by theItalians for long time.

World Pasta Day was startedin 1995 in Rome. A worldwidepanel is promoting all the nutri-tional advantages of the pasta.In 1997, Oct. 25 was formallydeclared as World Pasta Day.

In spite of what fashionablediets have claimed in recentyears, foods which are enrichedwith carbohydrates, such aspasta, are nutritious and serveas body fuel that energize thebody. They are enriched withvitamin B, necessary for cell for-mation, mental alertness, andenergy conversion and are veryhelpful in boosting the immunesystem.

Scientific studies have con-firmed that a pasta diet is agold standard for healthy eat-ing.

Pasta is a worldwide food,which is consumed on all thecontinents. It is often combinedwith vegetables, legumes,cheese, olive oil, and fish and isdressed in the various sauces.


Thanks for your donations to the Italian

Community Center building fundThe officers and directors of the

Italian Community Center wish tothank and acknowledge all thosewho pledged, fulfilled a pledge, orcontributed to the building fund.

To obtain information on how tomake a donation, please call414/223-2194 or visitwww.ICCMilwaukee.com.

The following donations werereceived between August 10 andSeptember 7, 2012.

In memory of Angelo A.DragottaCarmen & Lorre ZingaraIsidore & Mary PecoraroAnna PitzoNancy Johnston

In memory of Alex CalarcoAnthony T. MachiTom & Rose Zingale

Ray & Caroline BesasieJohn & Melody Gensler

In memory of Charles C. MaglioMary Ann MaglioAugust Amoroso

In memory of Patricia “Patsy”OrlandoAnthony T. MachiJimmy & Linda Spataro

In memory of Andrew “PiluRussu” CorraoFrank & Nina Galioto

In memory of Lucille Lo CiceroMary Maglio

In memory of Antoinette Rose“Tonie” CollovaCarmen & Lorre Zingara

In memory of Rev. Victor R.“Vic 4 JC” CaprioloSal Mussomeli & Sally Mullins

Gordon & Bernice BoucherFrank Vitucci, son Frank anddaughter JackieGrace Vitucci Morrissey

In memory of Ignatius J.BalistreriJimmy & Linda Spataro

In memory of Bernadine A.CifaldiAl & Jo Salzstein

In memory of Bessie M.CannestraAl & Jo Salzstein

In memory of Leticia C.ZimmardiBill & Rita Jennaro

In memory of Phyllis AnnGhiardiBill & Rita Jennaro

In memory of Robert J. Cefaluwith donations designated forthe ICC’s Thanksgiving dinnerfor the less fortunate

Dr. & Mrs. Harvey KohnPaul & Rose IannelliPeter SperaSal & Donna AgnelloEddie & JoAnn GloriosoAnthony & Catherine GazzanaTed & Rosemary GloriosoJoe PanellaSal Mussomeli & Sally MullinsAnthony T. MachiMiriam Mirenda & Holt Andrusand daughter NataliaFrank & Nina GaliotoJohn CoffaroBill & Rita JennaroTom SperaFrank & Dorothy OrlandoMike & Karen IannelliBrian & Kathryn MekaDonald & Doris ReynoldsDennis PalaszCeline WongJames BeckerGeorge & Aggie ColluraSam & Joanne Seidita

631 E. Chicago St.Milwaukee, WI

Phone: 414/223-2800or visit

ItalianConference.com

The PerfectEnding

Bring your wedding day toa successful close. Gatheryour families and friendswhere the ambiance is spe-cial, the food is exceptionaland the staff is attentive toyour every need.Make Cafe La Scala your

Friday night Fish Fry destination . . .Cafe La Scala, the public restaurant at theItalian Community Center,is serving anAll-You-Can-EatFantastic Fish Fryevery Friday night, starting at 4:30 p.m.

Just $10.95 (plus tax)

Enjoy Icelandic Cod – deep fried or broiled –with all the trimmings and your choice of

soup or salad.Cafe La Scala

631 E. Chicago St.Phone: 414/223-2185

Cafe La Scala and the Italian Community Centerare a block west of Summerfest

in the Historic Third Ward.

Any member of the ItalianCommunity Center who has achange of address is asked to notifythe ICC promptly so that mailingsfrom the Center are sent to the cor-rect address.

Since the ICC uses nonprofitbulk rates to mail The ItalianTimes, the United States PostalService is entitled to charge a fee(50¢) for each newspaper that isreturned to the ICC and deemedundeliverable due to an incorrectaddress. Since June 2009 when thefees were first assessed, the ICChas been forced to pay more than$385 to the Postal Service becausemembers did not supply the ICCwith their change of address infor-mation.

Even if you are temporarilyaway from your permanent resi-dence and are not receiving mail atthat address, you need to notify theICC of your temporary address sothat your newspaper can be deliv-ered to that address and so that the

ICC is not charged 50¢ for eachfailed attempt to deliver the publi-cation to your permanent resi-dence.

“We’ve had a number of mem-bers who have gone to Florida oranother warm weather location forthe winter and these people did notsupply us with their temporarychange of address; hence theirnewspaper was returned to the ICCwith the 50¢ service fee due foreach newspaper,” Editor TomHemman said.

Nonprofit bulk rate mail is notforwarded to a new address, whichmeans those members who neglectto inform the ICC of their change ofaddress will not receive the news-paper.

Please send change of addressinformation to: Italian CommunityCenter, 631 E. Chicago St.,Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916 oremail Constance Palmer [email protected] or callher at 414/223-2808.

Members: Please notify ICCof a change of address; non-compliance is costly for ICC

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 the

keeper 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 contact either SteveDaily or Amanda Koehler at theMCHS, 910 N. Old World ThirdStree, Milwaukee or call 414/273-7487 or 414/273-8288.

Copies of vintage photos displayed atICC or Festa available through

Milwaukee County Historical Society


Bob Ruggieri, long-time valued contributorto The Italian Times, former ICC Boardmember, loses battle with lung cancer

us that he was no longer in anyshape or condition to continue to doany work for the newspaper, and Itold him so. He responded, “I thinkyou should fire me!”

Bob served two terms as secre-tary of the ICC from 1985 to 1986and from 2001 to 2002. He was adirector-at-large from 1986 to 1990.

In the years leading up to andthrough the celebration of the500th anniversary of ChristopherColumbus’ discovery of the NewWorld, Bob chaired the ICC’sColumbus Day QuincentennialCommittee. This committee, whichwas comprised of ICC members andrepresentatives of other Italian-American organizations, planned,coordinated and sponsored pro-grams and activities in southeast-ern Wisconsin that celebrated theaccomplishments of the Italian-born explorer and the culture andheritage of Italy.

Bob was a 34-year volunteer atFesta Italiana, the four-day outdoorfestival presented by the ICC since1978. His volunteerism includedseveral years as a stage managerand nine years as Public RelationsDirector. In more recent years, heserved as an information booth vol-unteer and as a volunteer photog-rapher for The Italian Times.

In recognition of his volunteerservice, the ICC selected Bob as “IlGran Maresciallo” (the GrandMarshall) of its annual pre-Lentengala, “Il Grande Carnevale,” in1995.

Bob was active in numerousorganizations outside of the ICC.

He served as president, secre-tary and acting executive directorwhile a member of the Board ofDirectors of the Civic MusicAssociation of Milwaukee for about15 years.

He was a member of theAdvisory Board of The SalvationArmy in Milwaukee for 21 yearsand, for a number of those years, hechaired its Community RelationsCommittee. He emceed the Army’sannual “Evening to Rejoice” andacted as one of its volunteer bellringers during the holiday season.

Bob was a past president andformer dance director of the ItalianDance Group of Milwaukee (nowknown as Tradizione Vivente).

He was a member of the Boardof Directors of Housing with Help,a nonprofit organization that pro-vides supervised housing for men-tally-challenged men and women.

A member since 1972 of theMilwaukee Choristers, Bob was thegroup’s bass section leader and itsvolunteer community relationsdirector. He served three separateterms as president of the 70-voicecommunity chorus.

