As the day began to warm up, I left the festival in Columbia Station and made my way to the fairgrounds in Berea….
…but not without first stopping for an admission coupon at Marc’s.
Thanks, Marc’s!
Once I arrived at the fairgrounds, I parked the car…
…decided to walk to the entrance gate instead of taking the friendly car service…
…and asked myself if this really was an Italian festival.But once I got to the admission booth….
…the smooshy feel of that Bingo dabber on my hand told me that all was well.
This was, in fact, the Italian American Summer Festival.
Celebrating its 12th year, the festival was bigger than I had originally expected…
…with offerings of Italian clothing…
…Italian food…
…specialty olive oils…
…Italian ice…
…and more Italian food.
There were also recipe books…
…gelato…
…Fiats…
…a serious bocce tournament…
…and, yes, you probably guessed it…
…even more Italian food.
Selecting what to eat was probably the most difficult of choices to make at the festival and the ethnic curve balls didn’t help…
…via Polish and Pennsylvania Dutch booths.
Fortunately, I was able to find myself a rather tasty lunch…
…thanks to Vivo for the arancino and Zydeco for the polenta topped with summer veggies.
Delicious.
But the festival offered more than just food.
The vendor selection told a little bit about the Italian American…
…who works out (Fitness 19)…
…expresses him/herself…
…loves a shiny car…
…and finds time to indulge through relaxation (Carla Bella Day Spa)…
…fashion therapy…
…and the occasional cigar.
Whether Italian or not….
…it was easy to find a place to hang out with friends…
…perhaps share a drink…
…or even a Jello shot…
…and take in the comforting sounds of various artists (Michael Sonata).
Meanwhile, the kids could run off and take part in various activities…
…like jumping on inflatables…
…getting their face painted…
…riding a magical train…
…and playing various games.
Of course, if things got too hot….
…they could all escape the heat at the Greyhound booth…
…where their new bus had the air conditioner running (and it felt great!).
I admit that I did this once or twice…
…I even took advantage of a free massage.
Ah, la dolce vita.
Grazie mille, Carla!