Italian Festival 2012 will carry on a tradition of more than 20 years of service by Sons of Italy Cellini Lodge #2206 of New Hyde Park when it gets underway at Michael J. Tully Park next week.
This year’s festival will feature a new selection of rides from Big Ben’s Midway, which organizers hope will generate more interest among youngster attending the five-day event from Aug. 22 through Aug. 29.
“The rides that this guy has are more modern. We just thought it was time to see if there was someone else out there and he has a good reputation,” said Vincent Illuzzi, Cellini Lodge first vice president and chairman of the event.
A ticket for all the festival rides will cost $30. Festival-goers can obtain a $5 coupon on the Cellini Lodge Web site at www.cellinilodge2206.org/cellini for a discount. Admission to the festival is $1 and free to children under eight years old.
Live entertainment each night of the festival will include Ginani Monli Sound on Wednesday, The Generators on Thursday, Risky Business on Friday, Don Felice on Saturday and a live broadcast from the festival by DJs from KJOY-FM on Sunday.
The festival also includes games of chance, black jack and an international food court. Popular Italian specialties including zeppoles, pizza and cannolis and other pastries will also be well represented.
Proceeds from the festival will help support Cellini Lodge Scholarships, Commission for Social Justice, Cooley’s Anemia, Alzheimer Research, the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, the Marty Lyons Foundation, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Gift of Sight Program OSIA, Italian Language and Culture and Italic Studies.
“We give to many other charities but these are the primary ones,” said Luigi Squillante, president of the Cellini Lodge. “We never set a specific goal amount for our feast. We do try to keep costs down and pass the savings to everyone who attends and has a great time. We just want enough of a profit to continue to run the lodge for the next year and keep giving the same or money to charity.”
Last year, the festival managed to break even after it had to shut down after Friday night with predictions for a hurricane that hit the area as a tropical storm that weekend.
“Friday is one of the biggest nights. Saturday we have fireworks, which draws people as well,” said Illuzzi.
More than 200 volunteers from the Cellini Lodge contributed their time and effort to the event last year, Illuzzi said.
Squillante said the event carries on a tradition that brings the local community together.
“The festival means different things to different people,” he said. “To me it means working together as a lodge towards a unified purpose and that purpose is to raise money to help others. In this we all have great times together, share lots of laughs and a lot of hard work. Our Cellini members come out in force to volunteer and make this a great event for us and for everyone who attends.”