The Italian Times was not theonly community newspaper Bobserved. He was a proofreader andoccasional contributor to TheMilwaukee Times, a weekly news-paper serving Milwaukee’s African-American community. One of hiskey assignments was to write pro-files on those selected to receive thepublication’s “Black ExcellenceAwards.”

In 2001, Aerie 414 of theFraternal Order of Eagles honoredBob as Milwaukee’s “Italian Personof the Year.” At the announcementof his selection, he said, “I’ll do mybest to continue to serve the com-

munity in such a manner that willjustify the Eagles’ decision.”

Bob had the distinction of beinglisted in the first two editions ofWho’s Who among ItalianAmericans, a publication of theNational Italian AmericanFoundation.

A graduate of the University ofWisconsin-Madison, Bob majored inspeech and minored in Englishwhile earning a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in 1957.

He began his professional careerin radio, working as an announcerand newsman at WEKZ in Monroe,Wis., and at WAXO and WLIP inKenosha. His on-air name was “BobJay.”

Because of his broadcast back-ground and his firsthand knowl-edge of the event and its history, hewas part of the narration team forlocal, regional and national tele-casts of The Great Circus Paradeand prepared background informa-tion that was used as the basicworking tool for announcers forvarious annual telecasts – nationaland local – of each year’s parade.He co-narrated national public tele-vision broadcasts of the paradewith the late Ernest Borgnine andthe late Robert Keeshan (CaptainKangaroo).

From October 1968 through May1991, Bob worked for The BarkinGroup, a Milwaukee-based publicrelations agency headed for manyyears by the late Ben Barkin.Ruggieri left the agency as a senioraccount executive.

During his tenure with the firm,he worked on a wide variety ofbusiness accounts including TheGreat Circus Parade, theMidwestern Governors Conferenceand RiverSplash! While with TheBarkin Group, Bob was a member

and served on the Board ofDirectors of the MilwaukeeChapter of the National InvestorRelations Institute.

He was the moderator (pro bono)for 25 annual Spring Investor’sFairs (1977-2001), sponsored by theMilwaukee Chapter of the NationalAssociation of InvestorsCorporation.

From 1991 until he succumbedto his illness, Bob operated a one-man, home-based public relationsagency. He also did freelance writ-ing and proofreading for a varietyof clients. For several years, he pre-pared profiles for the annualawards banquet hosted by theWisconsin Interscholastic AthleticAssociation honoring its “Athletesof the Year.”

He was a charter member and

past vice president of theNorthridge Estates NeighborhoodAssociation.

Bob was born Mar. 19, 1935 inMilwaukee. He was the son of thelate Nicolina (nee Cherubini) andAlfonso Ruggieri. Bob graduatedfrom Rufus King High School.

He enjoyed golfing and playingin senior volleyball leagues. He wasan avid gardener and newspaperreader.

Bob is survived by his son, Paul,his daughter, Lisa, his former wife,Joanne, many nieces, nephews,other relatives and friends.

A memorial mass will be held onSaturday, Sept. 29 at the ThreeHoly Women Parish – St. RitaChurch, 1601 E. Cass St. at 10:30a.m. The Milwaukee Choristers willsing at the service.

from page 1

During the course of his career, Bob Ruggieri (left)had the opportunity to serve as a parade planner andstaff announcer for the telecasts of the “Great CircusParade” on WMVS Channel 10 in Milwaukee. This pic-ture was taken in 1972 in the broadcast booth. Seen

here with Ruggieri are the late Ernest Borgnine,decked out in his clown costume, and John Owen, whoalso served as a staff announcer. Borgnine died thispast July 8 at the age of 95. (Photo provided by theRuggieri family)

While many players and man-agers of Italian heritage have lefttheir mark in Major LeagueBaseball, a good number of ath-letes and coaches of Italian ances-try have made significant contri-butions to professional football inthe United States.

Here are some examples.There are 15 Italian Americans

in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.They are: Nick Buoniconti, TonyCanadeo, Lou Groza, FrancoHarris, Ted Hendricks, DanteLavelli, Vince Lombardi, GinoMarchetti. Dan Marino, JoeMontana, George Musso, Leo

Nomellini, Andy Robustelli, PeteRozelle and Charley Trippi.

Dan Marino (1984) and JoeMontana (1989 and 1990) won theNational Football League’s MVPaward.

Franco Harris (1973) andMontana (1982, 1985 and 1989)won the Super Bowl MVP award.

There have been two commis-sioners of the NFL of Italiandescent: Pete Rozelle and PaulTagliabue.

Gino Cappelletti (1964) andDaryle Lamonica (1967 and 1969)won the American FootballLeague MVP award.

Italian Americans haveleft their mark onAmerican football


Fr. Victor Capriolo killed in bike, vehicle crashCapriolo served at several Milwaukee area churches and was

main celebrant of Festa Italiana Mass in 2004While riding his bicycle on

Wednesday, Aug. 22, Father Victor“Vic” Capriolo was struck andkilled by a vehicle as he tried tocross Highway 151 on the PrairieTrail bike/pedestrian path outsideof Fond du Lac. The driver of thevehicle was not cited or charged.

Capriolo, 67, who had been amember of the pastoral team ofHoly Family Catholic CommunityParish in Fond du Lac the last 14years, served previously at severalMilwaukee area churches and wasthe principle celebrant of the FestaItaliana Mass in 2004.

Archbishop Jerome E. Listeckisaid, “Father Vic had a passion forCatholic social teaching and aninsatiable love for the Gospel. Hisparishioners and the people of Fonddu Lac knew him as someone whowould do anything to support thepoor and the disenfranchised.”

A statement issued by HolyFamily Parish stated: “He was acompassionate pastor, dedicated toall he served in the archdiocese andbeyond.” Holy Family Parishincludes four churches in Fond duLac.

The first-born son of Samuel andJulia (Mattson) Capriolo, Victorwas baptized at Our Lady ofPompeii Catholic Church inMilwaukee’s old Third Ward. Hemade his First Holy Communion atSaints Peter & Peter Church on

Milwaukee’s East Side before hisfamily moved to Butler in 1954where he attended St. Agnes GradeSchool. He entered the minor semi-nary (now Thomas More) for highschool and college studies beforeattending St. Francis Seminary.

He was ordained a priest onMay 29, 1971 at his home parish,St. Agnes. He went on to serve theArchdiocese of Milwaukee as anassistant pastor at these parishes:Immaculate Conception in BayView, St. Joseph in Grafton, St.Monica in Whitefish Bay, and St.Nicholas in Milwaukee and BlessedTrinity, both in Milwaukee. He wasthe spiritual director for collegestudents at St. Francis Seminaryfor one year.

For a three-year period, Caprioloserved in the Diocese of Juneau,Alaska before becoming pastor ofSt. Bernard Catholic Church inWauwatosa. His next assignment

was at Holy Family Parish in Fonddu Lac.

Before moving to Fond du Lac,Capriolo served as chaplain to thePompeii Men’s Club.

In 2004, he told The ItalianTimes that he was “honored andfilled with pride” to accept arequest from the Festa Mass &Procession Committee to serve asthe principal celebrant of theSunday Mass.

Capriolo loved the outdoors. Heenjoyed running, swimming, snowskiing, fishing and canoeing. Hewas an avid bicyclist.

He is survived by two brothersMike (Rita) and Dr. Mark (KarenKroll) and his sister Carol (Bill)Burczyk as well as many relatives,friends, co-workers and people offaith.

The family suggests memorialsto Catholic Relief Services, P.O.Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-

7090 or Holy Family Parish, 271Fourth Street Way, Fond du Lac,WI 54937.

Father Victor Capriolo

Angelo A. Dragotta, a member ofthe Italian Community Centersince the organization’s inceptionin 1978, died in Tampa, Fla. onThursday, Aug. 2 at the age of 94.He was also a longtime volunteerfor the organization’s annual festi-

val, Festa Italiana.Dragotta was one of 12 children.

