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21 Aug, 2019
By, Wikipedia

Italian Heritage Festival

The West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival takes place each year on Labor Day weekend in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The festival was started in 1979. Each year, this 3-day street festival brings over 100,000 visitors to Downtown Clarksburg.

History

The West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival began in 1979 as a celebration of the Italian-American heritage of a large percentage of the population in north-central West Virginia. In its first year the festival saw great success and over 80,000 visitors. That year, the parade included baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio as marshal, who shared his car with then Governor Jay Rockefeller and Senator Jennings Randolph. The main event of that first festival was a free Jerry Vale concert.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many outdoor events to be cancelled in 2020, though only some will be virtual.

Original Board Members

Louis Spatafore, Sam Chico, Sam D'Annunzio, Frank Iaquinta, James D. Larosa, John Manchin, and Alma Moore.

Festival

The festival takes place in downtown Clarksburg, annually on Labor Day weekend. The street blocks in which the festival take place are totally closed to traffic for the weekend, normally between S 2nd St and S 4th St along Main Street.. The atmosphere the festival creates is full of pageantry, entertainment, music, and of course a wide array of food and drink. From the opening ceremonies, when the royal court of Regina Maria (Regina meaning "Queen" and Maria the name of the first queen of Italy), is crowned, to its conclusion with the traditional festival ball the festival is filled with great events including an annual WVIHF 5k run, WVIHF Golf Tournament, and the annual pasta cook-off.

Notable Entertainment

Over the years the festival had some notable performers including Tony Danza, Kathy Mattea, Jo Dee Messina, Steve Augeri, Joey Dee and the Starliters, and Frankie Avalon.

Honors and awards

Each year the festival pays special tribute to outstanding Italian Americans by making public awards and recognitions. The festival has also had a scholarship since at least 2013. In 2023 it was awarded to 12 individuals.