An Italian party complete with a variety of entertainment, children’s activities and a plethora of food can be enjoyed this weekend in Omaha.
The 41st Annual La Festa Italiana will take place Friday through Sunday at The Palazzo — home of the American Italian Heritage Society — located at 132nd and Fort streets. The festival’s hours are 6-11 p.m. Friday, 5-11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Volunteers are preparing 240 gallons of sauce for La Festa Italiana. The three-day festival features 30 homemade varieties of authentic Italian foods.
LA FESTA ITALIANA
Entertainment will include the Santa Lucia Marching Band, Las Vegas entertainers and dance bands. Visitors can dance under the stars at 8 p.m. nightly to the following bands: The 70’s Band on Friday, High Heel on Saturday, and Taxi Driver on Sunday.
The amount of food that is being prepared for the festival cannot be emphasized enough. Volunteers are working to prepare 30 homemade varieties of authentic Italian foods.
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The festival’s site offers these statistics regarding the festa food prep:
240 gallons of sauce7,500 meatballs1,700 pounds of sausage5,400 cannoli5,000 biscotti50 pounds of grated cheese15 gallons of salad dressing5,000 ravioli16 gallons of pepper sauce25 braciole (Italian meatloaves)1,000 cups of gelato
The food items at the festival range in price from $1 to $9. There also will be Italian cooking demonstrations.
Children’s activities will include inflatables, balloon sculptures, face painting and more. There will be Belino fireworks shows on Friday and Sunday nights.
Craving meatballs? This year’s La Festa Italiana will feature 7,500 meatballs. The 41st annual festival begins Friday and continues through Sunday at The Palazzo — home of the American Italian Heritage Society — located at 132nd and Fort streets.
LA FESTA ITALIANA
Advance tickets to La Festa Italiana are $6 and they may be purchased at all metro area Hy-Vee stores and Rockbrook Camera. Tickets at the door will be $7.50. Children 14 and under will be admitted free.
Here’s a look at other events taking place in the area during the long Labor Day weekend.
Nebraska State Fair
You still have time to take in this year’s Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. The fair will continue through Labor Day on Monday.
Concerts that still remain on the schedule include Sawyer Brown, Thursday; Forever Young Tour, Saturday; Skillet + Theory of a Deadman, Friday; and La Arrolladora Banda el Limon, Sunday.
On Sunday, the Nebraska State Fair will host Fiesta Latina, celebrating Latino culture, music and tradition with a full day of entertainment and community connection. The event serves as an early kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins in mid-September.
“While the Fair concludes before the official start of Hispanic Heritage Month, we believe it’s important to celebrate the rich Latino culture that contributes so much to our host city and surrounding communities,” said Karli Schulz, entertainment and events director.
Live music performances during Fiesta Latina include Frantic Youth, Alfredo Herrera, Andy William and the Nebraska All Stars, and La Imparable Banda Nuevo Imperio. There will be cultural and dance performances by Tlacololeros de Nebraska and Raices de mi Tierra.
Other highlights include a celebrate parade, cruise-in car display featuring lowriders and classic vehicles, and Battle of the DJs competition.
Monday will mark Veterans Day at the fair. A dramatic display of military helicopters and vehicles will kick the full day of tribute, remembrance and celebration honoring those who have served.
A CH-47 Chinook, a UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota will land mid-morning and remain on public display until early afternoon in the west parking lot, joined by wheeled military vehicles, including a HMMWV with Assault Kitchen trailer and a 915 military semi-truck. Weather and maintenance permitting, the helicopters will depart at about 2 p.m.
Other Veterans Day highlights will include a program at 10:30 a.m., veterans resource fair, veterans art display, Quilts of Valor, LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Comfort Dogs, a Salute to Our Veterans Celebration Parade, and a live performance by the U.S. Army Field Band Six String Soldiers.
Veterans with ID receive free gate admission on Labor Day.
Ralston Days
Liberty First Credit Union Arena at 7300 Q St. in Ralston will be the site of Ralston Days this weekend.
The four-day celebration will feature carnival rides, games, 11 food trucks and entertainment. The festival hours are 5-11 p.m. Friday, 2-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday.
Admission to Ralston Days is free. Daily unlimited ride passes may be purchased for $30.
An all-ages foam party will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Red Delicious will be playing live music from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Sunday.
There will be a classic car show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. The entry fee is $10 for show cars. This fundraiser will benefit the Ralston High School Auto Club.
Afro Fest Omaha
The 7th Annual Afro Fest Omaha will be held from 2-10 p.m. Sunday at Heartland of America Park at The RiverFront. The festival is a celebration of African and Afro cultures.
Everyone is invited to check out the children’s and educational village, which offers activities from robots to language learning; visit the African Market and Food Row, which features clothing vendors, arts, crafts and cuisine; and watch performances by local and international acts.
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