Four of his sisters are nuns withthe Order of St. Joan Antida. Hisbrother-in-law, Paul Iannelli, said,“Angelo was very proud of his sis-ters and he loved them dearly andwould do anything for them.”

Iannelli added, “Angelo had aheart of gold and looked forward to

helping other people.. Iannelli saidhe will always remember the manygolf outings with Angelo and theChristmas parties he hosted at hishome. I was proud and honored tohave him as a brother-in-law andfriend for over 61 years.”

Dragotta volunteered for FestaItaliana for 34 years. He was cap-tain of the Schlitz Area, which laterbecame the Briggs and Stratton BigBack Yard Area. “He enjoyed work-ing with his crew and his crewloved working with him. Hebrought enjoyment to the job,”Iannelli said.

Dragotta was employed bySchlitz Brewing Company and wasa supervisor for many years. Heand his wife, the late Antonia (neeLembo), were married for 57 years.

He is survived by his adoptedchildren Toni Ann Gabel and Artie(Rosemary) Dragotta; his grand-children Kristopher Gabel, JamieAnderson, Jonathan Gabel,Antonia Fenno, Grace Dragotta-Parks and Angelo and Jo Dragotta;four great-grandchildren; his sis-ters Sr. Josephine, St. Agnes, Sr.Nancy, Theresa (Patsy) Iannelliand Rose (Paul) Iannelli and manyother relatives and friends. He waspreceded in death by his sister Sr.Vincent and Stefana (the late John)Scarpace and his brothers Joe(Caroline), Frank (Mildred) andDominic (Beatrice) Dragotta.

Angelo Dragotta, charter ICC member,Festa volunteer, dies at age 94

The following people became members of the Italian CommunityCenter between Aug. 10 and Sept. 7, 2012. Benvenuti! (Welcome!)

Deborah Montgomery of Green Bay

Richard Paxton of Oak Creek

Margaret Steinheiser of Oak Creek

Carlo Besasie of Shorewood

Historic Milwaukee, Inc.

Thomas & Sophia Strelka of Milwaukee

Welcome, new ItalianCommunity

Center members!

Angelo A. Dragotta

Two Italian American legendsof the big screen and television –Ernest Borgnine and Ben Gazzara– are among the notable celebri-ties who passed away during thefirst eight months of 2012.

Borgnine, who died July 8 atthe age of 95, was born ErnesBorgnino in Hamden,Connecticut. He was the son ofAnna (Boselli), who emigrated tothe United States from Carpi(Modena, Italy), and CamilloBorgnino, who emigrated to theU.S. from Ottiglio (Alessandria,Italy).

Ernest’s film career spanned60 years. His breakthrough rolewas as a sadistic sergeant inFrom Here to Eternity (1953).

In homage to his heritage,Borgnine played the lead role asan unmarried Italian Americanbutcher in Marty and later asheroic New York Police Lt. JosephPetrosino in Pay or Die. His char-acters ran the gamut from the pil-laging Ragnar in The Vikings to agood-natured PT boat captain inthe television series McHale’sNavy.

Borgnine won an AcademyAward for Best Actor in 1955 forhis portrayal of Marty Pilaetti inthe film Marty. For his contribu-tion to the motion picture indus-try, he received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame. In 1996,he was inducted into the WesternPerformers Hall of Fame at theNational Cowboy & WesternHeritage Museum in OklahomaCity, Okla. In 2009, at the age of92, Borgnine earned an Emmynomination for his performancesin the final two episodes of the TV

series ER. He was honored withthe Screen Actors Guild LifeAchievement Award at the 17thannual SAG Awards, held Jan.30, 2011.

Of course, Milwaukeeans willalways remember Borgnine for hisenthusiastic participation inmany of the Great Circus Paradeswhen he dressed as a clown.

Gazzara, who died on Feb. 3 atthe age of 81, was born BiagioAnthony Gazzara in Manhattan,N.Y. His parents Angelina(Cusumano) and AntonioGazzara, were Italian immi-grants.

Ben’s talents were apparent infilm, television and the stage. Helaunched his stage career in 1951,and was lauded for his role asBrick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in1955. Four years later, he had amajor film role with JimmyStewart in Anatomy of a Murder

Gazzara’s television stardomcame with the series Run for YourLife (1965-68). For his work in theseries, he received two Emmynominations for “OutstandingLead Actor in a Drama Series”and three Golden Globe nomina-tions for “Best Performance by anActor in a Television Series -Drama.”

By the 1980s, he was drawn toItalian cinema. He had a villa inUmbria and was conversant inItalian.

Gazzara worked as an occa-sional television director; his cred-its include the Columbo episodes“A Friend in Deed” (1974) and“Troubled Waters” (1975).

Ernest Borgnine andBen Gazzara left theirmark in film and TV

Continued on page 15


By Susie DeSanctisChristiansen

Festa Parade ManagerWith Reina International’s

Vespas parting the crowds and themusic of Chicago’s Sicilian Bandgrabbing their attention, the FestaItaliana Parade added a certainenergy to the air as it made its waythrough the middle of the Festagrounds on Saturday and Sundayof Festa Italiana 2012.

We gave our Festa audiencesPinocchio, the Blue Fairy,Geppetto, Topo Gigio and Guido,the Klement’s Italian SausageSausage character.

On Saturday, we were joined bythe kind and colorful representa-tives of several ethnic groups andorganizations such as the Chinese,Mexican, Polish, German, Arab,Irish, Indian Summer andPridefest.

On Sunday, we gave them stiltwalkers who later wowed thecrowds at the Main Gate with afire-eating show.

We gave them sensationalparade characters and floats creat-ed and built by Gina Jorgensen, thestudents of Milwaukee’s NorthDivision High School and CosmoCarini. They included Pinocchio inthe Box, the massive Whale IlMonstro and Pinocchio on hisTricycle.

We extend special thanks to Sam

Purpero and Dave Spano, whoseincredible generosity made thesecharacters possible.

Spectacular Italian automobileswere also featured, through thegenerosity of Reina InternationalAuto.

The lovely young women in theFesta Regional & RenaissanceGroup walked in regional costumesand a young dancer from I BeiBambini who couldn’t performbecause she broke her leg rightbefore Festa, rode in the parade inthe ICC’s Sicilian carretto.

Squads of cheerleaders per-formed for the crowds and cheeredfor Festa Italiana’s 35th anniver-sary with green, white and redpompoms.

We were joined by our fabulousCarnevale Royal Court and thewinners of Carnevale’s mask con-test.

The members of TradizioneVivente, the Italian Dance Group ofMilwaukee, threw candy to thechildren. They carried the candy ona beautiful small vada, lent to us byTony Piacentini. The vada wasnone other than the one that alsocarried the cannoli for the cannolieating contest.

The members of the Children’sItalian Dance Group, I BeiBambini, bounced 1,000 super ballsto the children in the crowds.

We ended the parade with our

stunning Pinocchio Float filled withhappy children wearing Carnevalemasks, and we left the crowds withthe lingering sound of fantastic andupbeat Italian music.

I would love to give a specialthank you to three young womenwho made it possible:

• Gina Jorgensen, for her artis-tic ability and unparalleled driveand energy, who did not ask for onecent for her labor and the time shespent building those floats. Shewas in that warehouse day afterday. She is a treasure.

• Ashley DeSanctis, my wonder-ful new sister-in-law, and NinaSedlmeier, my dear friend fromTradizione Vivente, for setting upthe parade with me each day, deco-rating carts, running back andforth to make sure every detail wasaccomplished and making sureevery person, every element andevery float in that parade left inorder and on time. NO SMALLTASK. To them, I give my mostheartfelt thank you.

We hope you enjoyed it. Wehope you enjoyed Festa Italiana.

Festa Parade Chair says there are manyto thank for participation and donations

Anthony Gazzana, longtimemanager of Festa Italiana’s 911grounds set-up and take-downcrew, is stepping down in thatcapacity.

