Bowers museum in Santa Ana ideal for the largest Italian Family Festival

Approximately 1,000 attendees attended the Italian Family Festival on Sunday, October 2, offered by the Italian Cultural Arts Council in conjunction with the Bowers Museum’s opening of “Terracotta Warriors”, a new grandscale exhibit. The Italian Arts Council provided complimentary Italian Ices from “Joe’s Italian Ices” of Garden Grove and Italian cookies by “Federico’s” during the day from 12 Noon until 4:00 PM, a puppet show and entertainment.

Making the event lively and festive, the museum entrance and large courtyard were lavishly decorated in traditional Italian colored banners, flags and balloons. On-going live entertainment was provided by the “Sicilian Band” and Anthony Ciaramitaro sang the beloved ballads that inspired many young and old to sway, dance and clap along to the traditional songs in the patio.

To the delight of over 200 children in attendance, a puppet show entitled “Marionette Magic” with funny characters, including Pinocchio, was shown by world renowned puppeteer Franklin Haynes inside the museum’s spacious auditorium. Outside in the courtyard, children were treated to crafts and handiwork lessons to make their own Italian Venetian face masks, Roman pottery, or get their face painted. Free admission into the Museum for this day only, was sponsored by The Nicholas Endowment and Target Corporation.

The Italian Arts Council is grateful to the Bowers Museum and Frank DeSantis, president of the Italian Arts Council for overall coordination of the event. The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is a world-class museum and the primary cultural center in Orange County which serves as the ideal location for this large event and the other programs offered by the Italian Arts Council. For more information about events see: www.bowers.org

Frank J. DeSantis
Contributor