It takes a kitchen to make an Italian Festival
The Butler Italian Festival is this weekend, and even if the signs and advertisements seen around the county haven't given it away, the smells emanating from the Sons and Daughters of Italy kitchen provide clear evidence.
Charmaine Fetterman has been cooking nonstop this week, preparing eight pans filled with stuffed eggplant, 18 roasters worth of sauce, 18 gallons of gnocchi and 2,000 rice balls for the coming weekend.
Although it's a tall order, Fetterman is getting some help from family members as well as her own enthusiasm for the festival.
“I have to take an entire kitchen over to the street,” Fetterman said. “But my energy levels are through the roof; this is such a boost for our little Butler.”
Although it started in 2018, this will be the third Butler Italian Festival because it was canceled in 2020.Michael Dongilli, festival spokesperson, said this has generated excitement for the event because many people have been waiting to experience the taste of Italy once again.“We're just excited to be able to come back and resume the festival and mix and mingle this weekend,” he said.Fetterman is an events coordinator for the Butler Sons and Daughters of Italy, and has helped in the planning and, of course, the cooking for each festival.She said the events that take place over the weekend attract many to downtown Butler, including different musical performances varying from opera and rock to accordion polka.
Dongilli also said one of the special aspects of the Butler Italian Festival is that the entertainment is all local, with many artists coming from Pittsburgh to play the festival.“We're always excited about the entertainment,” he said. “That is always a highlight of the festival, along with the food.”The meatball eating contest, which takes place Saturday evening, is also a major event for the festival, which Dongilli said will be a little different this year. Instead of having crowd members compete in the contest, it will be between members of the Butler Fire Department and Butler Police Department, making it a friendly competition between departments.Dongilli said it will be a sight to see.“There is a time limit, and whoever finishes the most meatballs within that time period will be declared the winner,” he said. “You can't use your hands to eat, and if you drop one on the floor you're immediately disqualified. It'll probably be pretty funny.”
Equally important to the sights and sounds on Butler's Main Street are the smells and the tastes of the festival, which will be supplied by 60 to 80 vendors this weekend. More than half of them will be food vendors, according to Dongilli, and the rest will be independent business owners and crafters.Fetterman said that given good weather, this Italian Festival could be the biggest yet. She just wants people to have fun, and have good food.“I just want to see a bunch of people out enjoying my delicious food,” Fetterman said. “I want to see them smiling, happiness and a little bit of normalcy.”
WHAT: Butler Italian FestivalWHEN: Friday through SundayWHERE: Main Street in Butler, from Brady to Cunningham streets, will be closed from 1:30 p.m. Friday through 10 p.m. Sunday for the festival, according to a news release from Butler Police Department. Traffic will be routed through a detour, and there will be parking changes for those three days.HOURS: Friday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.PARKING: Free in townADMISSION: FreeWEBSITE: ButlerItalianFestival.com
