Packed schedule for the 86th annual Italian Festival ENFIELD CT

Posted by admin on Jul 27, 2011 | 0 comments

For the weekend of Aug. 5 through 7, the community is invited to be part of “la famiglia” at the Mount Carmel Society’s 86th annual feast. The traditional celebration actually begins Thursday night, Aug. 4, with a candlelight procession.

“It’s first and foremost a celebration of religion,” said Society President Carl Sferrazza. “That’s how we think it’s appropriate to start.”

The festival’s roots date back to the 14th century and are associated with a vision said to have been experienced by Saint Simon Stock, during which the Virgin Mary gave him a sacramental called the Brown Scapular. Carmelites—those living on Mount Carmel in Israel—began honoring the Blessed Mother with a feast, and the tradition continues today in many Italian communities.

The public is invited to join members of Enfield’s Mount Carmel Society and their families for the small processional beginning at dark at the Society’s grounds at 93 Park Avenue in Enfield.

The festival opens Friday night at 5 p.m., again on the Society’s grounds, with food and carnival rides for children. Friday’s entertainment will begin around 7:30 p.m. with what the Society is calling the Deana Martin Variety Show, modeled after her famous father’s program. Performing alongside Martin will be comedian Pete Barbutti and singing impressionist Bob Anderson. Another singer from New York City will also perform.

Sferrazza stressed each night of the festival is truly a family event, with “G-rated” entertainment. Commenting on Barbutti’s past performances, Martin said, “He’s the funniest, clean comedian I’ve ever heard.”

Saturday night the festival opens again at 5 p.m. with the Deana Martin Variety Show taking the stage around 7:30 p.m. Food and carnival rides will be available throughout the night, and the “Cake Boss” tent showcasing pastry chef Mauro Castano will also open Saturday. Castano and his family will be signing autographs and selling merchandise. The Deana Martin-themed cake Castano will bring will be on display in the banquet hall, beginning on Saturday.

Prior to the festival events on Sunday, the public is invited to an outdoor mass at 8:30 a.m. on the grounds. Following mass, a continental breakfast will be served, and the traditional processional through the streets of Thompsonville will begin. A 17-piece Italian marching band will lead the parade that traces the route the Society’s founders took 86 years ago.

“This is the heart of the festival and our tradition,” Sferrazza said. People are welcome to join in the parade and line the streets.

The carnival and food booths will open at 5 p.m. Sunday, and entertainment will begin around 6 p.m. Two Italian singers will perform, and Castano will talk about the famous show “Cake Boss” and give a demonstration.

The traditional greased pole contest will start at 6:30 p.m. People can begin signing up at 5 p.m. for the competition where teams climb on one another to reach the top of a greased telephone pole. The first team to the top will find $300 in cash and imported Italian cold cuts for their prize. Entrants must be at least 18 years old.

Parking and admission are free for each night of the festival, with limited parking available on the grounds. For more information visit www.mtcarmelsociety.com.

Great Lakes festival defined by adventure, surprise and new music

Posted by admin on Jun 26, 2011 | 0 comments

The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival has always cultivated a progressive profile, but the 18th annual event, which reached its apex Saturday night, offered more adventure than any previous edition of the festival.

For listeners less interested in hearing their CD collections played back at them than being surprised in the concert hall, it was a thrilling two weeks — from pianist Jeremy Denk’s incisive and moving performance of Charles Ives’ “Concord Sonata” on opening night to Saturday’s wide-ranging exploration of music by Claude Debussy, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Zhou Long and Gustav Mahler.

The rewards started with an unusual preponderance of contemporary music. Living composers are always a priority for artistic director James Tocco, but new music accounted for roughly 35% of the programming this year. Having two resident composers, Zhou and Chen Yi, and showcasing the contemporary music sextet Eighth Blackbird goosed the numbers, but even when the music wasn’t strictly new, it often felt that way.

Sometimes the context made you hear repertory staples by Beethoven, Schubert and others with fresh ears. Sometimes, as with Saturday’s electric reading of Debussy’s elliptical Cello Sonata by Andrés Díaz and pianist Anton Nel, performers got under the skin of a score in a way that helped you reconnect with its innovations.

