Luca Menzel, 4, enjoys lunch with his 2-year-old brother, Leo, and their parents, Emma and Derek Menzel of Butler, during the Italian Days Festival in downtown Butler on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. Butler Eagle File Photo

With Butler Italian Days set to return for a second year, its organizers are hoping it will become an annual tradition for residents and visitors alike to enjoy.

Butler Italian Days will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday on Main Street between Wayne and Cunningham streets. It will feature food and craft vendors as well as live music and events across both days.

Charmaine Fetterman, the festival’s organizer and longtime member of Butler’s Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge 1664, said the event will feature most vendors from last year alongside a number of new vendors.

She highlighted Hot Ash Wood Fired Pizza, Del Vecchio's Sausage, Uzi’s Pastries and her own business, Bellissimo Catering, as some locations serving Italian dishes. But plenty of other food and dessert options will be available.

The two-day event will also offer more activities for attendees compared to last year. For children, the event will have a “kids corner” featuring games, crafts, face painting and more.

The corner will also see a petting zoo from Little Blessings on Friday and free mini golf from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. During the petting zoo, attendees can donate pet food and supplies to the Butler Humane Society.

From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, an all-day bingo will take place at the Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge on South Main Street. A winner-take-all jackpot will be held at 5:30 p.m.

There will also be a bocce ball tournament held in the NexTier Bank parking lot. A first round of qualifying games will be played on Friday and remaining qualifying games and a championship game will be played Saturday.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Butler Senior High School’s Unified Bocce and Track teams.

The event will also feature several live music acts both days, featuring local artists such as Dinnerbell Road, accordionist Pat Septak and Mirella the Musician. Duff’s Lawncare is the stage sponsor for the event.

Fetterman said the event could not be held without the support of its sponsors, especially the Italian Society of Butler, attorney Libby Gribik and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th.

“We are so ecstatic that we are able to bring this back again,” Fetterman said. “We couldn’t have done it without the support of our sponsors.”

She said she hopes it becomes an event that people come back to every year.