nurktwin 2,143 Report post Posted July 13, 2011 It's time for our 116th annual Italian Mens Club Festival. The Club Charter was taken here from Italy by my grandfather and friends in 1895 and they've had a festival every year since. It was quite different when I was a little kid, cuz it used to be on the street in front of my house and all the games were there and all the food was made and sold by the people that lived there out of their front doors!! As the years passed, the club bought more and more property 1 block away and that is where the festival is held now. The band was formed in 1927 and still plays every night, there is only 1 original player from that band left and he's 95, and I know John very well. And you know what? He's going to play his sax again this year on the stage, he doesn't march in the parades anymore, but they came up with an idea. During parades he rides in a golf cart with the band and plays!!!! The band is special to me, cuz I followed them in parades since I was about 4 years old and always walked with the drummer, guess I knew back then what I wanted to play. When I got out of high school, I joined that band during concert season, I already knew the drum parts to the marches, but when I went to the hall with my drum and sticks to practice with the concert band and they handed out the music, it was all the original music brought over from Italy and was in Italian!!!!!! My dad was prez of the club for over 25 years and I was the Treasurer, so there's a lot of special ties for me to this club. Tonight at 6pm 3 bombs will be shot off to get things started. The band will play all 4 nights, with a "Babydoll Dance" the 1st 3 nights. The last night will be fireworks from Zambelli Fireworks. I wish you could all be here to walk around, play carnival games and eat lots of food. here's a video someone took from 2008 to give you an idea of the things going on and "The Babydoll Dance". Enjoy! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeQqee64G_k]YouTube - The Baby Doll Dance"[/ame] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SingsInFrench 262 Report post Posted July 13, 2011 Sounds great, Nurk! (Just an aside: do you ever eat cheese and raisin ravioli, or is that just the Italians in my part of Wisconsin who make those? I noticed the booth selling cavatelli in your video - that's also big here.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nurktwin 2,143 Report post Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) No, i don't eat melted cheese on anything, I'm not the classical Italian that eats spags with sauce or cheese. and OMG, where did you come up with raisins????? The last time we used raisins was to make brandy!!!! What you need is a good hot sausage sandwich loaded with peppers and onions, and they'll even dip the sausage in home made spag sauce before making the sandwich, if you want it that way. add a side of limp fries hanging out of a paper cone doused with vinegar......lol. Here's looking at you kid, it doesn't get any better than this!! Salute' Edited July 13, 2011 by nurktwin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SingsInFrench 262 Report post Posted July 14, 2011 LOL! I don't know, but cheese and raisin ravioli is served at all the Italian restaurants in Cumberland, WI, not far from my house. We love them! Whenever my kids visit from the Milwaukee area they HAVE to have them! Cumberland has a pocket of people of Italian descent. The town of 2,000 even has an Italian grocery store, so I assume the ravioli must come from the old country, but I'm not sure. They sure are popular, though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngelDream 16 Report post Posted July 14, 2011 Have a great time, Benny, I KNOW you will!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nurktwin 2,143 Report post Posted July 14, 2011 Hey Lisa, were have you been? Seems like ages since we talked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
