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The Italian American Political Coalition will present Franco Coladipietro with its William Paca Award and Anthony Onesto with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual Heritage Celebration on March 11 at Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park. (708-369-2500) Coladipietro has been the village president of Bloomingdale, Illinois, and a member of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Legislative Committee since 2013; and a member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning representing DuPage County since 2016. He was the state representative for the 45th District from 2007-2013, serving as minority spokesman for the Financial Institutions Committee and a member of the Legislative ...

The Chicagoland Italian American Professionals will host the third annual Braciole Fest from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 21 at the Banquet Center at Casa Italia in Stone Park. Home cooks are invited to present their versions of the famous Italian stuffed meat roll for attendees to sample and judge. Prizes will be awarded for the best tasting and best looking braciole. Tickets to attend are $15 for members, $30 for non-members, and include sampling of the braciole plus wine, pasta, salad, dessert, espresso and American coffee, and San Pellegrino water. Admission can be paid in advance at ...

As long as you’re abstaining from meat during Lent, you might as well have fun doing it at the sixth annual Lenten Fish Fry at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish & Shrine in Melrose Park. Hosted by the St. Anthony Society and slated for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on March 27 in the parish gym, the event will feature fish and chips, coleslaw, corn on the cob, beverages and sweets, as well as live entertainment, a split-the-pot raffle and St. Anthony items for sale. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children under 12. (708-344-4140)  

On Nov. 10, Chicago-area activists Carlo Vaniglia, Frank Di Piero and Dominic Candeloro travelled west to Cherry, Illinois, to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Cherry mine disaster. They laid a wreath at the monument that honors the 259 victims of the mine fire, 73 of whom were Italian immigrants, mainly from Emilia Romagna. It was the third worst disaster in American mining history. Welcomed with open arms by the descendants of the miners, the trio promised that they would share their story with the Chicago-area Italian-American community.  

The following Italian Americans are running for public office in the March 17 primaries. Our apologies to any candidates who were overlooked. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MIKE FRICILONE (R) is running for the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Will County Board since 2012, he currently serves as the board’s minority leader and previously served as the chairman of the Finance Committee, vice chairman of the Capital Improvements Committee and a member of the Land Use Committee. As chairman of the Finance Committee, he developed the financial plan to build the new Public Safety Complex, County Courthouse and ...

Each March, dozens of Italian families, organizations, parishes and businesses in the Chicago area open up their doors and their hearts to the less fortunate by setting up St. Joseph’s Tables. At press time, information was available only on the events in this listing. To be listed next year, call 708-338-0690 or email info@franoi.com. MARCH 7 ST. JAMES CHURCH (Highwood) | Mostaccioli dinner from 4:30 to 7 p.m. | Suggested donation: adults, $8; children 4-10, $4; children under 4 free when purchased in advance, $1 extra at the door | Entertainment by accordionist Linda Iovino | 847-644-5129 ST. WILLIAM CHURCH ...

The following was provided by the sponsoring organization. The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Grand Lodge of Illinois/Wisconsin, celebrated its 95th Annual Columbus Banquet on Oct. 12. Anna DeLuca, Columbus Banquet Chair, welcomed the guests and introduced the Master of Ceremony for the evening, the Hon. Anthony Caldarone. The MC introduced the Grand Lodge officers, our honored award recipients, the Consul General of Italy, and the Columbus Day Queen as they entered the hall. The MC introduced Paul R. Loparco, Grand Lodge of IL/WI president, who greeted the guests and stressed the importance of celebrating and recognizing ...

Domenica Insieme has gone international! Listeners from no fewer than 35 countries now tune into the local bilingual radio program hosted by Pat Capriati and John Conenna. The top five countries are the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom. After that comes Belgium, Jordan, Greece, Chile, Russia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Venezuela, India, Macedonia, France, Israel, Luxembourg, Spain, Ukraine, South Korea, Brazil, Taiwan, Poland, Ireland, Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Japan, Sweden and Argentina. The show airs from 9 to 10 a.m. each Sunday on WSBC 1240 AM, and streams live from ...

Colonel Renato Bacci, U.S. Army (Retired), was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in a ceremony at the Pentagon Office Complex in Washington D.C. on Nov. 15. He was recognized for his service as state chair of the Illinois Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve from October 2013 to September 2019. The award was presented by ESGR Chairman Ronald E. Bogle (on left in photo). The award citation states that his exceptional leadership, dedication and commitment to the mission of the Illinois Committee significantly enhanced and sustained employer support for ...

The Italian American Labor Council honored Michael Somone as its 2019 Man of the Year, and the Amalgamated Bank of Chicago VP couldn’t have been prouder. “It was so great to be surrounded by all of my friends in the labor movement and to accept the award with my parents, Tom and Antoinette, in the audience,” Somone says. “And the framed copy of the pages that appeared in Fra Noi were a wonderful touch. It made the night even more special. I was so very humbled by the entire evening.”