Entertainment

Hickory Grove Park will host a little Italy

The Italian-American Society of Peoria will host its 79th annual Summer Festa picnic Sunday at Hickory Grove Park in Dunlap, and you don’t have to have ancestors from the old country to enjoy cultural traditions like spaghetti, accordion music, wine and bocce ball.

The event, which began in 1929 as a social event for Italian immigrants, now features attractions such as:

Food and drinks: Spaghetti and meatball, sausage and Italian beef sandwiches will be served, as well as desserts including granitas and pizzelles, which are waffle-like cookies. Beverages include Italian and domestic beer, wine, soda, juice and water.

Children’s activities: A Kid’s Corner area will feature a petting zoo and games, and Gus and Bongo the clowns will perform between 12:30 and 5 p.m. There will be a children’s spaghetti eating contest from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

Entertainment: The Peoria Area Accordion Band will perform from noon to 1 p.m. There also will be vendor booths and music by master of ceremonies Roberto Dietrich of Acoustic Dreams & Lightbeams.

Bocce ball: Tournaments are scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. The entry fee for the bocce ball tournaments is $10 per team for adults, free for children. Bocce ball demonstrations, as well as Frisbee demonstrations by the Peoria Area Frisbee Club, will run from 1 to 5 p.m.

The Italian American Society 2008 Scholarship Awards will be given out from 1 to 1:15 p.m.

Admission to the event is $2 for adults and free for children 12 and younger. For more information, visit the Web site ItalianAmericanSociety.com.