It was a momentous evening at Undo’s West in St. Clairsville, as the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival held their media night to kick off their 41st year of the event. Rita Carapelotti from Steubenville was recognized as this year’s Italian American of the Year, and 12 lucky winners of scholarships also got their chance to shine tonight.

Chairman of the festival Tony Filberto says they have a wide variety of entertainment lined up, as well as some absolutely exquisite food. Filberto says they’ve given out nearly half a million dollars in scholarships in their four-decade long history, and is very proud of that fact.