My wife and I got married in 2017. I was 56 years old. Long story short I wanted to give my cousin Glenn and his wife Nancy a shout out at our wedding. I had broken our family record held by him for getting married the latest in life. His record was 53.
It certainly wasn’t meant to be a boastful thing, but I know what you’re thinking. My response – life happens.
Anyway, I bought him and his wife a glass heart and I got it inscribed. The plan was to say a few things halfway through the reception as a couple. Thank everyone for coming. And give Glenn and Nancy the heart. Finding love late in life isn’t easy.
Unfortunately, they skipped out early. A beautiful, lighthearted moment on our special day forever gone.
They did, however, get the heart. Glenn came to my work a few days after the wedding to pick it up.
Nancy died the next year.
Nancy (Patete) was a proud Italian, and we were informed that she volunteered at the Columbus Italian Festival every year since its inception in 1980. That’s 38 years!
The fall of the year she died we went to see Glenn at the festival. We knew he would be volunteering and missing Nancy. Every year they would work the beer truck by the backstage. In honor of his wife, Glenn had special aprons made for the volunteers with her name embroidered on it.
The Italian Festival is held every October in Columbus at the St John the Baptist Catholic Church in the Short North. The diversity of the crowd is always fabulous. The vibe is festive. The food is like grandmas. The only deterrent is the hit-and-miss weather.
The years when the festival hits perfect weather, people turn out in droves and it’s the absolute best festival of the year. Like 2019. The beautiful mid-October color was everywhere, and the temperature was a perfect 45 to 50 degrees.
The bocce ball area is a favorite gathering spot. It’s close to Glenn’s beer truck. Knowing someone in the tournament makes it even better.
In 1900 there were only about 11,000 Italian immigrants living in Ohio. In Columbus, the largest contingent lived along Goodale St. The Italians were and are a tight knit community.
Some of the early Italian owned businesses in Columbus were: Santillis Pool Hall, Amicon Produce, Carfagna’s Deli, Melchiorre’s Grill and Presutti’s Villa and of course DeSantis Florists.
Columbus bishop John A Watterson was instrumental in helping to get a place of worship built for the Italian community in the late 1800s. A small congregation would meet for mass on Sunday morning in the baptistery at St Joseph’s Cathedral downtown.
Watterson brought in Italian born Father Alexander Cestelli who was at the Josephinum College. Land was then purchased at the cobble stone intersection of Lincoln and Hamlet Streets in late 1897. That was followed by a large donation from John Marzetti which when teamed with money raised from a parish raffle was enough to get construction going.
The cornerstone for St John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church was laid on May 15, 1898. With a steeple and spire 98 ft tall and a church that would hold 480 people, St John’s became and still is the epicenter of the Columbus Italian community.
Italian born Father Casto Marrapese became the eighth pastor of St John the Baptist Church in 1974. The Catholic Bishops of the U.S. declared 1980 the year of the family. Father Casto – inspired – wanted to plan an event that would bring his Italian community together but would also honor their American Italian heritage.
The Columbus Italian Festival was born.
The first event was held that September at the Ohio State Fairgrounds and was an overwhelming success – drawing more than 10,000 people and raising $26,000 for the church. The festival grew and eventually made its way home to its current location on the church grounds in 1999.
It has become one of Columbus’s premier fall festivals attracting over 35,000 visitors annually depending on the weather.
From day one Father Casto also dreamed out loud of building an Italian Cultural Center that would be a place for the community to honor Italian immigrants who paved the way. It took fifteen years but on October 29, 1989, the center was finally built and dedicated.
On the banks of the Scioto River sits a statue honoring immigrants, ‘The strength of our nation.’ The statue stands at the Battelle Riverfront Park and was dedicated on the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1992. It is a gift to the city from the United Italian Americans.
Glenn’s wife Nancy’s 38 year dedication to the festival shows where her heart and passion in life was. My wife and I wish we could have gotten to know her better. Or at least been able to honor their marriage in our small way.
In the summer of 2021, Glenn called me at work. He wanted our company to put in a new furnace at his place on Buckeye Lake. Theresa & I saw Glenn that fall at the Italian Festival at his familiar spot working the beer truck.
Then, a month later, Glenn was gone. He passed in his sleep in his home on November 5, 2021. He was perfectly healthy. His brother Bob – who was staying with him at the time – discovered him. Glenn was 71.
The long and winding path Glenn and I took to find our love we shared.
I’ll never forget that.
The 2025 Columbus Italian Festival is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, October 10 – 12.
Sources: Images of America – Columbus Italians by Andy & Erin Dominianni; Nightlife by John Maher, Columbus Monthly, October, 1982; Columbus Neighborhoods – A guide to landmarks by Tom Betti, Ed Lentz and Doreen Uhas Sauer, 2013; Grandview Hts Marble Cliff Historical Society, www.ghmchs.org; Featured photo: Cousin Glenn sporting his apron honoring his wife Nancy at the Columbus Italian Festival.