TICKFAW – Spaghetti, Italian sausage and cannoli are among the classics you can expect at the Italian Festival this weekend, but visitors will see some changes from previous festivals.
“We like to bring back a lot of the old culture and heritage and cultures we had back in the day and we still have it now,” said Robert Fugarino, the festival’s co-chairman.
The event celebrates the family traditions brought here from ancestors who migrated from Italy.
“We’ve been planning for this all year long, it’s something that takes a lot of hard work by the board members to get this going,” Fugarino said. “If you want to have a good time, please come out, there’s plenty of good Italian food out here, all kinds of arts and crafts vendors. We have rides for the kids, plenty of cold beer to watch the bands.”
The recent Strawberry Festival in Ponchatoula was interrupted by shootings that shut down the event early one night and prompted planners to announce reduced evening hours for next year’s festival. Three people were injured in two shootings — one at the festival and another nearby. Six people were arrested.
“Its very unfortunate. That’s a lot of good friends of ours at the Strawberry Festival,” Fugarino said.
The Italian Festival expects 10,000 attendees this weekend, and Fugarino said the Strawberry Festival violence led organizers to increase the security of the grounds.
“We’ve barricaded the entire perimeter, this is the first time this has happened to any festival in Tangipahoa Parish,” Fugarino said.
The Italian Festival has just one point of entry and exit, on Second Street. Attendees will have to go through metal detectors before entering and have bags searched.
“In other words, don’t bring any weapons, no ice chest. Shirts, shoes, that’s all required, the normal stuff,” Fugarino said.
The festival is family oriented, Fugarino said, and law enforcement will be present and active this weekend.
“Just know that there will be no toleration of any issues out here. They will be escorted out of here and asked to leave,” he said.
Organizers say the goals are simple — keep the culture alive and make sure everyone gets home safely.