Gazzana told Festa OperationsManager Paul Iannelli that he is91 years old now and believes hecan no longer assume the respon-sibilities of the post any longer.He had been in charge of the crewsince the first Festa in 1978.

“I csn’t begin to tell you howproud I am of Tony and his crew,”

Iannelli said. “Their ages rangefrom 70 to over 90. They areresponsible for setting up tables,table coverings, chairs and deco-rations. They have been a dedicat-ed group, consisting of about 15people and each and every onegives his all, helping us to producean outstanding festival.”

Iannelli added, “I look forwardto seeing Tony and his wife,Catherine, next year in the crowdenjoying the entertainment andall the festivities at Festa.”

Anthony Gazzana stepsdown as manager of

Festa’s 911 crew

Anthony Gazzana (second from left) is seen here in a picture taken atFesta Italiana 2010. With him are volunteers who served on his 911crew. From the left: William Cook, the only young member of the crewin recent years, Gazzana, Frank DeNardo, Leroy Nelson and DaveLaske (grandfather of Cook). (Times photo by Tom Hemman)

Italian Community Centermembers Jacqueline (Maro) andDavid Laske report that theirgrandson, William Cook, receivedthe Boy Scouts of America highestyouth achievement award, theEagle Scout Award.

Cook has volunteered with hisgrandfather on Festa Italiana’s911 grounds set-up and take downcrew the last six years. He has

also volunteered his services withthe Santa Rosalia Society.

His Eagle Scout Award waspresented by State RepresentativeChris Kapenga, who was thekeynote speaker at the Boy Scoutsof America Eagle Court of Honor.

William is an energetic juniorat Mukwonago High School andparticipates in the school’s manycultural performances.

Festa volunteer WilliamCook receives Boy

Scouts highest honor

Borgnine and Gazzara lefttheir mark in film and TV

Gazzara was nominated threetimes for the Tony Award for “BestPerformance by a Leading Actor ina Play;” in 1956, for A Hatful of

Rain; in 1975, for the paired shortplays Hughie and Duet, and, in1977, for a revival of Who’s Afraidof Virginia Woolf?, opposite ColleenDewhurst.

from page 15

Impact of earthquakes inItaly’s Emilia-Romagna region

In May and June, the Italianregion of Emilia-Romagna wasshaken twice by earthquakes.Twenty-four people were killed bythe quakes, which reached themagnitude of 6.0 on the Richterscale.

The earthquakes also destroyedhistoric buildings, some of themfrom the 13th century, and forced15,000 residents from their homes.

The economic impact of thequakes was substantial. The areacontributes 1% of Italy’s grossdomestic product and accounts for

nearly $4 billion in annual taxes. Itis the manufacturing center for dis-posable medical devices used indialysis, transfusions and surgery,exported around the world. It isalso the Parmesan cheese capital.Losses in cheese alone are estimat-ed at $50 million.

As part of the relief effort, thecentral government suspendedtaxes on businesses and residents,and delayed mortgage payments.To raise funds for restoration, cash-strapped Italy increased gasolinetaxes around the nation.

Apply conventional wisdom when planning your nextbusiness conference, banquet or meeting. Hold it at the

The Italian Conference Center offers . . .• First rate conference, convention, banquet &

meeting facilities for groups from 4 to 1,400.• Professional planning assistance.• Outstanding food service.• Handicap access & convenient parking.• Easy access to freeway & downtown.

ITALIAN CONFERENCE CENTERLOCATED AT THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER

For professional assistance in coordinating your event, callSanDee or David at (414) 223-2800 or

(414) 223-2180 or visit www.italianconference.com.

Italian Conference Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WIJust a block west of Summerfest in the Historic Third Ward.

The Milwaukee Ladies ofUNICO had a fun evening for theirSept. 18 meeting night.

They had a “Queen for a Night”event in which they chose a dinnerguest as their “Queen.” They hopeto make this a yearly event as isthe “Picnic on the Patio” dinner inAugust, which is always so wellreceived.

The Queen received a free din-ner, a hair cut/style or both by

Rodica of Scenario Salon inShorewood on Capitol Drive. Afacial by Kathy Clancy, a represen-tative of MaryKay Cosmetics and,of course, a tiara. (The Queen can-not be named in this articlebecause this event occurred afterThe Italian Times deadline.)

October’s event will highlightItalian heritage with Italian memo-rabilia from the membership. Thatevent will be on Tuesday, Oct. 16,

with dinner at 6 p.m. at the ItalianCommunity Center. Anyone mayjoin us for dinner by callingCatherine Kelly at 414/463-8873 or

Ann Romano at 414/464-1536. Savethe date for our Christmas dinneron Tuesday, Dec. 4. Hope to see youat any of our events.

The Pompeii Women’s Club willkick off the fall season on

Wednesday, Sept. 26, with itsmembership dinner meeting, host-ed by longtime members Mary AnnMaglio and Frances Firle. It takesplace at the Italian CommunityCenter at 6 p.m.

As on ongoing project, the host-esses for these dinner meetingsselect a recipient of donations to bebrought in by members in atten-dance. This month’s recipient isGrant Street School, which willreceive assorted school supplies.Other community facilities thathave benefited from this projectare: Hunger Task Force, St. John’sCathedral’s Open Door Cafe,Rescue Mission and others.

In addition, the PompeiiWomen’s Club makes monetarydonations to the ICC and variouscharitable groups that help feedthe needy at Christmas. Our onlyfund-raiser, the Palm SundayBreakfast Buffet, which was heldfor the 14th year in 2012, enablesus to reach out to the communitywith these monetary donations.This year, we are resuming ourscholarship donations to variouseducational establishments. Ourclub has been in existence for over35 years and we are proud of ouraccomplishments.

– Mary WinardPublicity Chairperson


Italian Society and Club News

The Pompeii Men’s Club willpresent its 21st annual Joseph P.Caminiti VIP Day fund-raisingevent on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Allmoney raised from this event bene-fits the community through theclub’s charitable giving.

The event, which will serve asthe club’s monthly meeting, is opento all men interested in attending.It will take place at Alioto’sRestaurant, Highway 100 andBurleigh St. Activities will begin at5:30 p.m. A spiedini dinner will beserved at 6:30 p.m. The cost toattend is the same as last year, $55per person.

Men interested in attendingshould send their checks, payableto the Pompeii Men’s Club, toCharles A. Lazzaro, 6213 MansfieldDr., Greendale, WI 53129. Thedeadline for reservations isThursday, Sept. 27.

A cash raffle is being held inconjunction with the VIP Dayevent. Prizes are: $500, first prize;$300, second prize; and $100, forboth third and fourth prize. Inaddition, 20 envelopes will bedrawn for $25 prizes. The winnersneed not be present. To purchaseraffle tickets, please contact JohnSanfilippo at 414/282-2667 or TonyZingale at 414/444-4689 or CharlesLazzaro at 414/421-7359.

The Pompeii Men’s Club hasbeen a longtime contributor to theItalian Community Center. Theclub also supports many othercharitable organizations and caus-es.

The club takes its name fromOur Lady of Pompeii Church,which the Italian immigrants builtas a place of worship and wherethey could share their culture andtraditions.

Pompeii Men’s VIP Dayfund-raiser set for Oct. 2

Members of the Sons of Sicilyare inviting the public to join themfor a dinner dance on Saturday,Oct. 6 in St. Rita Catholic Church’sScalabrini Hall, 1601 N. Cass St.,Milwaukee.

The event will take place from 6to 11 p.m.

The Sicilian Serenaders II willbe playing during dinner and dee-jay Rick D’Amore will spin the

tunes for everyone’s dancing pleas-ure.

The cost is $25 per person.Tickets can be purchased atGlorioso’s Italian Market, 1011 E.Brady St., Milwaukee, or frommembers of the Sons of Sicily.

A raffle will be held in conjunc-tion with the event. For more infor-mation, please contact FelixGlorioso at 414/272-1311.

