Annual Italian Heritage Festival
happens this fall
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Although Saint Leo's Church has announced there will not be its traditional Feast of Saint Gabriele Italian Festival next month, the annual ITALIAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL hosted by the Italian Heritage Committee on October 7, 2023 donates its proceeds to Saint Leo's.
The parish office explains that because of the intense planning, time, labor, expense, and want of enough volunteers needed to plan Italian Festivals, they decided not to host one in August. There will be, however, their traditional Mass and street procession honoring Saint Gabriele ... join in!
Feast of St. Gabriele
Mass & Street Procession
Sunday, August 20
9:30am Mass
Saint Leo's Church
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MADONNARI ARTS FEST POSTPONED for 2023 - The Madonnari Arts Festival will not take place this fall, says organizer Cyd Wolf. Once the Cabaret at Germano's re-opens (watch for that newsletter story to come), Wolf and her committee will plan for a future festival, inviting artists from around the world to create stunning 3D chalk artwork on the streets of the neighborhood.
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Baltimore Chapter meeting
Thursday, July 29 ~ 5:30 pm
Chiapparelli's Restaurant
237 S. High Street, Little Italy
Filitalia takes its new chapter into the community. They invite Baltimore's Italian American community to join them in taking a role of leadership and planning exciting events. Post-meeting, the group plans to enjoy watching bocce on the Little Italy courts.
Menu is à la carte at individual cost.
Filitalia also asks you to consider membership in its
Baltimore chapter of Filitalia International (click below).
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Little Italy Sandwich Queens (& Kings)
(the fastest PB & J-making in the neighborhood!)
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Pictured left to right: Anna Brotto, Suzanna Rosa Molino, Eleanor Stein, Dominic DiCocco, Carmela Serafini, Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward. Not pictured - Danny Brotto.
On a Friday morning in a typical Italian kitchen, with images on the walls of saints, Jesus, and Mother Mary looking on, six hands slather peanut butter and jelly on fresh bread faster than you could eat a sandwich. Eleanor Stein and two of her Italian immigrant neighbors, Anna Brotto and Carmela Serafini, crank out 55-ish sandwiches in 40 minutes, as Dominic DiCocco, Danny Brotto, and Suzanna Rosa Molino stuff brown paper lunch bags with a PB & J sandwich, salty snack, sweet treat, napkin, and a hello note. They staple them shut, slap a smiley face sticker on the outside, and Gia Woodward fills the back of her Mini Cooper to drive the lunches the short distance to Beans & Bread on the other side of Little Italy in Fells Point.
"I absolutely love participating in this feel-good project with my sweet little Italian ladies," says Molino. "We have a good time! It feels as if I am standing in my Nonna Antonica's kitchen when I'm in Miss Eleanor's house."
The peanut butter & jelly sandwich-making and lunch-bag effort of Daughters of Isabella (based at St. Leo's Church) is expanding. Headed by parishioner Woodward, these sandwich-making sessions happen approximately every other Friday in Miss Eleanor Stein's home, a lifetime Little Italy resident. Woodward also coordinates the assembling of bags and sandwiches with other groups in the community and is starting a new group for youth (adults can help, too) on the second and fourth Fridays of the month (10AM, St. Leo's Church hall). To help, or with questions, email Woodward at mew4work@aol.com.
Can't help in person? Maybe you would enjoy assisting in the purchase of supplies? A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for this PB & J project to increase in frequency and quality (click below).
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(below) This short note of love and support is tucked inside each
lunch bag assembled by the Little Italy Sandwich Queens & Kings.
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Little Italy Lodge in Phase II of upgrades |
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Little Italy Lodge at 905 E. Pratt Street reports the progress of its Phase II building upgrades, which includes improvements to the kitchen. Replacement of some pieces of aged equipment were needed to offer more safety. Also, the entire inside of the Lodge is being painted and the audio & visual equipment upgraded.
The next phase represents a significant milestone in the Lodge's ongoing efforts to enhance our community's Italian American social club. All renovations and improvements aim to provide Lodge members with a more comfortable and inviting space to gather and enjoy its various activities and events. Pisano thanks everyone involved and looks forward to additional upgrades in the future.
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The Little Italy Lodge participated (big time!) in the June 24 biennial convention of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America / OSDIA Grand Lodge of Maryland by sending 19 members to an all-day meeting in Ocean City, Maryland. Several exciting new proposals were approved, in addition to the election of the 2023-2025 Grand Lodge Council.
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Submitted by Andrew Libertini
Pictured left to right:
Julia, cousin Diana, Vera (Julia's sister), cousin Mary
"I came across this letter that my Aunt Julia (Guilia) wrote to her mother on July 4th, 1976. Aunt Julia was a very proud Italian American. Her parents were from Carrara, Italy. My Nonno came to Baltimore in 1912 and worked in the marble mines. He worked on many of the marble and stone buildings in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, including the 5th Regiment Armory and Cardinal Gibbons High School. We did a family tree for Mom and Dad. I'm so glad we know our ancestors and have all of their stories, of which some are pretty funny."
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Include caption, people ID, location, approximate year, and your name.
Photos must be Little Italy or Italian immigrant-related.
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"I enjoy the monthly letter very much. Thank you
for all that you do for all of us."
~ Andrew Libertini
"Love the e-newsletter you publish every month about the neighborhood. It’s quite spirited and uplifting."
~ Danny Brotto, Baltimore, Maryland
"Thank you, Suzanna, for your always fascinating newsletters."
~ Matthew Robb, Frederick, Maryland
"My cousins, great-grandparents are Sansones and LaNasa from Baltimore. Used to have a restaurant in Little Italy run by Johnny Sansone. I met with Mary Sansone in her brownstone years ago after having lunch at the restaurant. She was a cousin of my great-grandma, Mamie LaNasa Sansone. Love to visit there during the fall Italian Fest! So good to see all the wonderful efforts your businesses and volunteer community has made to preserve St. Leo’s and the Italian heritage! Thank you!"
~ Marilyn McNamara, Syracuse, New York
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It was 1973 when the Little Italy Lodge opened its doors and here they are 50 years later, still cooking pasta, drinking vino, and hosting a multitude of fun community events. You do NOT want to miss their Anniversary Gala! Tickets are on sale now to members only until July 31; then will be offered to the general public. To purchase, email one of these members: Jean Kelley, Cynthia Raperto or Carol Caiazzo. Tickets also available during Lodge Friday Night Dinners.
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a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
founded 2010
EDITOR
Director & Co-founder
EDITORIAL ADVISOR
Co-founder
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Not yet on Neighborhood News distribution list?
e-newsletter about all things Little Italy.
(We send only this ONE email monthly.)
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STAY IN THE LITTLE ITALY LOOP |
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