No meatballs, no glory.

The Butler Italian Festival will hold a meatball-eating contest Sunday afternoon — one of many activities taking place over the inaugural four-day event this weekend.

“We're celebrating our heritage and inviting everybody out to celebrate,” said Sal Richetti, one of the festival's organizers.

The festival will include authentically Italian musical performances, Italian food and drink vendors, and activities for children.

Richetti said the festival has received “overwhelming interest” from people in Butler. Main Street will be closed during the hours of the festival each day from Jefferson Street to Diamond Street.

The festival will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and noon to 6 p.m. Monday.

The event is free to the public, and is funded by sponsors and vendor fees. Various entertainers will perform on a Main Street stage.

These performers include Italian opera singer Marco Fiorante, Frank Sinatra tribute artist Nick Fiasco, and Dean Martin impersonator Bobby Morelli, among others.

“We try to keep it, as much as we can, authentic Italian music and entertainment,” said festival organizer Rocco Lamanna.

While adults are experiencing the entertainment, children will have the opportunity to partake in various activities and games. There will be two kids zones, with inflatable bounce houses and a climbing wall.

“It's a family event, so we encourage people to bring all members of family,” Lamanna said. “So we try to make sure there's something for everyone to do.”

Various food vendors will offer authentic Italian cuisine. Alcoholic beverages will be available in the festival's wine and beer garden.

There also will be traditional fair food for those who prefer it.

“We realize not everybody likes Italian food,” Lamanna said.

However, for those who do enjoy Italian cuisine, the meatball-eating contest will be on full display.

The meatballs will be a little smaller than a tennis ball, and will be made by Dolce Mia Bakery.

There will be three qualifying rounds of five people each. In each round, the contestants will have 90 seconds to eat five meatballs.

They'll only be able to use their face and mouth to eat, as hands are excluded.

“They kind of have to just dip their face in (and) chew them down,” Dongilli said.

The three winners of the qualifying rounds will head to the finals, where they'll again devour meatballs in a 90-second period.

“I'm sure it's going to be delicious,” Dongilli said.

The Butler Italian Festival is run by County Festivals LLC. The organization also runs Little Italy days in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh.