The sights, sounds and unmistakably delicious aromas of Italian heritage will once again fill Festival Way during the 2025 Festa Italiana, set for Aug. 7 to 9.

The beloved community event will once more feature homemade delicacies, live entertainment and memories to last a lifetime. Not only a celebration of culture, this festival is a heartfelt community fundraiser that has given back to dozens of local organizations over the last 30 years.

“I think many people may not realize that all the money we raise during this festival goes back to local sports teams and organizations like the United Way, YWCA and Zonta Club,” said Mary Ann Colestro-McCalla, president of the Festa Italiana Committee.

In 2024 alone, more than 50 organizations and school athletic programs received donations from Festa proceeds.

“We basically only hold back enough money to pay our bills, keep the lights on and keep going another year,” said Colestro-McCalla. “This is an important way that we help support and strengthen our local community.”

This morning, members of the LaStella Auxiliary were joined by ladies from the Zonta Club and the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce to begin baking pizzelle cookies. From now until the day of the festival, these dedicated ladies will be handcrafting the delicious Italian treats that help make Festa Italiana so deliciosa. They will make everything from pizzelle to cannoli, to Italian cream cake and more.

The ladies make thousands pizzelles in anise, lemon and vanilla flavors. They work at five fryers making two cookies at a time. Other volunteers help dry, sort and store the cookies while still others help to make dough. They work in all day sessions and the operation is tight.

“We do all the baking for the festival and we have it down to quite a science now,” said Judy Smith, LaStella Auxiliary member. “Every year we get a little better at it.”

In addition to the sweet treats, there will be meatball sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, eggplant sandwiches, fried dough, hot pepper salad, pasta fagioli, antipasto salad, rigatoni and bruschetta available at the Festa.

“The ladies put their heart and soul into this year after year,” said Colestro-McCalla. “What better way to share Italian culture than through food?”

The celebration kicks off during the opening ceremony slated for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 7. It will once again be hosted by longtime emcee and LaStella Lodge member Stan Pecora.

“What can I say, Stan has done this for a number of years and everyone associates it with him,” said Colestro-McCalla. “We’re happy to have him back again.”

Live music begins at 6 p.m. with the OCTaves, a seventeen-piece big band that will cover oldies music and contemporary pieces. They will be followed by Darkwater Duo performing from 8 to 11 p.m.

On Aug. 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. Jim Ronan will get the party started with his performance of stripped down classics and timeless favorites. Later, at 5 p.m. will be Marshmellow Overcoat with their version of classic rock hits. The night closes out with Two for Flinching, who will play a high-energy set of ’90s pop, rock and dance music from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

On Aug. 9, the fun kicks off at 11 a.m with a fashion show hosted by Small Town Girl Boutique. At noon, the smooth sounds of Tony Farina will fill the air through 4 o’clock, as he channels legends like Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Perry Cuomo. Sirens Echo will take the stage from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. playing a mix of classic rock, country, pop and blues.

Finally, Nerds Gone Wild will return to Bradford to take the stage from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The popular party band will play beloved new wave and classic ’80s hits.

“They were such a huge hit last year and we knew we had to bring them back again,” said Colestro-McCalla. “I have never seen the beer tent as packed as I did during their performance.”

Capping the festival, fireworks will go up at 10 p.m.

“We know everyone loves the fireworks so we had to bring that back again,” said Colestro-McCalla.

The Festa Italiana is a group effort between the Festa Italiana Committee, LaStella Auxiliary, LaStella Lodge and Italian American Progressive Club. Youth participation is also central to the effort. Athletes from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford make a yearly effort to man the booths at the festival, even though it means cutting their summer break short.

“They actually come back to campus early every year to work our food and game booths,” said Colestro-McCalla. “They’re really integral to what we do.
Though the public experiences a three-day event, the planning spans a full year. As soon as one festival is done, organizers start thinking about the next one.

“There really aren’t too many days that go by that I am not thinking about the Italian Festival,” said Colestro-McCalla. “Our team is very dedicated because this takes a lot of hard work.”

She credits the other members of the Italian Festival Committee with helping to keep her focused. Including Colestro-McCalla, the group is made up of Joe Leo, Matt Monago, Dick and Patty Colosimo, Judy Brown, Sofia Bednez, Mario Lombardi, Brandon LaBrozzi, Randy Bevivino and Greg Benedict.

“Some of these people have been doing this for decades at this point and I don’t know where I would be without them,” said Colestro-McCalla, who has her own fond childhood memories of attending the Italian Festival. She hopes to share those memories with the younger generation.
“I want my children and grandchildren to have those same special moments that I did growing up,” said Colestro-McCalla. “I was never more proud to be Italian than the week of the Italian Festival.”