photo by: Derek Redd
Just minutes after the ribbon was cut, Water Street was filled with people taking in the sights and smells at the Undo’s Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival.
WHEELING — The committee that puts together the annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival looks at the event like one big family reunion. True to form, festival President Michele Fabbro, just minutes after the ribbon was cut at Heritage Port to kick things off, was waving to a friend she hadn’t seen in years.
The weekend-long festival, which runs through Sunday afternoon, is more than just a celebration of Italian heritage, Fabbro said. It’s a community focal point, one that everyone can enjoy.
“We have people that have left the valley that actually plan their family vacations around the festival,” she said.
Fabbro was excited to share many of the traditional favorites of the festival with the Ohio Valley, from the Sons of Italy sausage sandwiches, to the bocce tournaments, to the lineup of music, to the Italian bakeries showing off their wares.
There are some new wrinkles this year, too. The festival will feature fireworks Saturday night, and after Sunday Mass, Undo’s will provide a traditional Italian dinner complete with spaghetti, meatballs, bread and antipasto salad.
Fabbro also mentioned there are food vendors throughout the festival for those looking for something other than Italian cuisine. That, she said, is one of the things that makes the Italian Heritage Festival so special. The committee can’t wait each year to share that heritage with others, but members also want to make sure that everyone feels welcome.
It has allowed the festival to transcend just a celebration of one culture and become a tradition for the entire Ohio Valley to enjoy.
“That really makes us happy,” Fabbro said, “because Italians really do love to share their culture, their food, their recipes, their music, all those things. And it’s great to see so many people that come back year after year and always welcome new people.”
Dining and Cooking