Sometimes Tocco seemed to pull rabbits out of hats. Who knew that Arnold Schoenberg started a transcription of Mahler’s sublime orchestral song cycle “Das Lied von der Erde” for a lean 12-piece ensemble plus voice, and that the arrangement was completed in the 1980s by German composer Rainer Riehn? Yet there it was anchoring Saturday’s concert.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that the festival might pay for its programming risks at the box office but, in fact, ticket sales rose 15% to record levels. It’s also worth noting that even in the midst of such uncompromising programs, the festival still found ways to let its hair down.

Eighth Blackbird and guests gave a riotous account of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “The Carnival of the Animals” last week that included readings of the witty Ogden Nash poems inspired by the score — with some clever substitutions like Denk’s slightly naughty verse for “Hens and Roosters” that riffed and punned on social media and a certain infamous congressman: “As we’ve recently learned/A twittering cock is often spurned.”

For an encore that night a quartet of pianists (on two instruments) ripped loosely through Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” wearing helmets and wigs. Somewhere Victor Borge was smiling.

The biggest disappointment of the two weeks was that the festival’s promising theme, “Music of the Spheres — Songs of the Earth and Sky,” remained unfocused and ill-defined. Saturday’s program, however, which connected a range of philosophical and metaphysical dots, was a welcome exception.

Zhou’s “The Farewell” for pipa, erhu and ensemble, and Mahler’s “Der Abschied” (“The Farewell”) from “Das Lied” are both meditations on the life cycle drawing inspiration from Chinese poetry. Zhou’s evocative East-meets-West aesthetic created an abstract wash of textures with the erhu (Chinese fiddle) and pipa (Chinese lute) cutting through with yearning, bent pitches and piquant melody.

Lauren Skuce brought an earth-mother presence and creamy soprano to Mahler’s “Farewell,” whose shrinking orchestration was intriguingly transparent if not always successful.

Finally, Stockhausen’s “Zodiac” (1975), 12 charming miniatures each tied to an astrological sign, showed the light-hearted, melodic side of a composer better known for the severity of his expression. The music can be played by any combination of instrumentalists. Here, violist Kim Kashkashian, percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky and bass clarinetist Shannon Orme captured the whimsy of a high-modernist composer cracking a few smiles.

Empire Brewfest in Syracuse named a “Top 10″ summer beer festival

Posted by admin on Jun 17, 2011 | 1 comment

A web site calledroadtripsforbeer.com has named theEmpire Brewfest in Syracuse one of its Top 10 summer beer festivals for 2011.

Others on the list include the Michigan Beer Fest and the Munich Oktoberfest (which actually starts in the summer).

The web site says the list was inspired by the approach of summer: “A sure sign of summer is the beer festival, when breweries pour their summer ales and lagers, and shorts and T-shirts become the fashion du jour.”

About the Syracuse fest, to be held July 15 in Clinton Square, the site says: “A little publication called USA Today named this one of its Top 10 Beer Festivals in the United States, but that didn’t influence our decision at all. There will be nearly 50 of the world’s top breweries pouring samples here, along with live music, separate tents featuring the beers of Germany and Belgium and plenty of American craft brews.”

Criteria used to pick the top 10 festivals included a destination that was “road trip friendly with much to see and do in the surrounding area via automobile, even if you hop on a plane first for a road trip to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Festivals were chosen to reflect the diversity in taste and type of festival as well as highlight the premier events in the industry.”

