Music, dancing and food of Italy coming to Scranton

If you’re in Northeastern Pennsylvania and you want to visit, oh, let’s say Rome or Venice or Tuscany, you might be in for a journey of more than 4,000 miles and an 8-hour plane flight.

But, wait, there is an alternative.

Circle Labor Day weekend on your calendario and you can plan on visiting La Festa Italiana in Scranton, where the music, dancing, food and even a La Festa di Natale (Christmas) Boutique may well transport you to the sunny Mediterranean, at least in your imagination.

La Festa Italiana will be held Friday through Monday, Aug. 30 through Sept. 2, on Courthouse Square in the heart of downtown Scranton. Hours are Friday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Monday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free.

Here dozens of vendors will tempt your taste buds with everything from porketta sandwiches prepared by the Scranton Chapter of UNICO to cappuccino served up by the Pittston-based non-profit Coffee Inclusive.

Pizza, pasta and Italian pastries also will be on the menus. Cannoli, anyone?

Among the live entertainment, on Friday evening at 7 the Scranton Civic Ballet Co. will present “The Story of Pinocchio.” That familiar folk tale about a wooden puppet who wants to be human dates back to the 1880s, when Carlo Collodi from Florence, Italy, wrote “Le avventure di Pinocchio.”

And on Sunday afternoon at 5, the Ballet Theater of Scranton will perform some lively folk dances.

“We always include a tarantella,” artistic director Joanne Arduino said, “and there are songs the audience sings along, like ‘Eh, Cumpari!’ and ‘O Sole Mio’. We have a lot of tambourines, and we also have some commedia dell’arte, so there is a story line.”

This year’s fun story involves two couples, and some romantic jealousy, Arduino said, noting Ballet Theater of Scrantonis proud to have participated in La Festa Italiana since its beginning in 1976.

Among the many musical offerings at this year’s La Festa you can hear Ray Massa’s Eurorhythms, a.k.a “La Festa’s Premier Italian Band” on Friday evening at 8; Andrea Amoroso singing in Italian at noon Sunday; “La Festa’s Premier Tenor” T.J. Capobianco from The Met on Sunday at 5 p.m., followed by a Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin Tribute Show featuring Chris DiMattio and Andy DiMino from Las Vegas at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Then at noon on Monday the Gene Dempsey Orchestra will help World War II veteran Gene Passarella celebrate his 99th birthday, and Enrico Granafei and Kristine Massari will present “Simply Italian Songs” at 2 p.m.

“New Jersey’s Favorite Oldies Group” The Cameos will perform on Saturday at 6 p.m., and a Billy Joel Tribute will take the stage Saturday at 8:30 p.m..

Earlier Sunday, activities will begin with Mass in Italian at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. Peter, located one block from the festival site. At the conclusion of the Mass, members of The Italian Colony of St. Lucy will process out carrying a statue of St. Lucy, or should we say Santa Lucia, onto the festival grounds to the Heritage Piazza on Spruce Street.

New to La Festa Italiana this year is La Festa di Natale Boutique, where you can find Italian Christmas ornaments and other decor.

Magic, juggling, strolling musicians and fireworks are also on the schedule, which you can find in its entirety at lafestaitaliana.org/.

And for those who want to burn up some of the calories they are likely to consume at La Festa, you can sign up for the 11th Annual Captain James R. Minicozzi Memorial 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk, which begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania Christmas Party and college scholarships for West Scranton High School students. To register in advance ($25) go to: runsignup.com/Minicozzi or on race day ($35) sign up from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at corner of North Washington Avenue and Linden Street.