Youngstown festival celebrates Italian history with games, foodstuff

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – As festivals make their comeback, there is just one on Youngstown’s north side this weekend that could be compact in size — running only about two blocks — but has a huge historical past and appeals to rather the crowd.

It was 30 yrs in the past, the streets of Brier Hill community lit up for the initially time with the Brier Hill Competition.

“This was where by the 1st Italian immigrants in this town settled. Ten thousand folks lived suitable beneath Saint Anthony’s to Dearborn,” reported Joe Naples, founder of the pageant.

You can continue to glance over the hill and see the steel mills. Thirty many years later, not much has transformed.

“People who moved out of the area, they occur again. We have people today that occur from all over the country to appear here,” Naples mentioned.

It’s the exact same family members functioning it, and it’s nevertheless a put for people today to occur and reunite soon after all these years.

“To see our outdated good friends. It’s all about friendship,” mentioned Janice Donlin, a competition-goer.

“We’ve been coming listed here every 12 months, and it is fantastic to continue to be coming,” mentioned Deedee Pernotto, yet another pageant-goer.

Several of the persons here this weekend grew up on this hill.

“I grew up in Upper Brier Hill,” Donlin explained.

“I grew up in the hollow, but all my friends were being from Brier Hill,” Pernotto claimed.

It is an Italian fest like most other people with audio, dancing and foods, of course, but 1 thing you won’t discover at any other Italian pageant is the scrumptious Bracciole sandwich.

“It’s an Italian rolled stuffed steak middle, slash top round, sliced actual thin. A little Peccorino Romano cheese — boom — overlook about it,” explained one of the owners of Bracciole Brothers.

There’s also a Morra match.

“It’s an Italian recreation. It’s almost like fling, flang, flew,” said Dominic Modarelli, competition organizer.

“The Roman troopers would do this to ascertain who in truth would have to do chores that no just one else preferred to do. Right now, it is outlawed in Italy,” Naples mentioned.

The competition did not come about last yr, but this weekend, they’re buying up ideal where they left off.

“We’re back again, you can just see. A whole lot of people today are nervous to get out. We’re in this article,” Modarelli mentioned.

“Come on down. Have a excellent time. Bienvenue,” Naples said.