A year without wans, meatballs and sausage sandwiches seems nearly unthinkable, yet Festa Italiana has fallen victim to the novel coronavirus and won’t be held this year.
A post to social media on Wednesday stated the following:
“It is with heavy hearts that the Festa Italiana Committee has made the decision to cancel the 2020 Festa Italiana. We have made thoughtful considerations and we feel this is the best decision for our volunteers and community members who attend. Thank you to everyone for your support over the years. We hope everyone stays safe and mark their calendars for Festa 2021!”
The move is one that has been under consideration for some time. The festival requires a significant amount of planning and effort for coordination on multiple fronts.
When contacted, Mary Ann Colestro, president of the Festa Italiana Committee, explained that the move is one that was made for the best interests of those involved and those who travel from homes in other areas of the U.S. to attend.
“This is not a decision that we (the committee) took lightly, and it upsets us tremendously but we had to do what we felt was right.
“There is a large amount of coordination that is done to put this event on and it won’t be possible under the current restrictions and conditions,” Colestro said. “We wanted to give people who plan trips, reunions, etc. around the event enough notice of the cancellation. We will be back in 2021 and hope to make the event better than ever before.”
