Sometimes it seems that the gray of buildings and black of streets are the pervading colors in the City of Poughkeepsie, but last weekend, the town was painted red, white and green.
The annual Italian Festival, held from Sept. 6-9, is an annual opportunity for friends to meet and get a taste of Italian culture. Flags flew in the hot late-summer air and the smells of pizza and wine floated through the throngs. From traditional Italian foods to live music, the festival strove to bring a little bit of Italy to the Queen City.
The festival is organized and run by the Italian Center, a Poughkeepsie-based organization dedicated to bringing Italian culture to life. Eleven years ago, a committee from the Italian Center began the festival as a way to celebrate Italian heritage.
Dominic Letterii is one of the founding fathers of the festival and is still very involved with organizing it. “What the festival is really about,” he said, “is bringing people together and giving everyone a bit more culture,”
Since 1997, the festival has added a number of attractions annually. Today, the four-day weekend event sees nearly 1,800 attendees, said Letterii. The entertainment this year consisted of several music acts, the J&G dancers, BeeBee the Clown, face-painting and balloon animals. On Sept. 9, the morning began with a traditional Italian Mass followed by a ceremony honoring City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp. Knapp was recognized for his long and illustrious career in community policing. After the ceremony, the festival culminated with Italian music and dance.