Benvenuto Grande Italiano! Those are words that may be heard quite a few times in downtown Wheeling, West Virgina, every year in late July. It’s the big Italian embrace to the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival!
The festival is in its 25th year, and still going strong. The 3-day event draws more than 200,000 people every year! There is something for everyone, from your 1 year old just learning to walk to your 100 year old grandmother from the “Old Country” that remembers coming over on the boat when Italian immigration to the United States was booming!
The Festival started in 1982, closing down Main Street, one of the busiest streets in downtown during one weekend in the last part of July. The festival has been moved several times to accommodate the growing number of visitors to this picturesque northern West Virginia city. The Festival actually starts weeks and months in advance, with the naming of the Italian- American citizen of the year. These citizens are chosen by their accomplishments in the community during the past year, ranging from teaching to charity work that the person has helped either implement or plan for the youth of the Upper Ohio Valley.
Every year, the festival committee awards two scholarships to high schools students from the neighboring northern West Virginia and Eastern Ohio counties. There is also an additional scholarship awarded in the memory of Mike Simicropi, an accomplished Italian-American who resided in the Ohio Valley for over 50 years.
The festival, renowned all over the United States and Canada, attracts large amounts of visitors from almost every state…and you don’t have to be an Italian-American to take pleasure in everything that is offered over this fun weekend! People from all ethnic backgrounds come to enjoy the cuisine, entertainment and other activities that we natives have enjoyed for the past 25 years. The festival is highly anticipated as one of the premiere events in the Ohio Valley, and historically, Mother Nature has been good to us over the years. Sure, sometimes it rains on the “parade,” but even then, everyone still gets pleasure from wandering, with their umbrellas, through the various exhibits. A little rain never hurt anyone!
As mentioned previously, the festival has had to migrate from one street in downtown Wheeling to another area that is bigger and more suited to the needs of the visitors and the over 100 food and craft booths that are offered every year. The festival is the most prevalent Italian Festival in West Virginia and the second largest in the United States. At the present time, the festival is held in the scenic Heritage Port area of Wheeling. This park-like atmosphere is located right on the Ohio River and features a large amphitheater that is host to many other activities throughout the year, including the Heritage Port Sternwheel Festival and “Waterfront Wednesdays”, a series of free outdoor concerts performed by all types of artists, from Big Band to Rock Music.
In 1986, the Upper Italian Heritage Fest, Inc. was formed to be sure that the festival stayed free of charge and open to the public. The festival has many corporate and local sponsors to help guarantee this.
The Heritage Port location is ideal for the Italian Festival. Vendors and craft booths sprinkle the streets nearby and the amphitheater provides continuous entertainment during the festival.
Activities and Attractions at the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival
Liberare il Divertimento Italiano! For those who don’t speak Italian, this means limitless Italian entertainment. The entertainment varies from year to year, but it’s always guaranteed to please. Included are locally and nationally known acts, including the Rat Pack, Live from Las Vegas, Julius LaRosa, and the Allegro Dance Company, which is an Italian folk dance troupe. There are numerous local entertainers also, providing everything from traditional Italian folksongs to county music. There are two outdoor stages, the Amphitheater at Heritage Port and a stage set up specifically for the Italian Festival on Water Street. Entertainment can be found on both stages simultaneously throughout the weekend.
Arti! This means crafts. The festival showcases vendors who feature Italian crafts, from artwork to blankets. Some of the booths are set up so that the patron can make their own Italian crafts also.
Oggetto Esposto di Pasta! This means Pasta Exhibit. Chefs from all over the country come to the Italian Festival to flaunt their new creations. The chefs reveal how they make their pasta, and then the best part… Patrons get to eat their handiwork!
Alimento Grande! This means Great Food. Obviously, you cannot have an Italian Festival without having a variety of familiar (and some not so familiar!) Italian dishes to be appraised. From the time-honored spaghetti and meatballs to the very rich Italian desert tiramisu, there truly IS something for every taste. If you are not particularly fond of Italian food, there are also numerous other vendors advertising everything from barbequed pulled pork sandwiches to cheese on a stick. One thing is assured: You will not go away from the Italian Festival hungry!
Torneo di Bocce! This means Bocce Tournament. Bocce is a game quite unlike any other. It is similar to bowling, but the goal is not the same. The main purpose of Bocce is to roll your bocce ball down the court (usually clay) and try to get your ball closest to the pallino (a smaller ball similar to a golf ball). The game is played in teams of four, and the team that ends up getting their bocce ball closest to the pallino wins a point for that round. The pallino is thrown by the team who won points in the last round. The entry fee for the tournament is $60.00, but the prize ($400.00 and a trophy) is well worth the fee. Anyone can enter the competition, and everyone from beginners to self-proclaimed “masters” has an equal chance to win.
Competizionedi Vino! This is the wine competition. Wine connoisseurs will be available to preview the different types of wine that come from Italy and may even let you take a taste of some of them! The competition part comes in when people from all over enter their own homemade wines. The wines will be judged by wine experts and will be judged on taste, aftertaste, and overall quality. The entry fee for the wine competition is $10.00 per bottle, and only six bottles of wine per person are permitted. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the winners.
Massa all’aperto cattolica! This is an al fresco Roman Catholic Mass celebrated on Sunday morning at the amphitheater. The Most Reverend Michael Bransfield, Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, celebrates the mass.
There are many other activities happening at the Italian Festival also. For kids (or kids at heart!) there is face painting, a petting zoo, amusement park-type rides, games and a dazzling fireworks display on Saturday night.
The exact festival dates vary from year to year, but the hours stay the same. The Italian Festival is open on Friday and Saturday from 11am to 11pm. On Sunday, the hours of the festival are 11am to 6pm. Keepsakes are also available, ranging from Italian hats, shirts, and watches, to the very ethnic Map of Italy apron.
For more information on the festival, you can visit their website at www.italyfest.com or call 304-233-1090.
