The Vermont Italian Cultural Association (VICA) announced today that it will host Carnevale on March 8, a fundraiser to benefit its Scholarships and Grants Program. VICA’s Carnevale, the first since 2005 will be held at the Essex Resort and Spa in Essex Junction from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include a silent auction, music, dancing, food, wine, and live performances from Italian operas by the 2024 grant recipients.

VICA awards grants and scholarships annually to individuals who are seeking to broaden their knowledge of Italian culture. In 2024, VICA named one of its grants to honor retired senator Patrick Leahy whose maternal grandparents immigrated to Vermont from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy. The first recipient of the Senator and Marcelle Leahy award will be announced at Carnevale. Leahy and his wife have been VICA members since 2012 and are serving as honorary co-chairs of the event.