Little Italy Endicott is hosting its 19th annual Gusto! Italian Festival, and the neighborhood tradition is shaping up to be one of the best yet.
GUSTO! Italian Festival will be held from 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 28 on Witherill Street between Oak Hill and Hill avenues in the Village of Endicott.
Oak Hill Avenue Improvement Corporation Board member Sandra Roma Paniccia said in an email on Aug. 14 that this year’s festival will offer a full evening of food, live entertainment, shopping, family activities and Italian culture, with even more vendors and offerings than in past years.
Here’s everything you need to know about Endicott’s North Side Italian celebration.
GUSTO! Italian Festival: The history
GUSTO! is not just any other festival — it’s a tradition meant to celebrate the ethnic roots of the Endicott neighborhood which was once home to many Italian-American immigrants.
In the early 1900s, waves of immigrants arrived in Endicott to work for the Endicott-Johnson Corporation, according to Little Italy Endicott’s website. Italian immigrants faced discrimination and were restricted from buying property in the area.
In 1913, the shoe manufacturing company stepped in and purchased properties, lifting the restrictions and allowing Italian families to buy homes. This birthed the historically close-knit Italian American community in Endicott’s North Side neighborhood.
GUSTO, according to Paniccia, was created by the OHAIC, or Little Italy Endicott, as a way to celebrate and preserve the Italian heritage of the neighborhood and help pass those traditions along to future generations.
Paniccia said this year will be “especially meaningful” because organizers will be recognizing Richard Cerasaro, a fourth-generation owner of long-standing Endicott Italian eatery Oaks Inn Restaurant, and Palma Longo, one of Little Italy Endicott’s founding board members who helped the organization create GUSTO almost 20 years ago. Cerasaro and Longo are both transitioning to emeritus board status after years of service, according to Paniccia.
What to expect this year
While food vendors have not yet been announced, Little Italy Endicott is promising to bring the best Italian food in the area that will take you “straight to the streets of Italy.”
As for entertainment, GUSTO! is bringing together musical acts from across the Southern Tier. At 4:30 p.m., the Tri-Cities Opera will kick off the event with a medley of opera, musical theater and other beloved tunes. From 5-6 p.m., acoustic duo Friday at Fred’s with Nino Samiani and Mark Blackwell will bring classic rock, pop and Italian songs to the stage.
From 6-7 p.m., Ralph Muro will perform some Italian crooner classics before Triple Cities Soul Machine will return to the festival’s stage from 7-9 p.m. for some funk and soul songs to dance along to.
The festival will culminate with a “spectacular fireworks display” at 9 p.m., according to Paniccia.
While there are many great events in the Greater Binghamton area throughout the year, Paniccia said GUSTO! is such a special festival because it feels like a yearly reunion for Little Italy Endicott.
On Witherill Street and the nearby area, people come together during the festival to catch up and celebrate a culture that is deeply ingrained in the Endicott neighborhood. Even though the event is based around a tight-knit community, Pannicia said all are welcome to enjoy the tradition.
“What I love most about GUSTO is that you don’t have to be Italian or have grown up in the neighborhood to feel like you belong here,” she said. “We’d love for everyone to come and experience being part of the Little Italy Endicott family for this one night.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Endicott’s beloved Gusto! festival returns with food, music, fireworks
Reporting by Jillian McCarthy, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jillian McCarthy, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin | USA TODAY Network
