Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Dan Brandolino’s involvement with the American Italian Cultural Society dates back so far, he can’t remember a time before it.
“My grandparents were involved at the beginning and I was there since as far as I can remember,” he recalls. “I helped as a kid with little stuff, and started in the kitchen as a dishwasher for Friday night dinners and spaghetti dinners.”
In May, Brandolino was elected president of the social and cultural club based in suburban Chicago’s Crest Hill.
Now a resident of nearby Shorewood, Brandolino works as a sewer and water crew foreman for the construction company J. Russ and Company, a job he loves, he says.
Brandolino grew up in Joliet, also nearby, and graduated from Lockport Township High School. His grandparents are from San Vittorino, in Italy’s Abruzzo region. His mother was born there, while his father was born in the United States.
Brandolino’s family lived in Italy for a year when he was in 1st grade, and he’s since visited the country at least 15 times. He grew up listening to Italian radio and music CDs, and to this day continues to turn his TV to Italian programming. “I speak fluent Italian, and I do my best to keep it up. I try to teach my kids once in a while, but without using it all the time, it’s hard for them to keep it up.”
The American Italian Cultural Society is a welcoming place for everyone, whether of Italian descent or not, Brandolino says.
The center boasts a full bar with Italian beer and liquor, a TV center with Italian channels, a dining room for up to 120 guests, and a family/library room with games and books, and indoor and outdoor bocce courts. The bar and dining area was renovated this year.
“We have a lot of non-Italian members, and we like that. We are a cultural club. We want people to come and hangout, socialize, tell stories, play cards and bocce ball, and maybe teach us something. I enjoy people who have ideas for events. The more events, the better.”
General meetings take place the last Thursday of the month, and are followed by a traditional Italian snack. The club offers pasta-making classes, bocce tournaments, family nights, picnics, a wine club and more.
Fish dinners take place every Friday during Lent, and on the first Friday of the month from September through May. Spaghetti dinners take place on the second Thursday of the month from September to May.
Brandolino served as a board member for 12 years and has been the co-chair for the last five years of the AICS Festa Italiana, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in August.
He also served on the scholarship committee, which bestows four-year, merit-based scholarships to graduating seniors from a participating high school in the Joliet/Will County area. The first-place recipient receives $1,500 per year for four years, and the second-place recipient receives $750 per year for four years. Applications must be postmarked by May 31, and recipients are honored at AICS’ annual Columbus Day banquet in October.
Brandolino says he’s focused on getting younger members involved with AICS, and networking with other Italian organizations.
In his personal life, spending time with family is a priority for Brandolino. He also enjoys trap shooting, fishing, gardening and landscaping, and being hands-on with projects. He enjoys dinner with friends and weekend trips, especially to Las Vegas.
So what does the AICS mean to him? “It’s family and friends. That means everything to me: being together and sharing our culture with one another.”
The AICS social center is located at 1918 Donmaur Drive in Crest Hill. For more information. For more, click here.
