BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — A big stretch of Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo is filled with red, white and green for the annual Italian Heritage Festival that kicked off Friday.
Hertel is closed from Delaware Avenue to Virgil for the celebration of food and fun.
“I just love the energy. You can tell everyone is just enjoying themselves,” declared Gabriella of Buffalo.
As I took a stroll along Hertel Avenue, I found the street filled with Italian music, people, drinks and of course plenty of food vendors.
“I love all the food, to be honest, I love seeing all the food,” stated Gabriella.
At the Mangia booth, owner Matthew Spangola says they're serving up some usual favorites.
“We also have the deep-fried lasagna, which is unique in that you don't see them everywhere. We have deep-fried spaghetti, which is also very unique,” Spagnola described.
Spagnola operates seven vending booths at the festival this year and also operates Lemonade stands.
At Melloni’s vending booth, they were cooking up some different meats.
“These are our sausages we're just putting on the grill now,” showed Annmarie Melloni.
Melloni showed me all the great homemade Italian sausage at her booth.
“My father-in-law actually started with the recipe from his dad, and we make it homemade, and it’s been a few generations handed down and now my husband makes it,” explained Melloni. “Mangia! Mangia! Mangia!”
Over at Romeo & Juliet's, David Notaro of Buffalo showed me all the cannoli he helps make.
“I’m full-blooded Italian -- it's my heritage!” Notaro proudly stated.
In between eating you can enjoy an authentic Sicilian puppet show. Puppeteer Robert Rogers has been performing at the Italian festival for several years.
“I picked it up a while ago because my parents went to Italy and brought me back one of these. They're not easy to come by,” Robert Rogers reflected.
Others attending, like Chuck Murphy, come for the food and people-watching.
“I’ve been coming here to the Italian Festival since I was about 10 years old when it was on Connecticut Street and now it's here,” recalled Murphy.
Murphy tells me his favorite is Italian sausage.
“I got to get an Italian sausage. I got to get a fried dough and I have to buy a dozen cannoli to bring home to my mother,” Murphy noted.
If you come to the Italian festival make sure you have an appetite. You can check out Buffalo’s Italian Festival Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
