celebrates Italian heritage in Donaldsonville
Charles Geno Marsala, President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast and producer of AWE.News, visits the Festa Italiana Saturday afternoon at the Frank Sotile Pavilion in Donaldsonville. —PHOTOS BY MICHAEL TORTORICH
MICHAEL TORTORICH Common current Donaldsonville surnames like Sotile, Falsetta, and Pizzolato serve as an ingrained aspect of the area's Italian influence. The first Donaldsonville Festa Italiana, held Saturday at the Frank Sotile Pavilion, reveled in the cultural impact Italian immigrants and their descendants have made over many decades in the area. The festival included live music, a spaghetti cooking competition, vendor booths, and a historical display focusing on the Italian heritage of local families. Chuck Montero served as disc jockey in JANUARY - MARCH 2020
the earlier portion of the event, and King PaKaYea' Band performed later in the evening. The City of Donaldsonville's Community and Economic Development Director Lee Melancon organized the festival. Sponsors included city government, Ascension Tourism, CF Industries, Republic Services, Elray Kocke Services, Cliff Ourso State Farm, Sheriff Bobby Webre, and Representative Ken Brass. Charles Geno Marsala, President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast and producer of AWE.News, traveled from New Orleans to support the event.
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"I was recently elected president of the federation," Marsala said. "We have a lot of chapters around the state of Louisiana and New Orleans. We want to know what they're doing, and use social media to let people know we have great events like this going on." Marsala added that events like Donaldsonville's festival can draw attendees from throughout the area, and tourists who are looking for travel opportunities. "If somemone is in a place like Morganza, maybe they would want to come to an event like this. What these guys are doing is great. Why not let people in places like