The complete list (in chronological order)

• San Diego International Beer Festival, June 24-26, 2011, San Diego, California
• Atlanta Summer Beer Fest, June 25, 2011, Atlanta, Georgia
• Ohio Brew Week, July 8-16, 2011, Athens, Ohio
• Empire Beer Festival, July 15, 2011, Syracuse, New York
• Michigan Summer Beer Festival, July 22-23, 2011, Ypsilanti, Michiga
• WaZoo, August 6, 2011, Tampa Florida
• 15th annual Bluegrass and Beer Festival, August 6-7, 2011, Keystone, Colorado
• Great Taste of the Midwest, second Saturday in August (August 13, 2011), Madison, Wisconsin
• High Country Beer Fest, September 3, 2011, Boone, North Carolina
• Munich Oktoberfest, September 17 to October 3, 2011, Munich Germany

Thousands expected in Poulsbo this weekend for 43rd annual Viking Fest

Posted by admin on May 18, 2011 | 0 comments

POULSBO — Poulsbo has been celebrating Viking Fest for 43 years, and still this year’s event offers some interesting features.

Miss Washington Jacquie Brown, third runner-up for Miss America 2011, will be grand marshal of the Viking Fest Parade on Saturday at 2 p.m. Then, true to the heritage of Little Norway, she’ll sample some lutefisk as a prelude to the annual Lutefisk Eating Contest on Sunday at 2 p.m.

That’s worth some photos.

The Poulsbo Noon Lions Club’s 39th annual Pancake Breakfast will be held at the new City Hall on Saturday and Sunday, with proceeds benefitting the club’s North Kitsap High School Scholarship Fund.

Everyone knows about the Lutefisk Eating Contest; this year, it will be followed for the first time by an Oyster Eating Contest.

Viking Fest will also honor the First Lutheran Church of Poulsbo’s 125th anniversary; traditional Sunday services will be followed by a special service with the Vestre Sund Mannskor, or Norwegian chorus.

And Little Norway’s cultural celebration will have a multicultural touch, with marimba music and Irish dancing in the entertainment mix (Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort is a Viking Fest sponsor).

Viking Fest is held each year to celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day; the constitution, adopted May 17, 1814, was a national symbol in the struggle for Norwegian independence, which was achieved in 1905 and severely tested in World War II. Poulsbo’s early non-indigenous population was composed largely of Norwegians who came here on a wave of entrepreneurism; they were followed by fellow expatriates seeking refuge from a Europe torn asunder by war.

Viking Fest begins Friday at 4 p.m. with opening ceremonies at Kvelstad Pavilion, in the Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park. The opening ceremony includes the Naval Base Kitsap Color Guard, Norwegian national anthem sung by the Poulsbo Sons of Norway Men’s Chorus, U.S. National Anthem sung by the Kingston High School Chorus and Sons of Norway Men’s Chorus, and introduction of Miss Viking Fest and Miss Poulsbo. Food and craft booths will open on Anderson Parkway, the carnival will open at King Olav Parking Lot, entertainment will continue at Kvelstad Pavilion, and Viking Village will open in Waterfront Park.

Saturday, Viking Fest continues at 7 a.m. with the Poulsbo Noon Lions’ Pancake Breakfast, followed by the 34th annual Viking Fest Road Races at 9 a.m. and the Viking Fest Parade at 2 p.m.

The Sons of Norway will serve a traditional Norwegian lunch Saturday, upstairs in the lodge: pea soup, traditional open-face sandwiches (including rolle polse), pickled herring, krumkake and rosettes, traditional desserts, as well as cakes, bars and cookies.

“Our traditional lunch is a big deal to us as we do a lot of preparation,” said Barb Mitchusson of the Sons of Norway.

For some cultural culinary fun, you can go to the lodge and watch a crew make lefse, and then buy it hot off the lefse grill. “Customers will get to see it prepared and buy it right there and put their own butter and/or sugar and cinnamon on it,” Mitchusson  said.

Sunday, the pancake breakfast resumes at 7 a.m., followed by services at First Lutheran Church, video presentations at the Sons of Norway Lodge, a performance by the Jewel Box Theater’s Poulsbo Players, the lutefisk and oyster eating contests, and a performance by KCMT’s Rising Stars and Ignite!. The booths close and entertainment ends at 4 p.m.; the carnival closes at 6 p.m.

Among the rides you can expect at the carnival, according to Sherry McKay of Paradise Amusements: Bumper cars, Paratrooper, Sky Master, Strawberry-Go-Round, Super Slide, Tilt-a-Whirl, Twizzler, the Zipper, and an “array of kiddie rides,” she said.

