Little Italy Festival is right around the corner

For 59 years, residents and tourists alike have flocked to Clinton, Indiana to take part in a celebration of Italian heritage. 

And, this year is no different, as final plans are being made for another successful Little Italy Festival. This year's event, slated for Labor Day Weekend, will feature another celebration of Clinton's rich Italian heritage, honoring traditions, families and the spirit that helped shape the Vermillion County town, according to event organizers. 

"The Little Italy Festival started in 1966, and we are in our 60th year, so this is a big year for us. We were looking for a way to preserve our historical location, and the festival is our largest fundraiser. People can expect live entertainment, authentic Italian songs performed by our Italian singers, and that is our oldest group that is still performing today, grape stomping, a spaghetti eating contest, a pizza eating contest, a meatball eating contest, a pizza dough tossing contest and much more," Anna Hollowell, LIFT President, told The Parke County Post. 

Hollowell said it is very special to also honor those who came before and started the Little Italy community in Clinton during the festival.

"The reason we do have all of the Italians and other immigrants is because of coal mining. I know my great grandparents were coal miners and came over from Italy. There are several other stories that are just like mine. It is extremely important to continue to share those stories, walk through those museums and continue to see what it was like back in the day. The Italian house is a four bedroom house with no bathroom and there were up to six people living in the house," Hollowell acknowledged. 

The festival will kick off Friday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. with activities going on until 11 p.m. On Friday, there will be the parade at 6 p.m. 

"We do offer grape stomping each day, and it holds historical value. I know my father remembers the grapes coming in off the train from California, and then he was made to go home and stomp them. We will have live entertainment at the main stage and the wine garden," Hollowell said. 

On Saturday, Sept. 5, the events kickoff at 11 a.m. and last until 9 p.m. when Crush, the Bon Jovi Experience takes the stage. Sunday's events begin at 11 a.m. and go until 9 p.m. with the family movie event and the playing of Zootopia ending the night. Monday's events go from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Hollowell said there is something for everyone at the festival every single day. 

"We may not be Chicago or New York, but we still have things to offer in small town, America. We have a large parade, and it is one of the largest in the state, typically behind the Indy 500 Parade. If you drive through Clinton Wednesday or Thursday night, people already have their spots reserved for the parade. We have a Queen of Grapes and a Princess of Grapes, who ride on a Gondola that came from Venice. The grape stomping is a lot of fun, and we have a lot of participation. My favorite thing is just coming together and celebrating our heritage. I always think about my grandfathers, who their parents came from Italy. It is a way to honor him and the hardwork they had to do to come over here. My grandfather didn't know a lick of English when he came here and he learned a trade as a tailor. One thing that is cool to me, is I bring up a flag that my grandfather made to display, and it means a lot to me," Hollowell said. 

For more information, visit https://www.clintonlittleitaly.org/