I have been fortunate to have been associated with the Stark County Italian-American Festival for 27 years. During those years, I proudly served two terms as president, many terms as a member of the Board of Trustees and am most proud to have served as chairman of the Festival Scholarship Committee for 22 years (awarding yearly college scholarships to deserving Stark County high school graduates).

Our annual Italian Festival does much to promote our heritage, education, foods, music and community spirit. I was proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization. When I felt it was time for me to retire and to welcome new leadership personnel to our ranks, I was certain that our festival traditions would continue. Sadly, for the past two years, the COVID-19 virus entered our lives, and our festival (like so many events) was canceled.