The Italian-American Club of HHI, a charitable service organization dedicated to developing a better understanding of Italian history and culture, is proud to present The 2nd Annual Italian Heritage Festival on September 24th at Shelter Cove Park.
The event will feature 16 fine area restaurants: Mulberry Street, Michael Anthony’s, Antonio’s, Bada Bings, Pazzo, Street Meet, Wise Guys, Frankie Bones, One Hot Mama’s, Giuseppi’s, Stellini, Trattoria Divina, Upper Crust, NY City Pizza, Flatbread Grill, and Daniels Restaurant & Lounge. Dessert lover? We will have seven specialty booths to satisfy your sweet tooth including the Sugaree, Tea Thymes Two Catering, Frosty’s, Pino Gelato, Upper Crust and the Hilton Head Italian Club’s famous Zeppolis! Sunshine Nursery will offer fresh herbs and exhibits of landscaping, Growlers will be serving Italian beers, and Italian specialty items such as olive oils, sauces, and pasta will be available for purchase from The Village Pasta Shoppe and Michael Anthony’s.
In addition to the many food booths, we will have some exciting sights and attractions. There will be an area for viewing Italian sports cars, information on travel to Italy, and The Heritage Foundation will help you connect with the family of the past. You will be able to learn and play bocce ball, and uncover the myths of the Italian Evil Eye. Special contests include Lang’s Heating and Air’s “Pasta Eating Contest”, an I-Love-Lucy-style grape stomping contest, a stickball hitting contest, and a full-on bragger’s-delight spaghetti “gravy” sauce contest. For auction fans, we will have a silent auction where you can bid on such island favorites as golf outings, catered dinners and food baskets. (Note: All the money raised at this event support local charities)
The Next Food Network Star contestant Orchid of One Hot Mama’s will show off her cooking skills and other cooking demonstrations include how-to’s on fresh pasta, lemoncello, and mozzarella & ricotta cheeses. Live standards will be performed by Bill and Betsy Peterson as well as our event sponsor, local radio station 104.9 The Surf, will be playing popular Italian songs.
Through this and other events, The Italian-American Club has been able to award $30,000 in scholarships and donations to local charities last year. We are proud to support the following charities: Deep Well, Volunteers in Medicine, Hospice of the Low Country, Memory Matters, Bluffton Boys and Girls Club, Mental Health Association, Program for Exceptional People, Christmas and Thanksgiving Food Baskets, Low Country Legal Aid, Saint Gregory Scholarship Fund, Recreation Department, DMC Foundation, United Way of the Lowcountry, student scholarships, MC Reilly – All State Chorus, Children Relief Fund, and Hilton Head Hero’s.
For additional details, contact club event planner John Pagluica at Pagluicajr@aol.com.