Dear Readers,
June jottings with an Italian connection:
Aurora, the Italian Language and Italian Culture afterschool program and the Italic Institute of America (P.O. Box 818, Floral Park, New York 11002, Tel. 516-488-7400) are both celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.
Much “applausi” is due Aurora's early sparkplug Tony De Nonno and other Italic believers who together with Italic Institute chairman John Mancini have nurtured and managed to grow the Aurora program on a shoestring for twenty years.
Aurora, if enthusiastically underwritten by our Italian organizations or our Italian American rich and famous (as are some of the Greek and Hebrew schools on the east Coast, by people who understand the importance of youth acculturation) could be a National program and youth Italian Heritage studies would have no equal in this country. The Aurora program is aimed at the youth of America.
Aurora means the “dawn” and its purpose is to carry the first light of heritage to those who will carry on after us.
Aurora is a specially designed course of Saturday instruction for 5th and 6th graders. Italian language and culture wrapped up in a two-part program complete with crafts, games, and fieldtrips. Aurora is meant to whet children's appetites for formal language instruction at the junior high and high school levels.
This year, new York's Aurora Italian language and cultural classes were held in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, New Rochelle, New Hide Park and Floral Park, Long Island.
In the past 20 years workbooks and teacher learning materials have been developed by the Italian Institute of America for their Aurora youth classes.
If you or your organization would like to honor your parents or ancestors by funding or underwriting an Aurora Italian heritage program in your neighborhood give the Italic Institute, (an educational non-profit with all donations tax-deductible in accordance with the law) a call at (516) 488-7400 and it will be money well spent....
Andiamo, Colorado's Italian American Community Newspaper is a “class act” edited and published bi-monthly by Joe Aiello in an attempt to make Colorado's Italian American Community more cohesive and perhaps in the future, pull together enough to build an Italian Community Center.
“Grazie” to Signora Doreen Valerio of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for introducing me to Andiamo.Readers with Italian connections in Colorado may subscribe by writing a check for $24.00 payable to Andiamo and mailing it to 7392 West Euclid Place, Littleton, Colorado 80123.
For more information telephone (303) 973-1978 or www.andiamo-online.com
If you have friends or relatives living in Colorado urge them to visit the Colorado History Museum and view “The Italians of Denver” which will be on exhibit until July 2008.The Colorado History Museum is located at 1300 Broadway, in Downtown Denver.
Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. More information call (303) 866-3682 or www.coloradohistory.orgA book “The Italians of Denver” authored by Alisa Zahller, curator of the exhibit will soon be available for purchase.
Perusing the pages of Andiamo, Colorado's Italian Community Newspaper, I learned that: on the outskirts of Denver, there is a winery with “a touch of Italy”. Spero Winery is located at 3316 West 64th Ave, Denver, CO. Tel.: (720) 428-9830, with a Tasting Room open Saturdays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
In Pueblo, Colorado you are welcome to join “La Famiglia Italiana”, an Italian American organization with ideals rooted in commitment to Faith, Family and friends. A free dinner and BBQ are provided at general meetings and preservation of Italian family traditions, culture and language are the focus of La Famiglia Italiana.
For more information contact Anthony Paglione (719) 545-7853 or 315 West 8th Street, Pueblo, Colorado 81003.
There is an annual bazaar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (3549 Navajo St., Denver) coming up July 13, 14, 15th and a mass in Italian with a cultural reception following the 9 a.m. mass on Sunday, July 1st.
Later in the year you can celebrate “Columbus Day” without any “Indian arrows” or rubbish raining on your parade thanks to efforts by Denver Lodge #2075, founded in 1958 and a filial lodge of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA). Call (303) 238-8055 for more information or www.osiadenver.org
And finally, I have recently attended the book signing and presentation by Carlo Petrini (founder in 1986 of Slow Food) of his book the “Slow Food Nation”, why our food should be good, clean and fair, with forward by Alice Water and the formal announcement that in May 2008, the whole of Fort Mason, (San Francisco) will become Slow Food Nation, an educational, recreational, culture and commercial world’s fair of food.
Now, with renewed focus on encouraging local farmers to avoid chemicals and grow organic for our sources, it was with great interest that I noted among the families in the “Italian of Denver” exhibit the Gaccetta family, originally from the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.
It was in 1939 that Colorado born, Angelo Gaccetta, (second son of Francesco and Teresa Gaccetta of Calabria) along with other local farmers organized the Vegetable Producers Cooperative Association (also known as the Garden Association) to ensure fair prices for their crops.
The center of commerce for the organization was the Denargo Market, which served as Colorado's largest Farmers Market from 1939 well into the 1970's.
The farmers, in partnership with Union Pacific Railroad, established the Farmers Market at Broadway Viaduct and South Platte River.While Angelo went at 3 a.m. daily to the Farmers Market, his brother Domenic Gaccetta went daily to the shipper on 19th Street in Downtown Denver.
It is interesting to note that while Gaccetta brothers helped organize Denver's Farmers Market, it was Sicilian American, John Brucato who helped found the Farmers Market in San Francisco, California.
10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410
