Italians and fans of Italian culture gathered Sunday afternoon, June 26 for a day of comedy and music outside Franklin Steakhouse and Tavern. The hot weather did not scare off patrons of the festival, which was put together by Starlite Productions. The five-year-old company has been putting together Italian-centric events on the East Coast from Florida to Maine and Montreal.

This was the fourth Italian Festival at Franklin Steakhouse. Salvatore Pagliarulo, Starlite’s co-owner, said they chose the site because of the large Italian population. “Our mission is to put on Italian-American shows all over the northeastern United States,” he said. “We want to keep the Italian heritage, tradition and culture going and maintaining it. It’s not so much for us, but for the future and for our grandkids."