Tontitown Grape Festival set for Aug. 6-10
The 2024 Tontitown Grape Festival runs from Tuesday, Aug. 6 through Saturday, Aug. 10 on Henri De Tonti Boulevard (U.S. 412). The annual event returns for its 125th season this year and includes carnival rides, an arts and crafts fair, a 5K walk/run, and free live music. This year’s music lineup includes performances by Jenna & The Soul Shakers, Bo...
Catholic photographer makes pilgrimage to Little Rock
Andrew Masi had never been to Arkansas before June 9. With his visit, Masi is one step closer to reaching his goal of photographing every Catholic cathedral and basilica in the United States. Masi has been to 36 states on a mission to photograph all 192 cathedrals and 93 basilicas. With his visit to the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock, Mas...
Italian Food and Heritage Festival Festa Italiana to return to downtown Bryan in June
With the success of the event in 2023, Destination Bryan has announced that Festa Italiana, an Italian Food and Heritage Festival, will return for another year in June. “With the success of the inaugural year of Festa Italiana, we began planning the 2024 Festa. We are excited to bring a bigger and better version to Aggieland with live music, mor...
Re and Regina Anthony and Diana Mattioda continue family tradition
When Anthony and Diana Mattioda are crowned as Re and the Regina of the 52nd Annual McAlester Italian Festival, they will continue a family tradition. Anthony and Diana Mattioda are set to be crowned Re and Regina of the 2024 Italian Festival during opening ceremonies on the festival’s main stage, set for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. The festiva...
Attention All Men: The Roman Empire Is Coming to North Texas
Last year, the Roman Empire TikTok trend began to highlight a shockingly common obsession among men: Many revealed that they think about ancient Rome “at least once a day.” Today, the term “Roman Empire” can be used to refer to just about any kind of everyday obsession, from Caesar salad to Nicki Minaj’s “Roman’s Revenge.” But if your Roman Empire...
Our Lady of Mercy church prepares St. Joseph's altar for upcoming feast
Our Lady of Mercy church in Baton Rouge presented their St. Joseph's altar Sunday to celebrate his upcoming feast day and encourage the faithful to help feed the poor. In the Catholic Church, followers believe St. Joseph is the foster father to Jesus Christ. Centuries ago, there was a famine in Italy. The people there prayed to St. Joseph to lift t...
On St. Joseph’s Day We “Take the Cannoli”
You may remember this command. It is considered to be one of the best movie lines of all time: “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” Those words from “The Godfather” are spoken in a tragic scene that nevertheless generates laughter for its irony. Pauli, Don Vito Carleone’s bodyguard, had mysteriously called in sick on the day of a botched assassinatio...
Dickinson festival celebrates county's Italian heritage
The city of Dickinson on Saturday celebrated its Italian heritage with the annual Dickinson Little Italy Festival of Galveston County. The festival began with a blessing of the festival at the St. Joseph’s table, honoring the Catholic Feast of St. Joseph, which is March 19. The event honors the immigrants from Sicily and Italy who settled in Gal...
IAP 316: Evviva San Giuseppe! The aromas and anecdotes of St. Joseph’s day weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana!
Join co-host John M. Viola, as he broadcasts directly from the vibrant heart of New Orleans, where the Italian American St. Joseph’s Society’s parade and feast ignite the city with cultural pride. Listen in as he sits down with dear friends and prominent figures in the Italian American community—Brendan Young, Tony Mangia, and Chef David Greco of M...
Gretna’s Italian-Irish parade sees large crowds for second year
The Italian Irish parade rolled through the streets of Gretna (LA) on Sunday, March 10 and attendees were eager to catch some good throws. “We are going to have a nice time throwing, we got tons of stuff to throw to the kids today,” said parade rider William. Hundreds crowded the streets not only for beads but for some groceries to stock up their p...
Albuquerque nuclear museum pays homage to da Vinci's inventions
Irene Stamm encouraged her husband, Jason, to wander off to look at the nuclear stuff for a while so she could play with the da Vinci toys. She had a lot to choose from: The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History has about 30 of the Italian Renaissance artist's machines on display as part of a traveling interactive exhibition that runs thro...
BK House Celebrates Italian Heritage With Special Events
The Historic BK House & Gardens is set to honor the Patron Saint of Sicily with its annual St. Joseph’s Altar on March 18th and 19th. Located at 1113 Chartres Street, BK House continues the sacred Sicilian tradition, once embraced by the Corrado Giacona Family from the 1890s to 1925. The celebration begins with a private blessing of the altar by Fa...