Sons of Sicily invite publicto Oct. 6 dinner dance

The Madonna del Lume SocietyWomen will sponsor a Mass in theItalian language on Sunday, Oct.14. President Enrica TarantinoWoytal said the Mass, which isopen to anyone interested inattending, will be celebrated at

12:30 p.m. at the St. Rita site ofThree Holy Women Parish, 1601 N.Cass St., Milwaukee.

Following the service, attendeesare welcome to join society mem-bers for a luncheon at their ownexpense.

Madonna del Lume Society Womento sponsor Italian Mass on Oct. 14

By Ginny BalistreriFrom Monday, Oct. 8 through

Wednesday, Oct. 10, the faithfulthroughout Wisconsin and neigh-boring states will have an opportu-nity to attend special RegionalPrayer Services for Peace and theFamily, which will be highlightedby a historical visitation of a repro-duction of the painting “Our Ladyof the Rosary of Pompeii.” The visi-tations will take place in WestBend, Milwaukee, and Kenosha.

The reproduction is a 4 ft. by 5ft., full-size replica of the originalpainting that is enshrined in thePompeii Basilica in Pompeii, Italy.The shrine has been visited by mil-lions and is considered one of themost popular shrines in the world.Many miracles and healings havebeen attributed to the originalpainting over the past 140 years.

The miraculous portrait of OurLady of the Rosary depicts theBlessed Mother seated upon athrone. On her knee is the ChildJesus, who is handing a Rosary toSt. Dominic, while the BlessedMother is handing a rosary to St.Catherine of Siena. Pope Leo XIllonce stated, “God has made use ofthis image to grant those favorswhich have moved the wholeworld.”

The visit by the reproduction isunique and historical because thepainting received pontifical bless-ing. It was commissioned byUnited States representatives tothe Pompeii Shrine and blessed byFr. Andrea Fontanella, Head of the

Pontifical Delegation. Officiatingat the services will be MilwaukeeArchbishop Jerome Listecki andAuxiliary Bishop Donald Hying ofMilwaukee. Only one other repro-duction of this significance exists,and it has never been seen in theUnited States.

According to Dick Bolden, direc-tor and president of the RosaryEvangelization Apostolate, sponsorof the visitations, each service willinclude a homily, adoration of theBlessed Sacrament, a rosary forpeace and the family, and venera-tion of the image of Our Lady ofthe Rosary of Pompeii. Boldenexplained that the events wereplanned “…because we are experi-encing a crisis of faith in our coun-try, and we want to bring people toChrist through Our Lady of theRosary for the cause of the familyand for peace.”

The southeastern Wisconsinsites were chosen to accommodateas many as a 1,000 people at eachlocation. Bolden said many youthgroups are expected to attendalong with visitors from Illinoisand other neighboring states.Everyone is welcome. No tickets orreservations are required.However, all seating will be on afirst-come, first-served basis.

The visitations and regionalprayer services will take place at 7p.m. at the following locations:

• Monday, Oct. 8, St. FrancesCabrini Church, 1025 S. 7th Ave.,West Bend. Presided byArchbishop Listecki.

• Tuesday, Oct. 9, Basilica ofSt. Josaphat, 2333 S. 6th St.,Milwaukee. Presided byArchbishop Listecki.

• Wednesday, Oct. 10, OurLady of the Holy Rosary Church,2224 45th St., Kenosha. Presidedby Bishop Hying.

The members of the ItalianCommunity Center have had aspecial devotion to Our Lady ofPompeii through their affiliationwith Our Lady of Pompeii Church.Fondly referred to as “The LittlePink Church,” Our Lady ofPompeii was built on JacksonStreet in Milwaukee’s old ThirdWard by the Italian immigrantswho made the area their newhome. The church was the heart ofthe community, and weddings,baptisms, street festivals, funeralsand other life events were celebrat-ed there until the church wasrazed in 1967 to make way for theexpressway. Nearly 60 years later,Our Lady of Pompeii and thechurch that venerated her namecontinue to hold a special place inthe hearts of those who made thema focus of their existence. Thisdevotion has been passed down togenerations whose only memoriesare the photos that hang in theICC’s hallways.

For many, the visitation of theportrait of Our Lady of the Rosaryof Pompeii is a homecoming.

For more information visitwww.rosaryea.org, or call 414-570-4389; or email [email protected].

October to highlight historical visitations of‘Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii’ painting

Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO crown a ‘Queen for a Night’

Pompeii Women ready tokick off fall season

Have something to sell? Why

not put it in an ad in the next

issue of The Italian Times. Get

all the details on costs and ad

sizes by calling us at

(414) 223-2180 or sending an

email to Editor Tom Hemman at

[email protected].


Largest concentration ofItalian-born immigrantsin Wisconsin Counties:1900 and 1910

By Mario A. Carini,Italian Community Center Historian

According to the United States Census tallies,in 1900, there were 2,172 Italian-born immigrantsliving in 45 counties in Wisconsin. In 1910, therewere 9,273 Italian-born immigrants living in 60 ofthe state’s counties. Source: 12th U.S. Census(1900) and 13th U.S. Census (1910).

County 1900 1910Ashland 83 190Barron 255 364Dane 15 346Fond du Lac 80 187Iron 378 854Kenosha 102 913Milwaukee 749 3,528Racine 85 580Rock 15 311Waukesha 7 369Waushara 0 344

Italian-born immigrants living in Wisconsin cities with a totalpopulation of over 25,000.

City 1900 1910Green Bay 0 14LaCrosse 7 20Madison 0 335Milwaukee 726 3,374Oshkosh 1 10Racine 43 449Sheboygan 0 1Superior 6 48

Tradizione Vivente reports on memorablesummer trip to Mississippi

Tradizione Vivente had anabsolute fabulous time traveling toMississippi and performing for theYocona International Folk Festivalin August. This is a nationally rec-ognized event where groups fromaround the world are invited to per-form.

Tradizione Vivente performedand taught at the Mississippischools during the day, touredunforgettable sights such as theDelta Blues Museum and MorganFreeman’s Ground Zero Blues Clubin Clarksdale and the birthplace ofElvis Presley in Tupelo in the after-noons, and performed morning,afternoon and night at ClarksvilleExpo Center, Tupelo CivicAuditorium and the Gertrude FordCenter at the stunningly beautifulUniversity of Mississippi.

It was fun, very challenging,hard work, rewarding, hilariousand exhausting. One day, we per-formed at three different locations,and we taught nine classes – in oneday! They definitely made us workhard for our chicken and biscuits!

So many unique and extraordi-nary things happened on that trip.

We taught classes in Italiandance, Italian language and Italianarchitecture, art and food. Thechildren at the schools were sweetand enthusiastic and made the triprewarding beyond belief. Spendingtime with them and sharing ourculture with them were some of ourmost cherished memories. We willnever forget them.

The hospitality that theyshowed to us was heartwarming.They took us everywhere by coachbus, and the bus rides were sointeresting and energetic! Livemusic, singing and dancing –Peruvians and Italians singing inArabic and vice versa. We learnedabout cultures other than our ownand we shared our rich culture

with others.We met great people and made

friends for life. We spent threedays with and performed alongsideEl Horrya and Casandama, amaz-ing groups from Egypt and Peru.

The Egyptians were celebratingRamadan, a month long fast wherethey can only eat after sundown.Ramadan 2012 coincidentallyended on Saturday night, so theyinvited us to celebrate the end oftheir fast. We danced with them attheir campsite and they made somuch food.

The Egyptian group, El Horrya’sMohamed Saied, 27, performed adance called the Tanoura, whichrequired him to spin rapidly formore than 15 minutes withoutstopping as he balanced a set ofdrums in his arms and shed piecesof his multi-layered costume. As hespun, he removed several layers ofhis costume while another mancaught them. He not only spun buthe gracefully moved around in cir-cles doing complicated movements,even enveloping himself insidethese skirt layers. We have neverseen anything like it before. Wewere mesmerized and couldn’t getenough of it.

