A taste of Festa

Spending nearly a month baking cannoli for a weekend event may seem over the top, but it’s necessary for an annual event that celebrates the city’s Italian tradition.

Preparations were underway for the 20th annual Festa Italiana at the Italian Cultural Centre Thursday. The two-day event, held Sunday and Monday, includes musical and dance performances, plenty of Italian food and a fireworks show at 11 p.m. on both days.

Rosetta Quaresima, president of the Ladies Society of Port Arthur, said the annual festival is a chance for Canadian-Italians to rediscover their old traditions. Quaresima and the other ladies of the society baked for nearly a month to ensure the goodies and sweets were ready for the Festa.

She said it’s important to have cultural events to help remind people about where they came from before they, their friends or relatives arrived in Thunder Bay.

While paying a visit to Italy, Quaresima attended different festivals that were similar to the one held in Thunder Bay.

"I’m proud to be an Italian," Quaresima said. "I went to Italy four or five years ago and it has changed quite a bit from when I was a girl. But it is nice to go there and see all your relatives."

The community festival isn’t the only show in town this weekend. The festival will be running at the same time as two significant sporting events: The Premier Development League’s conference championship and the IBAF World Junior Baseball Championships.

Benny Melchiorre, spokesperson for the Italian Hall, doesn’t believe those events would impact the festival’s attendance. He added that the Italian world junior baseball team could even decide to pay a visit to the local festival to see what the city’s Italian community has to offer.

"We’re trying to share our culture and our tradition with the rest of the community," Melchiorre said. "And at the same time trying to pass it along to the next generation of Canadian-Italians. "