By Stephen Smoot
Nationally, when a lot of people consider areas of Italian-American heritage, they think of New York and New Jersey, Chicago, or other large cities that absorbed the waves of Italian immigration that came to American shores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Few outside of West Virginia know the draw of coal and other work that pulled Italians to America. Countless men, women, and families undertook the journey across the Atlantic. They sought out people who had come before, who spoke the language, who worshiped in the Roman Catholic faith, and who held tight to the traditions they brought with them.
Here in North Central West Virginia, they built communities that endure in places like Clarksburg, Morgantown, Fairmont, and, of course, Shinnston.
As Bill Boyles, Chairman of the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival Committee, explained, when generations passed, the community came to appreciate the value of honoring the people and traditions that came with them to America.
He shared that over 45 years ago, “some local Clarksburg citizens and businessmen” who were from Italian immigrant communities got together to “do something to honor our friends” who made the journey to a land of, for them, both mystery and opportunity. The founding five of the Festival included John Manchin, Louis Spatafore, Sam Chico, Sam D’Annuncio, and Jimmy LaRosa.
Rosalyn Queen, whose tireless work and effort has supported the Festival since the beginning, praised the inspiration behind the Festival. The librarian of the Clarksburg Public Library, Merle Moore, who Queen described as “a little Irish girl” provided much of the impetus for the event. She had traveled to Italy and “became obsessed” with the idea of honoring Italian history, culture, and traditions in Clarksburg.
Moore had the idea, organized local support, and the Festival has emerged as one of the most treasured in the state ever since.
Organizers set out to do it as a proper undertaking. “It took a year or two,” Boyle stated, to create a non-profit organization, craft bylaws, recruit business support and citizen volunteers, and put on a first class event. A Board of Directors of individuals mostly of Italian heritage came together.
Queen remarked “that first year we were overwhelmed” by the response. She added that “we didn’t realize what the success would be.”
The Festival started on a much smaller scale. Boyle said that they closed off part of one street and erected “an itty-bitty stage” for live entertainment. The Festival did feature much of what remains at its core today, including a parade, authentic food, cultural events including music and art, the playing of bocce and morra, and the selection of a Festival queen served as highlights.
Queen shared that the Festival Queen selection differs from a traditional pageant. After the first year, in which a contest took place, a committee has selected the Regina Maria to carry the honor. Queen remarked that no consideration goes toward traditional criteria, such as physical attractiveness. Instead, the committee scours the state to find the ideal representative, an Italian-American who “has personality and pride in her heritage.”
In the early days, the Italian community remained very tight. Only rarely did Italians marry non-Italians. They maintained a tight knit culture based on family, faith, and tradition.
Through the Italian Heritage Festival, non-Italians got an opportunity to learn and enjoy the traditions that their first, second, then third generation Italian neighbors kept through the years.
And Italians jealously guard that sense of authenticity. Queen remembered approximately 10 years into the Festival being held, that the CBS Morning News wanted to highlight the event at 8 AM on their broadcast. Not long before the broadcast, Queen noticed a vendor setting up across the main stage with an enormous sign in the camera’s sight that read “Polish Sausage.”
Queen engaged with the vendor to have him remove at least the sign. Aware of his business investment to be there, the Festival allowed him to stay despite the usual desire to maintain authentic Italian standards as much as possible.
Fast forward almost a half century from the founding. While the ties that bound the Italians in Harrison County as a cultural community loosened, pride in their contributions spread throughout the county, the region, and the state. The Festival played a huge role in bringing about that understanding.
Since the first Festival in 1979, much has changed. As the scope of the Festival expanded, so did the work involved in bringing it about. More events, more days spent, more streets closed, more entertainment, food, and vendor opportunities converged with the growth of local and state regulations.
Organizers have to engage the City of Clarksburg to get permission to close off streets. They must work with the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission to get permission to establish a legal “footprint” to sell beer and wine on the street. “There are so many laws that people are unaware of,” Boyle said.
Along the way, many have pitched in to ensure that the underpinnings of the Festival continue to run efficiently. John Shields, a certified public accountant, according to Queen, “volunteered his service for many, many years.” He also gave thousands and pounded the pavement to raise money to defer the massive expenses incurred every year.
Like so many other endeavors, the unseen logistics of electricity, water, and waste removal remain vital to success. Queen shared that for many years, street chairman Anthony “Boo” Bellotte ensured that all ran smoothly there. Supporting those efforts from the beginning has been Sharp Electric. In 1979, the company was run by State Senator Bill Sharp and his brother Tommy.
Today, owner Tim Sharp continues the tradition of support through diligent and hard work, earning him the Honorary Italian award.
Others whose work enabled the Festival to thrive include Loretta Mazzey, Dominic Policano, Lloyd Petitto, Bernard Folio, and David Seamon, among so many others.
To take care of the details, several committees break up and distribute the work. Each committee has several members to help to make decisions and also relies on numerous volunteers to make sure that organization and set up goes smoothly. Chairs such as Alexia Biafore provide leadership and lend their experience.
Another major reason for the Festival’s success lies in the tremendous support received from the business community. Boyle said that the generosity of local business owners such as Dan Cava, as well as the great response to fundraising efforts in the community, helps the Festival continue to grow.
What has not changed, however, is what the Festival stands for. As Queen pointed out last year in her Grapevine column, “I thought about how proud our founders would be because they were so adamant about honoring our senior members.” She added more recently that “All of us said we took off running, we didn’t crawl, we did not walk.” That said, she admitted that “we never knew it would be what it became” at the outset.
And the organizers and volunteers have no intention to rest on what makes the Festival great today. “Understand that though this Festival has been going on 45 years,” Boyle said “we try to improve it every year, make it bigger and better.”