PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — It’s the 95th Italian-American Society Festa Picnic, a noteworthy milestone, but they’re also celebrating something even older.
Rhonda Ossola Parker of Peoria’s Italian-American Society helped explain the math when she stopped by WMBD This Morning.
“The Italian-American Society was started in 1929, and the Festa started right along with that. We lost a couple of years in COVID; we had to take some time off,” she explained.
“The exciting part is we are partnering with Agatucci’s this year to celebrate their 100th year in business,” she said.
“Agatucci’s Restaurant has been around for 100 years, four generations, same location (2607 N. University St.), so we’re helping Tony and Danny Agatucci celebrate this wonderful milestone,” added Dave Templin from the Agatucci Fan Club.
The Festa offers plenty of things to do too. “We always have our Italian American singers from Chicago, a bocce ball tournament, the spaghetti eating contest,” Ossola Parker said.
The spaghetti eating contest includes the society’s original-recipe sauce, but the contest does not include forks, so it could get messy, she said.
In addition to the pasta offerings, the feast also includes “meatball and Italian sausage sandwiches, and this year Avanti’s is generously donating all the bread for the Festa,” she said.
The Festa also includes a bar with Italian beers and wines.
Peoria’s Italian American Society’s 95th annual Festa Picnic is Aug. 9, from 12-5 p.m., at Hickory Grove Park, 12403 Hickory Grove Road, in Dunlap.
Event admission $3 for adults, kids under 12 free, no advance tickets, only cash or Venmo accepted at the gate.
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