Portland’s 18th Annual Festa Italiana set for August 2009

The Festa Italiana Association, Inc. has announced the dates for this year’s annual celebration as the week of August 22 through August 29. Celebrate Catholic Mass with the Archbishop (said in Italian): Like almost all Italian festivals, a celebratory Mass will begin the festivities on August 22, 7:00 PM. We are pleased to celebrate the Mass at St. Phillip Neri Catholic Church, 2408 SE 16th Ave, Portland.

Italian-Americans were instrumental in building this beautiful church. Mass will be celebrated in Italian by Most Reverend John G. Vlazny, Archbishop of Portland in Oregon. A reception with Italian delicacies will follow the Mass in the church hall. The public is cordially invited to attend. The Mass is a special traditional presentation for all. The church has plenty of parking and is air conditioned.

Bocce Tournament: On August 23rd at Cedarville Park (home of Club Paesano) we have a fantastic Festa Bocce Tournament. Located at 3800 W. Powell Loop in Gresham, Oregon the tournament includes teams from the West Coast. Experience one of Italy’s favorite sports. Bocce is rapidly expanding across the United States. Portland has several teams that play in tournaments across the country.

This is a great family event. Action begins at 9:00 AM and continues until a champion is determined around dusk. Food and drinks are available. Free Admission. Italian Movie Night: “Festa Night at the Flicks” follows on Tuesday, August 25th showing an Italian award winning film, at 7:00 PM at the Fifth Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall Street in downtown Portland.

Italian films are very entertaining. Free admission for this event also. Festa in the Piazza

(MAIN EVENT ): Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW 6th and Broadway becomes “Piazza Italia” for 3 days, beginning Thursday, August 27th continuing through Saturday, August 29. “Opera in the Piazza” comes alive at 6:30 PM on Thursday night with local opera soloists from Portland State University performing arias and ensembles from Italian operas.

This year Festa Italiana is again pleased to honor a Portland State Opera student with a Scholarship. We intend to offer this Scholarship annually, along with a donation to Portland States Music Department. Opera outside in the square is a great evening for all. Don’t miss this night of beautiful music. The food court and wine garden will open at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Opera from 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM, followed by Marco Missinato (from Rome) and the Soco 7 Band will play until 11:00 PM. An array of local and international entertainment will perform on our stage. Dance to beautiful Italian music and enjoy the strolling accordionists in Piazza Italia.

Entertainment continues nonstop through Saturday. This year our headliner band is the Soco7 Band, a 7 piece band from Chicago singing Italian favorites. Marco Missinato (from Rome) will entertain you with his beautiful music. Providing Italian food at modest prices are several fine Portland Italian restaurants along with a wine garden featuring Italian wine and beer. Opening ceremonies are at noon on Friday followed by a grape stomp competition and a pizza toss for kids.

Children will love the Carter Family Marionette show and face painting. A raffle for valuable prizes, which include a trip to Italy will take place on Saturday. Entertainment is non-stop. There is no admission charge for this outstanding celebration. Hours: Thursday 4:00 PM-11:00 PM, Friday Noon-11:00 PM and Saturday 11:00 AM -11:00 PM. The focus of the Festa Italiana Association is to promote and coordinate a cultural celebration annually as a gift to the people of Portland so that they may share the beauty of Italian culture.

This is a family event and opportunity to enjoy Italian music, dancing, food and culture. Nearly 300 volunteers along with several generous sponsors contribute to make this a unique celebration of Italian culture and heritage of Italian-Americans in the Portland metropolitan area. Free admission.

More information and a complete schedule of events can be found on our website www.festa-italiana.org