LEWISTON — With the Niagara Falls Italian Festival moving into the village this weekend, the newly named Niagara County Italian Festival aims to be bigger than what’s come before.
“This weekend, everyone’s Italian,” said organizer Carmine Bianco, with the festival at Academy Park from Friday through Sunday. “Everyone’s welcome to come in.”
Bianco had run the festival at Hyde Park starting in 2013 with the Pax Romana Commission after the Pine Avenue Business Association and Cristoforo Colombo Society stepped down from organizing.
Events that took place at past festivals like open Bocce courts, a spaghetti-eating contest, a classic car show, and musical performances will be part of this new one. The Italian Mass formerly at St. Joseph’s on Pine Avenue will now be held at St. Peter’s on Center Street.
Musical artists performing include the Van Halen tribute band Diver Down, the Led Zeppelin tribute band Out on the Tiles, Nick Battistella and Evan Dalporto, both singing Frank Sinatra songs, with Christiana Custode closing things out with a selection of opera and other songs.
Tessa Groff, a Niagara County native known as a psychic medium, will take part in a gallery reading on Sunday evening.
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lou Piccone serves as the co-chairman of the festival and said he’s going to sing the National Anthem during the opening ceremonies. His wife JoAnne is a former Lewiston Peach Queen.
“You’re not going to find anything better than the Italian food up here in Niagara County,” Piccone said.
Since this festival is now meant to encompass the entire county, more Italian restaurants and other vendors are participating. All the vendors in attendance will set their own prices for food and other goods.
Bianco said he feels the festival will bring in greater numbers this year if everything goes right.
“This will be bigger than (in) Niagara Falls,” he said. “Attendance-wise, we could be looking at 10,000 a day, if not more.”