Uniontown Italian festival set for this weekend
New entertainment and more vendors are in store for the huge crowds expected for the Italian Heritage Festival in Uniontown this weekend.
The Billy Price Band, a favorite Pittsburgh rock band, is the highlight of the Saturday night entertainment in Storey Square and legendary professional wrestler Dominic Denucci is bringing a wrestling tournament to the festival.
Price, Lovebettie and Chris Higbee will be the featured performers following the fireworks display at 10 p.m. The fireworks will be set off in Bailey Park.
While Price and Higbee are well-established popular acts, Lovebettie is a new band that festival committee chairman Terry Cellurale believes the audience will enjoy.
“People are going to love them,” Cellurale said.
Musicians will begin performing at noon Saturday, with festival regulars John Bigante and Paul Calise leading off. The music will resume at 11:30 a.m. Sunday and continue through 8 p.m.
The Dominic Denucci Heritage Cup Tournament will take place in the parking lot across from the Monaghan law office on East Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s something new this year we thought we would try,” Cellurale said..
Food, craft and gift vendors were plentiful at last year’s festival and even more will be on hand this year.
“We have over 125 vendors. Last year we had 78. They have any food you could possibly imagine. Crafts, anything for your home,” Cellurale said. “Come and shop like it’s Christmas. We really went out of our way to get vendors we didn’t have last year. We went to other festivals to find new vendors.”
To alleviate the long lines at two bars that people had to wait in to get drinks last year, five bars will be set up this year, he said.
A favorable weather forecast for the weekend is expected to draw many car enthusiasts to enter their rides in the car show. About 500 cars were entered in last year’s show.
“We’re hoping for it to be monstrous,” Cellurale said.
Registration for the car show will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and the show will run from 1 to 5 p.m. The cars will be parked on West Main Street.
Another festival favorite, the annual spaghetti eating contest, is set for 7 p.m. Saturday.
Chefs can bring their best prepared meatballs to the annual recipe contest that Chef Joe Carei of Pasta Lorenzo is holding at his booth, No. M14, on Sunday.
Winners of the festival pageant will be on the Storey Square stage at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Sunday will begin with the annual the annual Mass in Storey Square at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Michael Matusak of St. Therese Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown will conduct the Mass.
A children’s carnival will be set up in the 30 East Main parking lot on both days.
Admission and parking is free for the festival.