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Old Neighborhood Italian American Club Hosting Street Fest Saturday

By Casey Cora | September 12, 2014 5:36am
 The member's club invites families to an old-school street fest.
The member's club invites families to an old-school street fest.
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DNAinfo/Casey Cora

ARMOUR SQUARE — The imposing brick building that houses the Old Neighborhood Italian American Club, plastered everywhere with "Members Only" signs, looms large at 31st Street and Shields Avenue.

On Saturday, the decades-old men's club is throwing its first-ever Italian Fest and inviting neighborhood residents to get a taste of what they're all about.

"We're going to barbecue the sausage and make the beef. All of the food will be homemade, made on premises. Sfingi [fried dough], fried meatballs. These are the things people grew up with," said club board member Peter Scalise.

The party runs from noon-10 p.m. Saturday outside the club, 3031 S. Shields Ave. Admission to the event, which includes food and live music and performances by a comedian, is free. Tickets for drinks and for the many food options — clams, soppressata, pizza, arancini and more — will be sold on the grounds.

Scalise said proceeds from the event would be used for maintenance and upkeep of the club headquarters, which opened in 1991. The club was originally founded as a 26th Street storefront in the early 1980s, reportedly by Angelo "The Hook" La Pietra, who authorities said was a powerful reputed mob boss. LaPietra died in 1999.

Today, the South Side club has about 500 members, many of whom gather on the weekdays to shoot pool, watch TV news and bust each other's chops. A women's auxiliary group throws fundraising dinners, where guests dance to Neil Sedaka and Louis Prima tunes pumped from the jukebox.

Each Memorial Day, the club hosts an emotional ceremony honoring the Italian-American military veterans whose names are memorialized on commemorative statues and personalized brick pavers outside the building.

During a recent visit, Deering District police commander Leo Panepinto was chatting with a small group of guys, apparently going over the club's plans for the weekend's festival.

Scalise said the first-of-its kind party is primarily geared toward the club's members but the public is invited to join the fun.

"Our members are our target audience. We'll start with our own members and their families and open it up to the neighborhood and friends," he said.

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