“We’ll have homemade corn dogs and caramel apples, the ring toss, Frogger, and other games as well,” she said.

Ride tickets are $1 each, 20 for $18, 30 for $27. But you can buy a carnival wrist bands in advance for a discounted price of $22 — that’s a savings of $5 from the regular price and comes with $5 worth of game tokens.

Wristbands are being sold at Viking Bank, 18960 Highway 305 (near the corner of 305 and Hostmark Street) until sold out. The wristbands are good from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 4-9 p.m. — you choose your session of unlimited carnival rides. If you buy a wristband and use it on Saturday for the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. session, you can purchase an additional session at the ticket booth from 4-9 p.m. for $10 more — that’s a full day of unlimited carnival rides for $32.

Viking Fest Corporation President Ron Krell expects 30,000 to 40,000 visitors; that number includes return visitors. Viking Fest will cost about $20,000 to produce; any profits support scholarships for graduating high school seniors.

There are two parking options:

Motorists with disability placards can park at the Edward Jones Investment Offices, 19032 Jensen Way NE, or across the street in front of the old city hall on Jensen Way.

Agate Pass Transportation will provide shuttle bus service between downtown and North Kitsap High School, Poulsbo Middle School and Poulsbo Elementary School.

Shuttles will run continuously from 4-10:30 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Roundtrip fare: $2 per person. Children 5 and younger will ride for free.

“The large number of spectators who come to watch the parade, view the entertainment at Kvelstad Pavilion, visit the food, craft and commercial booths on Anderson Parkway and enjoy the carnival rides in King Olav Parking Lot make downtown parking spaces few and far between,” Krell said.

“Cars trying vainly to find a space clog the streets and block the access of emergency vehicles. Shuttle buses decrease that congestion and relieve the driver’s stress and aggravation while seeking a non-existent parking space. There is no charge to park in the school lots, however, you can also park a bit closer to downtown in Christ Memorial Church’s parking lot or in the First Lutheran Church’s parking lot on Friday and Saturday only, for a modest charge. So, please park at the school lots and relax as the buses speed you downtown without the hassle.”

Viking Fest’s sponsors: Valley Nursery, Inc., Central Market, Blue Sky Printing, Envy Bar and Grill, Viking Bank, Team Innovative Services, Clearwater Casino Resort, Tizley’s Europub, James Lumber, Hill Moving, North Kitsap Herald, The Loft, Kitsap Towing, MD Electronics.

Crawfish Festival parade marshals named, schedule released

Posted by admin on Apr 14, 2011 | 0 comments

The 31st Annual Mauriceville Crawfish Festival is set for April 15, 16 and 17. The festival committee selected Ricky and Deborah Viator of Mauriceville as the 2011 Parade Marshals.

The Viators have been very active in the Mauriceville Crawfish Festival since its beginning and also in the community itself. The festival is in honor of the crawfish farming industry in Mauriceville, which was started by Deborah’s uncle and aunt, Owen Burton and Frances Collins, along with others. Deborah participated in the first Crawfish Beauty Pageant in 1981. She won second runner-up and Miss Congeniality. Ricky and Deborah became very active in the festival, organizing the volleyball tournaments and tug-of-war competitions. They also help with other activities in the festival.

Ricky, a journeyman sheet metal worker through Sheet Metal Local 196, received an associate degree through Lamar Orange.

Deborah graduated from Alvin Community College in 1983 with an associate degree in applied science. She is a member of the Texas and Louisiana Court Reporters Associations and was a past president of Southeast Texas Court Reporters Association.
The couple was married in December of 1983. They have two sons, Joseph and Casey Viator.

They owned King’s Gym in Little Cypress from 1989 to 1995. Ricky has worked for Sign Doctor, Inc., since 1995 and Deborah has been a court reporter for Nell McCallum and Associates since 1983. Ricky opened Viator’s Smokehouse and Cajun Specialties last year.

