The sounds of Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” and Andrea Colombari’s take on the Italian folk song “Tarantella Napoletana” filled the air.
Just over the course of a couple of hours on the afternoon of July 12, hundreds of people — including parents and children, medical professionals, police officers and clergy — strolled through the 75th Annual Summit County Italian-American Festival at Lock 3 in Akron.
The Sicilian-American Women’s Club and Akron Lodge 685 of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America had set up July 9 in the Lock 3 kitchen and brought on a crew of about 60 people to work the festival July 10-12. The groups served sausage and meatball subs, pizza, cannolis, cookies and more. The Sicilian-American Women’s Club also sold its own cookbook of Italian recipes.
Outside near the Maynard Performance Pavilion, Rimedio’s Bakery sold fresh-baked pastries — cannoli, strudel cream puffs and cinnamon rolls.
On stage, circus and variety performer Juliette Antony with Divine Harmony performed a hula hoop act as childiren watched and danced.
And up the hill next to South Main Street, Grandma Lamana’s Superboli and DiRusso’s Real Italian Sausage served hungry customers.
Another cultural celebration is planned at Lock 3 this week: the African American Cultural Festival will take place July 18-20.
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X @pwilliamsOH. Sign up for the Beacon Journal’s business and consumer newsletter, “What’s The Deal?”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Strombolis, cannolis, hula hooping among the sights of Italian-American Festival in Akron
Reporting by Patrick Williams, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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