It was an honor for GinaJorgensen, as president ofTradizione Vivente, to receive thekey to the city of Oxford,Mississippi along with a beautifulplaque from Mayor Patterson. Wehope to showcase these treasures atthe Italian Community Center.

We were really sad to leave thatSunday. Everyone was so good tous – southern hospitality at itsbest. We loved Mississippi, fromthe poorest area (Clarksdale) to thewealthiest area we went to (Oxford– home of Ole Miss). We loved thepeople and their southern accentsand their all-around niceness.

Something special also hap-

pened within our group. Our mem-bers grew closer, new friendshipswere formed and our dancing andperforming improved and was per-fected in a way that we can’t reallyarticulate.

It was an extraordinary experi-ence – one we will not soon forget.A trip to cherish! So many memo-ries!

Our next event – Holiday FolkFair 2012!

Tradizione Vivente is proud tobe representing the Italian cultureonce again at the 69th anniversaryof the Holiday Folk FairInternational at State Fair Park inWest Allis, Nov. 16-18.

Tradizione Vivente will perform

a new dance – San Rocco. We arefortunate to have developed a rela-tionship with an outstanding per-forming group, Ru Maccature, inCarpinone, Molise region of Italy.They have passed on this stunningdance to us and we will debut thedance during our performances atthe fair.

The children of I Bei Bambiniwill perform on Sunday, Nov. 18 atnoon.

We will have a great committeeof volunteers working at the Italianfood booth, bringing a taste of Italyand many wonderful sweets.

Hope to see you there.Con amore,

Tradizione Vivente

Ciao, benvenuti! A new schoolyear begins as the Victory School’sItalian Immersion program ven-tures into its sixth year!Excitement fills our hallways withnew students, new adventures, andnew staff members.

We’d like to welcome our newK5 teacher Maestra JanaHorntvedt, who is team teachingour growing K5 with Maestra(Kleczewski) McKeon. Jana comesto us as a new grad from UW-Madison with a degree in elemen-tary education and a minor inItalian. She studied abroad inPerugia, which really ignited herpassion for the Italian languageand culture.

Also new to Victory this year isour new principal Ms. Janine Cano-Graber. She comes to us fromLincoln Ave School with over 20years experience in MilwaukeePublic Schools. Ms. Graber is ahuge supporter of our immersionprogram and believes in all chil-dren learning multiple languages.

We are glad to have our two newadditions to our program. Staytuned for perhaps one more.Welcome Maestra Horntvedt andPrincipal Graber.

Victory Italian Immersion hadthe privilege to perform, onceagain, for the Filippo MazzeiGreater Milwaukee Lodge #2763 ofthe Order Sons of Italy in Americaon Aug. 15. Thank you to FrankSchiro for inviting our children toperform for their scholarship din-ner. We always have a great time.

Also in August, Victory schoolhad their open house welcomingnew parents and new staff memberand, of course, new students. Ascavenger hunt with the treasure of

an ice cream sandwich was enjoyedby more than 300 parents and stu-dents.

Our PBIS (Positive BehaviorIntervention Strategy) team, led byMaestro Falsetti and assisted byMaestra McKeon and other Victorystaff members, has an awesomeevent planned for our students.Popcorn and a movie for all chil-dren who attend our special incen-tive day on Sept. 21. Thank you toour PBIS team for putting thisincentive together.

Don’t forget to put Tuesday,Nov. 22, from 4 to 8 p.m. on yourcalendar and plan to attend ourfourth annual Pizzeria Piccolafundraiser. Come support our pro-gram by visiting that evening andhave one of our lovely crew serveyou delicious hot pizza.

Lastly, a personal thank youfrom Maestra Laurenzi, who wouldlike to acknowledge Frank Schiroand Mike Enea, Order of Sons ofItaly members, for their generousdonations to her classroom’sDonorsChoose project. They madeit possible for my classroom to haveeight nooks for our Italian stu-dents. Mille grazie!

Please come in, volunteer, seeour classrooms, and tell everyoneyou know about us. We need yourhelp in spreading the word aboutthe Victory Italian ImmersionProgram. Please visit our Facebookpage: Victory Italian Immersion,visit our school webpage:http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/victory/ and email us anytimewith questions. Please support thisamazing and unique program.

A presto,

The Italian Immersion Team

Victory ItalianImmersion Corner

The Advisory Board of TheSalvation Army of MilwaukeeCounty has announced that theannual Red Kettle Benefit Concertwill feature a performance byFrank Sinatra, Jr. on Friday, Nov.2, at 7:30 p.m. at The PabstTheater in Milwaukee.

Tickets can be purchased for$125, $85, and $60 by calling414/286-3663 or visitingwww.pabsttheater.org,

“Sinatra Sings Sinatra” featuressongs that Frank Sinatra sang in

over 50 years of performing, manyof which Sinatra Jr. witnessed firsthand. A portion of the showincludes a photo gallery depictingSinatra’s “look” throughout eachdecade while Sinatra, Jr. sings thesongs that best represented thetimes. The show includes suchclassics as “I’ve Got You Under MySkin,” “One For My Baby,” “NewYork, New York,” “Luck Be ALady” and “Strangers In TheNight.”

Salvation Army to host annualRed Kettle Benefit Concertfeaturing Frank Sinatra, Jr.


Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863-1938)

Poetry and politics makestrange bedfellows indeed and areinseparable elements in the literaryand political life of GabrieleD’Annunzio.

Born in Pescara, Abruzzo, hewas the son of Francesco Rapagn-etta, a wealthy landowner andmayor who legally added D’Annun-zio to their name. He was baptizedGaetano but his angelic looksearned him the nickname ofGabriele. He later earned othernicknames – among them l’Imag-nifico (The Creator of Imagery) andthe Defiant Archangel. A promi-nent Italian nationalist figure, hewas controversial because of hisinfluence on the Italian Fascistmovement and status as thealleged forerunner of Mussolini!

John Whittam notes in his essay“Mussolini and The Cult of theLeader,” “…This famous poet, nov-elist and war hero was a self-pro-claimed Superman. He was the out-standing interventionist in May1915 and his dramatic exploits dur-ing the war won him national andinternational acclaim. InSeptember 1919 he gatheredtogether his ‘legions’ and capturedthe disputed seaport of Fiume. Heheld it for over a year and it was hewho popularized the black shirts,the balcony speeches, the promul-gation of ambitious charters andthe entire choreography of streetparades and ceremonies. He evenplanned a march on Rome. One his-torian had rightly described him as

the ‘First Duce’ and Mussolini musthave heaved a sigh of relief whenhe was driven from Fiume inDecember 1920 and his followerswere dispersed. But he remained athreat to Mussolini and in 1921Fascists like Balbo seriously con-sidered turning to him for leader-ship.”

D’Annunzio was poet, novelist,journalist, dramatist and soldier.His romantic affairs, military feats,and political escapades were shock-ing, his relationships with theworlds of Italian culture, theatre,and politics unique and always con-troversial. His literary achieve-ments influenced generations ofItalian writers. Even James Joycewas an ardent fan and admired thelinguistic and musical aspects ofD’Annunzio’s melodious poetry.

I Laudi or Praises are a series offive books in which D’Annunziodeveloped the concept of theSuperman. He originally plannedto write seven books, one for eachstar of the Pleiades or SevenSisters. Il progetto delle Laudi,realizzato solo in parte, prevedevala produzione di sette libri, uno perogni stella delle Pleiadi. The firstthree (Maia, Electra and Alcyone )were published in 1903.

Whatever D’Annunzio’s politics,his talent for beautiful poetry can-not be denied. I Pastori, a nostalgicpoem in the Alcyone collectionabout the seasonal migration of theAbruzzi shepherds from Alpinemeadows to the winter pastures ofthe Adriatic coast, is a musicalexample of rustic pastoral poetry.

D’Annunzio twists and creates newwords (erbal from erba) and useslesser known words (verga insteadof the more common bastone forrod, shepherd’s crook) with wordsfrom dialect such as avellanoinstead of nocciolo for hazelnut.Translating such work is a chal-lenge.

