Maryland Italian Festival kicks off this weekend in Harford County

Sep. 28—Maryland's largest Italian festival kicks off this weekend in Harford County.

The Galbani Maryland Italian Festival will run Friday through Sunday at the Harford County Equestrian Center, 608 N Tollgate Road in Bel Air. Hours are 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

The festival is family-friendly and will feature attractions such as Italian food and retail vendors, carnival rides and games, performances and more.

"We're really excited," said Elio Scaccio, festival chair and board member of the Society of Italian American Businessmen (SIAB), organizer of the event. "This is a first-class event, all the way down to the little details."

Scaccio said that creating an Italian festival of this scale has been his dream since he and a small group founded SIAB in Harford County in 2013. On Thursday, while helping to set up at the equestrian center, Scaccio recalled the large Italian festivals that were held at Rash Field near the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore when he was growing up. "They had a huge Italian festival down there with national entertainment, a big carnival and 100,000 people would attend," he said.

But when Rash Field went away, Scaccio said, the big Italian festival became smaller street festivals scattered throughout the region.

"It's always been a vision of mine to create a huge Italian festival because that's one of the things that brings multigenerations together," Scaccio said. "As SIAB grew as an organization, I wanted to continue the Italian-American tradition and bring a festival together that rivalled the old Rash Field festivals. So at this festival, you'll see children with their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents."

Harford County, he said, provided the perfect venue that could encompass a performance stage, carnival rides and other activities that will be a part of the big festival that he envisoned. Scaccio brought in a major production company, Via Productions from Jupiter, Florida, to produce the large-scale event. "They're friends of mine and they've taken it far beyond anything I could have imagined," he said.

On the performance stage, a lineup of Italian-American performers ranging from traditional to contemporary sounds will be featured, including the Sons of Italy, The Sicilian Tenors, a Frankie Valli tribute band and an Italian disco on Saturday night. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the entertainment.

Cooking demonstrations will be held each day on the La Cucina Galbani Cooking Stage, featuring celebrity chef Marco Sciortino, owner of Marco's Italian Restaurant in Buffalo, New York, along with local chefs. Chef Marco has appeared on several national TV shows and holds cooking demos at festivals around the country. Paired with the cooking demos will be wine seminars hosted by local wine retailers.

The group's annual bocce ball tournament will also be apart of the weekend's schedule. Teams will compete for cash prizes on Saturday, and cheer on athletes from the Special Olympics as they compete in a multi-state regional tournament on Sunday.

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The county built six new bocce courts at the equestrian center for the event, Scaccio said, and after the festival, the courts will be open to the public as part of the equestrian center's amenities.

"We have very good friendships with County Executive Bob Cassilly and the Harford County leaders, because we've done so much good in the community," Scaccio said. "The county has gone above and beyond to help us make this a success."

A Mass will be held Sunday at 11 a.m., led by St. Margaret Church in Bel Air.

The festival also coincides with the beginning of National Italian-American Heritage Month, Harford County's 250th anniversary and SIAB's 10th anniversary.

Tickets for the festival start at $10, while kids 12 and under can get in for free. Three-day passes are available for $23 but can only be purchased online until 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

Proceeds from the festival will go toward scholarships and other charitable efforts that SIAB is involved in, Scaccio said. The nonprofit focuses on education, family and child services, mental health and addiction, and has given more that $800,000 to area charities and for scholarships in its 10-year history, he said.

More information can be found at marylanditalianfestival.com. Check the festival's Facebook and Instagram pages for the updates on parking and activities throughout the weekend.

Originally Published: Sep 28, 2023 at 12:38 pm