Ricky has coached Little League Football in Mauriceville and Orange Youth Baseball League He became the president of the Mauriceville Youth Football League in 1999 and continued coaching there until 2007. He also served on the Southeast Texas Junior Football League Board as the Coaches’ Representative from 2002 to 2007. Deborah was the secretary for the Mauriceville Youth Football League.

Members of the LCM Athletic Booster Club since 2004; Ricky became club president in 2009 and Deborah took the position of secretary. They remain in these positions to date.
Ricky was president of Old Adams’ Pasture Hunting Club from 1995 to 2009. He now is a member and president of Pop’s Place Hunting Club in Newton.

The couple have been members of St. Maurice Catholic Church since 1983. Ricky is a member of the Knights of Columbus and has served as president. Deborah is a member of the St. Maurice Altar Society and has served as president and secretary. She is currently a CCD teacher and Catholic Youth Ministry assistant leader. She has taught for 19 years.

In 2008, Deborah was diagnosed with breast cancer and began a year-long process of treatment. In 2009, Ricky was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They both continued with all their activities, just incorporating MD Anderson into their schedules.

Today they enjoy watching sons Casey and Joseph in all their sporting events. Casey is a sophomore at LCM High School. He plays football, baseball, and runs track. Joseph is a junior at Lamar University in Beaumont. He plays football and will be receiving his bachelor’s degree in exercise science and fitness management. The Viators are looking forward to another great year of sports at LCM and Lamar.

The Mauriceville Crawfish Festival is located on Texas 62, 12 miles north of Interstate 10. Carnival rides, food, crafts and live entertainment will be offered.

Carnival wristbands will be available for $20 on Friday 6 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday noon-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m.

Friday, April 15
Barbecue cook-off/ Brisket and Ribs ($300 first prize in each event)
Gates open at 5 p.m., adults-$5; sr. citizens and students-$3; 5 and under-free.
Slow Rollin’ Lows-6 p.m.
Jimmy Kaiser-9:15 p.m.

Saturday, April 16
Parade begins at 9 a.m. on Highway 12.
Gates open at 10 a.m. Admission 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $5 for adults; $3 for sr. citizens and students; 5 and under free.
Beginning at 5 p.m., admission is $5 for everyone.
11 a.m.-Cajun Aces
1 p.m.-crawfish races
crawfish eating contest
1:30 p.m.-Mauriceville Elementary 5th grade choir
2 p.m.-Drug Store Cowboys
4 p.m.-Kelly Cordova and The Whole Shootin’ Match
6 p.m.-Southern Roads
9:30 p.m.-Cheap Whiskey (Dance)
Barbecue winners announced during the dance.

Sunday, April 17
Gates open at 11 a.m., $5 for adults; $3 for sr. citizens and students; 5 and under free.
noon-square dancers
Easter fun
1 p.m.-Battle of the Bands

Sponsors for this year’s event are Firestone Community Federal Credit Union, Better Built Metal Buildings, Doucette Paint Company, Ben’s Tire and Lube, The Fabric Store and Sew Much More, and Moz Grill.

Crawfish Festival parade marshals named, schedule released – TheRecordLive.Com

New spring county fair launches at Toyota Speedway at Iwrindale

Posted by admin on Apr 9, 2011 | 0 comments

IRWINDALE – LA County residents won’t have to wait until the fall anymore to enjoy the fair.

The first-ever L.A. Spring Fair at Toyota Speedway and Event Center kicked-off Friday and will run through April 17.

The event is aimed at offering affordable fun to families – an increasingly difficult thing to find, fair CEO David Jackson said.

“There aren’t many fairs in the country that have this much entertainment packed into 10 days,” he said. “It’s concerts, it’s NASCAR, it’s monster trucks, it’s motorcross and it’s all put together under one roof.”

All the entertainment is included with the price of admission. Ticket prices range from $5 to $15, and children 5 and under are free.

The event will also feature traditional fair attractions such as food, shopping, games and rides.

Rick Springfield, who will perform Wednesday, and American Idol winner Kris Allen, who will perform April 17, are the highlights of several musical groups that will take center stage at the fair.

Fair operation hours vary throughout the week.