* * *I Pastori

By Gabriele D’AnnunzioSettembre, andiamo.Ē tempo di migrare.

Ora in terra d’Abruzzi i mieipastori

Lascian gli stazzi e vanno versoil mare:

Scendono all’Adriatico selvaggioChe verde è come i pascoli dei

monti.

Han bevuto profondamente ai fontiAlpestri, che sapor d’acqua natia

Rimanga ne’ cuori esuli a conforto.Che lungo illuda la lor sete in via.Rinnovato hanno verga d’avellano.

Ē vanno pel tratturo anticoal piano,

Quasi per un erbal fiume silente,Su le vestigia degli antichi padri.O voce di colui che primamente

Conosce il tremolar della marina!Ora lungh’esso il litoral camminaLa greggia. Senza mutamento è

l’aria.Il sole imbionda si la viva lana

Che quasi dalla sabbia non divaria.Isciacquìo, calpestìo, dolci romori.

Ah, perchè non son io co’ mieipastori?

The ShepherdsBy Gabriele D’Annunzio

September, let’s go, it’s migration

time.In the Abruzzi land my shepherds

nowLeave their folds and head to the

sea:Go down to the untamed AdriaticAs green as mountain pastures.

They have drunk deeply from thealpine

Fountains, whose taste of nativewater

In the exiled hearts may linger assolace.

May it quench their thirst alongthe way.

Each holding a new hazelnut shep-herd’s crook.

They take the ancient path to theplain,

As if through a silent stream ofgrass,

Upon the remains of the ancientfathers.

Oh voice of he who first of allKnew the trembling sea.

Along the shore is moving nowThe flock. The air is still.

The sun turns the living wool soblond

That it is hard to tell it from thesand.

Splashing, trampling, sweet noises.

Ah, why am I not with my shep-herds?

– Translated by Roberto Ciampi

In September, in urbanAmerica, we have our own seasonalmigrations as well. Here is a poemwritten to describe this Americanscene and the nostalgia some of usfeel as it is repeated once again.


Opera composers have comeand gone over the years, and allindications point to a continuationof that situation far into thefuture. One of modern day expo-nents of that art form includeJake Heggie, composer ofMelville’s “Moby Dick,” premier-ing in San Francisco this October.

Another is Thomas Adee’soperatic take on Shakespeare’s“The Tempest.” Adee will conducthis work at the MetropolitanOpera premiere. As a point ofinformation, there’s also a singerand author Jerome Hine’s opera,“I Am the Way.”

Many of these composers arewell known and they includeBizet, Charpentier, Ciles,Debussy, Giordano, Gounod,Puccini and Verdi. There’s alsoHimperdinck, Fiotow, Boito,Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Massenet,Mozart, Rossini and Wagner.

There’s also a category of com-posers known largely for theirorchestral works, as well as one ortwo notable operas, with suchillustrious names like Bartok,Beethoven, Borodin, Holst, Ravel,Saint Saens, Tchsikovskey andCzech composer Antonin Dvorakcome to mind. Yes, AntoninDvorak, best known perhaps forhis “New World Symphony #9,”“The American String Quartet”and “Songs My Mother TaughtMe” from one of his song cycles.Dvorak also wrote some 10operas, the best known and mostperformed of which is his“Rusalka,” containing the beauti-ful and haunting aria “O SilverMoon.” One of today’s foremostperformers of “Rusalka” is sopra-

no Rene Fleming, a frequent andfamiliar artist at the Met Opera.

Dvorak showed evidence of hisexceptional musical talents earlyon, writing his first composition atage 20, after graduating from anorgan school in Prague. Born onSept. 8, 1841, he played as a vio-list and taught piano in the 1860sand later became a church organ-ist. After the premiere of his can-tata “Mater” in 1880, he moved tothe United Kingdom and com-posed his “Symphony #7.” A briefstint as a conductor in Russia fol-lowed in 1890 before his movingto the United States where he wasnamed Director of the NationalConservatory of Music in NewYork City.

His work attracted the interestand support of a number of promi-nent individuals including com-poser Johannes Brahms. As withmany prolific composers, Dvorakwound up leaving a number ofunfinished works. He died May 1,1904.

His early artistic work wasinfluenced largely by the styles ofBeethoven and Schubert and laterby Wagner and Liszt. AmongDvorak’s other well known compo-sitions are his Slavonic Dancesand Three Slavonic Rhapsodiesand a Requiem Mass. One writerof the day called Dvorak “. . .Arguably the most versatile com-poser of his time.”

* * *Quotable quote: “People will

forget what you said about them.But, they will never forget howyou made them feel.” – NelsonMandella.

Opera Topicsby Angelo Castronovo

Having performed for nearly 50years himself in major clubs andshowrooms throughout the UnitedStates, Canada, Japan, Brazil, andEngland, Sinatra, Jr. has appearedon stage with such showbiz greatsas George Burns, Phil Harris, FlipWilson, and his father.Throughout the 1960s and into theearly-1990s, Sinatra Jr. appearedregularly in Las Vegas, opening formany stars in the main rooms andheadlining in his own right in thelounges. In 1988, Sinatra Jr.joined his father’s staff as musicaldirector and conductor.

With five albums to his credit,Sinatra, Jr. has also appeared infilms and television shows, includ-ing “The Sopranos” and “Son of theBeach.”

“Starting in November of eachyear and running through the endof December, Milwaukee Countyfamilies are given the opportunityto give back through the donationof coins and bills to the annualSalvation Army Red KettleCampaign,” said Major Roger Ross,Salvation Army Milwaukee CountyCommander. “The funds raisedprovide services to thousands ofarea residents, giving them anopportunity to not only have a joy-ous holiday season, but to also haveaccess to other services throughoutthe year. This concert will enablepeople to not only support the pro-grams and services offered by TheSalvation Army, but enjoy anevening of music.”

For more information, call 414-302-4300 or visit

www.SAmilwaukee.org.

About The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an evan-

gelical part of the universalChristian church established inLondon in 1865, has been support-ing those in need in His name with-out discrimination for 129 years inthe United States. Nearly 30 mil-lion Americans receive assistancefrom The Salvation Army each yearthrough the broadest array of socialservices that range from providingfood for the hungry, relief for disas-ter victims, assistance for the dis-abled, outreach to the elderly andill, clothing and shelter to thehomeless and opportunities forunderprivileged children.Approximately 84 cents of everydollar spent is used to supportthose services in 5,000 communi-ties nationwide.

from page 17

Salvation Army to host annualRed Kettle Benefit Concertfeaturing Frank Sinatra, Jr.

L’Angolo del Poeta prepared by Barbara Collignon and Roberto Ciampi

Continued on page 19

Frank Sinatra, Jr.

THE ITALIAN TIMES OTTOBRE 2012 – PAGINA 19

LA PAGINA ITALIANAa cura di Enrica Tarantino-Woytal

Si intitola Rock Economy, ilconcerto-evento di AdrianoCelentano, in programma l’8 e il 9ottobre all’Arena di Veronatrasmesso in diretta su Canale 5.Il Molleggiato sul suo blog hapubblicato un promo che si aprecon le immagini di una pantera

nera molto tranquilla, e si chiudecon il bell’animale che ruggiscecon fare minaccioso.

Nel post Celentano fa anchesapere che in vista dei dueconcerti live ‘’continuano le provead Asiago in un clima sereno eprofessionale’’.

Giusy Buscemi, nata a Mazaradel Vallo, 19 anni, un metro e 75 dialtezza e’ la nuova Miss Italia. Aincoronarla questa sera durante ladiretta su Raiuno il presidente digiuria Beppe Fiorello. Diplomata,aspetta il risultato del test di

medicina, pratica danza,appassionata di cinema, sogna didiventare attrice. In finale habattuto Romina Pierdomenico eClaudia Tosoni. Per Fabrizio Frizziquesta e’ stata l’ultima edizione diMiss Italia da conduttore.

