McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

May 19, 2007

Italian Festival inspires book about immigrants

By Susan Brittingham

Even to someone who wasn’t born here, the tales of the close-knit Italian families — why they came to America and how they made it through wars and the Depression — can be fascinating.

That’s why Celeste Calvitto ended up writing a book after her first visit to our city and the Italian Festival.

The book, “Searching for Italy in America’s Rural Heartland,” features several local families: those of Marion and Rocky Lenardo, Mary Lovera Pliska, Joe Finamore, Angelo Scarpitti and Joe Pritchard.

Along with this part of Oklahoma, Calvitto’s search took her to Clinton, Ind., where the Little Italy Festival features an authentic gondola that the Grape Queen rides in during the annual parade.

She also went to Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois searching for stories.

Want a copy of this book? Well, Calvitto will be here this weekend for the Italian Festival, selling and autographing her self-published “Searching for Italy.” The festival is at the Southeast Expo Center today from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

If, for some reason, you can’t make it to the festival, the book is also available at www.searchingforitaly.com.

“The festival was one of the inspirations for the book,” Calvitto said in a phone conversation as she drove across the flat lands of Nebraska, on her way to McAlester. “I visited there in ’04 and I kept hearing about how the first and second generation Italians who started the festival were dwindling. I thought it would be an interesting idea to learn more and write about immigrants in rural areas.

“I started in Oklahoma and went through five other states. The stories are great, and I think people will be surprised at the similarities in the people and stories from Oklahoma to Illinois.

“Everybody has a story and it was a fantastic experience.”

There are color pictures on nearly every page of “Searching for Italy in America’s Rural Heartland.” The book also features a listing of the Re and Reginas of the Italian Festival, dating back to 1971, when Mr. and Mrs. Frank Testa were crowned and ending with Mr. and Mrs. Nick DeGiacomo in 2006.

There is a picture of the newly-crowned DeGiacomos and even one of Lovera’s Italian Grocery and Deli. And so that others across the country can sample some of Lovera’s Italian sausage, cheese and marina sauce, Calvitto lists the grocery store’s Web site, www.iloveitalian.com.

Also, there is a Web address for Pete’s Place, www.petes.org, and several pictures of the restaurant. One shows Pete Pritchard cooking, while another features customers enjoying the Italian food.

What was it about the Italians that spoke to Calvitto’s heart? Well, if you couldn’t tell she’s Italian by her name — both first and last — here’s another interesting fact about this dark-haired, vivacious former newspaper editor: While residing in Mount Kisco, N.Y., she was named the 1998 Woman of the Year by the Italian-American Club of Northern Westchester.

And her grandparents were Italian immigrants who settled in Johnston, R.I.

So why not swing by the Italian Festival today and say to her “mangiamo, beviamo, celebriamo” (We eat, we drink, we celebrate)?

It’ll make her feel welcome.

Susan Brittingham can be reached at sbrittingham@mcalesternews.com.

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