Con una cerimonia all’Eliseo ilpresidente francese FrancoisHollande ha conferito a PaulMcCartney, in omaggio alla suaopera, il titolo di ufficiale dellaLegion d’Onore, uno dei massimiriconoscimenti della Francia.Insignite negli anni della Legion

d’onore ci sono personalita’ comeUmberto Eco, Clint Eastwood oLiza Minnelli.

Dal 1997, insignito dalla Reginad’Inghilterra, Mc Cartney e’ anchebaronetto, tanto che oggi gli inglesilo devono chiamare Sir PaulMcCartney.

‘’Il maestro Pavarotti e’ stato perme un faro, soprattutto per quantoriguarda la tecnica del canto’’. Loha detto Andrea Bocelli che duegiorni fa e’ stato tra i protagonisti aModena del concerto Luciano’sFriend. ‘’Pavarotti – ha aggiunto

Bocelli – e’ stato un mago in questosenso: mi ha insegnato a rincorrerel’obiettivo di cantare senza faticare,in modo da poter usare la vocecome uno strumento in grado didare il meglio di se’ senzaincontrare asperità e sforzo.’’.

Anticipato in radio dall’omonimosingolo, e’ disponibile da oggi neinegozi tradizionali e nei principalidigital store ‘Perdutamente amorè(Azzurra Music), il nuovo albumdei Ricchi & Poveri che, a diecianni dall’ultimo cd ‘Parla col cuore’,

tornano per celebrare la loroquarantennale carriera e gli oltre20 milioni di dischi venduti in tuttoil mondo.

‘Perdutamente amorè raccoglienove hit del gruppo e quattroinediti.

In SeptemberKids tumble out of their houses.Screen doors slam behind them.

Once again, kids skip downfamiliar

sidewalks on their wayto school.

Mothers, like shepherdesses,fall into step behind them

pushing strollers with youngersiblings

and herd their frolicking offspringto school.

It’s the autumnal transhumancenot of sheep and lambs but of

“kids”.Back yards and beaches are empty

and silentas now, all over the city,

kids quit their summer play andmigrate

to school.

Parading down the streeton foot, bikes, skate boards or

roller skates,in pairs or bravely alone, they hope

to meet

with pals along the wayto school.

Tanned and blonded by the sun,they sport new jeans, caps and

shoes;backpacks are jammed with

markers,notebooks and rulers to use

at school.

They head down the main avenuetoward the corner crossing guard.

Their current swellsas streams of children merge

forming a rushing river of promiseand hope.

Skipping children, chatting moms,whirling wheels and roller skatescompose a cacophony, no—a sym-

phonyof sweet sounds.

Ah – why in Septemberdo I always and still yearn

to returnto school?

– By Barbara Collignon

In SettembreRuzzolano fuori da casa i bei

fanciulli,e le porte si chiudono dietro di loro.Ancora una volta, i bambini saltel-

lano giùdai marciapiedi di casa per andare

a scuola.

Le mamme, come pastore,si mettono al passo con loro

spingendo le carrozzine dei fratelli-ni più piccoli

muovendo come un gregge la loroprole che va

a scuola.

È la transumanza autunnalenon di pecore o di agnelli, ma di

“fanciulli”.I giardini e le spiagge sono ormai

silenziosi e vuotiperché ora, in tutta la città,

i bambini lasciano i giochi estivi emigrano verso

la scuola.

Sfilando lungo la stradaa piedi, in bicicletta, sullo skate-

board o sui pattini,a coppie o audacemente soli, con-

tano di ritrovarsi

con gli amici lungo il cammino

per la scuola.

Abbronzati e imbionditi dal sole,sfoggiano nuovi pantaloni, berretti

e scarpe;zaini pieni di pennarelli,

quaderni e righelli che userannoa scuola.

Vanno giù per la via principalefino al vigile che li fa attraversare.

La corrente si alzaquando fiumi di bambini si unis-

conoformando un fiume impetuoso di

promesse e speranze.

Bimbi saltellanti, mamme cheparlano,

ruote che girano e pattini a rotellecompongono una cacofonia, no! Una

sinfoniadi dolci suoni.

Ah! Perché a settembredesidero tanto, ora come sempre,

ritornarea scuola?

– Translated by Roberto Ciampi

from page 18

L’Angolo del Poeta prepared by Barbara Collignon and Roberto Ciampi

Celentano a Verona conRock Economy

Miss Italia e’ sicilianaGiusy Buscemi

Bocelli, per me Pavarottie’ stato faro

Da Hollande Legiond’onore per McCartney

Ricchi & Poveri, esceraccolta successi ‘ ’Appello’ ’ del Papa per i

cristiani del Libano e del Mediooriente: ‘’possano continuare atestimoniare Cristo su questeterre benedette cercando lacomunione e l’unita’’’.

‘ ’Li aiutino in questo sensotutte le persone e tutte le

istituzioni’’. Hanno un ruolo nel‘ ’dialogo interreligioso einterculturale’’. “Chiediamo a Diodi dare a questa regione del mondola pace così desiderata, nelrispetto delle legittime differenze.Che Dio benedica il Libano e ilMedio oriente”.

Papa: cristiani restate inMedio Oriente

La Barcolana è una storicaregata velica europea, nata nel1969 per iniziativa della SocietàVelica di Barcola e Grignano,allora ancora nominata SocietàVelica di Barcola. Conosciuta datutti come Barcolana, la denomin-azione corretta è Coppad’Autunno, che originalmenteconcludeva la stagione del circolovelico.

Si svolge a Barcola, nel golfo diTrieste, la seconda domenica di

ottobre. Ogni anno quasi duemilavele si assiepano nel golfo, che è ilpunto più a nord del MarAdriatico.

Il percorso forma un quad-rilatero a vertici fissi di circa 16miglia (con una boa storica-menteposizionata in acque slovene) emette a confronto, sulla stessalinea di partenza, barche a vela diogni forma e dimensione, con unoscafo di almeno sei metri dilunghezza. Per gli appassionati, il

fascino della regata consistesoprattutto nella possibilità ditrovarsi nello stesso contestosportivo con i velisti professionistie i loro giganti del mare, spessoscafi di 30 metri nati dalla matitadi progettisti internazionali, ecostruiti secondo gli ultimiritrovati della tecnologia navale.

Ha una valenza mondiale perquanto riguarda le competizioni diquesto tipo essendo arrivata adessere la gara con il maggior

numero di partecipanti: circa25mila velisti e un totale di250mila persone.

Per quanto riguarda il supportodel pubblico c’è una sempremaggiore parteci-pazione grazieanche alla favorevole conforma-zione del territorio, un vero eproprio stadio della vela checonsente a migliaia di persone unabuona visibilità del golfo dallealture dell’Altopiano carsico diTrieste.

La Barcolana

THE ITALIAN TIMESPAGE 20 – OCTOBER 2012

The Italian Community Center is proud topartner with the 2012 Milwaukee Film

Festival (September 27 – October 11) on theaward-winning Italian film, Summer Games!

A trip to a sun-drenched Tuscan campsite sheds light on two troubled families in this dramathat is as tough as it is tender. Struggling to control his emotions, 12-year old Nic has

learned from his father to resort to violence instead of expressing his feelings. When hemeets Marie, a sullen girl abandoned by her father, amorous feelings develop and the two

try to decode their parents’ dysfunctional actions.

Summer Games is showing on the following dates:• Friday, September 28, 2012 @ 8:30 pm at Fox Bay Cinema Grill

• Monday, October 8, 2012 @ 4:30 pm at Downer Theatre• Tuesday, October 9, 2012 @ 8:30 pm at Fox Bay Cinema Grill

Purchase tickets online at www.mkefilm.org, in person at OrientalTheatre, Fox Bay Cinema Grill and Downer Theatre*, or by calling

(414) 727-8468 (open 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, 7 days a week).*The Downer Theatre box office opens September 28.

Tickets are $10 for Adults$9 for Seniors 60+ and Students with ID

$8 for Milwaukee Film Members