The "Main" Events

  • Little Miss and Mister Pageant The Miner's Institute is seeking entrants for the 2010 Little Miss and Mister Italianfest Pageant.

    The pageant is historically held at the Miner's Theatre and organized by the Miner's Institute Foundation. However, renovation in the historic building meant moving the annual pageant this year. Therefore, this year's Little Miss and Little Mister Italianfest is scheduled for Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Mississippian Room at the Gateway Center.

    The pageant is open to children in the metro-east area who will be 4-years old and not older than 8-years old on the pageant date, Sept. 11. Five finalists will be selected in each division (5 girls, 5 boys) and each finalist will receive a participation medal. One winner is selected by the judges in each division (1 girl, 1 boy). Winners will receive a trophy, crown, sash and other prizes and will ride in the Italian Fest parade. All pageant participants receive a gift bag. Winners cannot be current titleholders for any other pageant system or organization.

    The registration fee is $30 per participant and the deadline for registration is Sept. 1.

    For further information, contact pageant director Cheryl Romanich at 618- 345-5856.
  • 5-K Run Walk, Kids Fun Run & Diaper Dash application » Annual 5K Run/Walk starts at 8 a.m. Saturday September 18, 2010
    Kids Fun Run starts at 9 a.m.
    Diaper Dash 9:45 a.m.

    Area residents will once again be able to participate in one of the most popular events at the Italian Fest. The annual 5K run/walk draws hundreds of contestants each year. A police escort and traffic control is provided for the race. The race route is marked and easy to follow. The run will start on Clay Street and finish on Main Street. For those interested in participating, there will be 14 divisions. Those include wheelchair, 10 and under(new this year!),11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-69, and 70 and over. Plaques will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in each division, along with the top three finishers overall. Registration applications are also available at Collinsville Chamber of Commerce Office.

    New this Year!
    Half mile Kids Fun Run where all participants will receive an award (no shirts) and can visit with Izzy the Grizzly!

    Diaper Dash
    A 10 foot crawl for the diaper crowd 12 months and under with prizes to all entrants and grand prize to the winner.

    Lightweight commemorative sweatshirts guaranteed to all 5K entrants who register by September 1; after September 1, while supplies last.

    Packets are distributed on race day. Late registration and packet pick-up will be held from 6:30-7:45 a.m. at the race site.Fees vary depending on event and registration date. Please check the form.
  • Bocce Ball Tournament Want to give Bocce a try??

    Bocce Ball Tournament-Saturday, September 18, 2010 @ 10:00 am at Glidden Park in Collinsville, Illinois. Prizes to First, Second and Third place winners! Food and refreshments on site.

    What is bocce ball?
  • Italian Film & Exhibit The annual exhibition and Italian film at Collinsville Memorial Library will once again kick-off the 2010 Italian Fest celebration this year.

    This year's exhibit, "Men of the Mines," begins Sept. 1 and runs through the entire month at the library, located at 408 West Main St. With memorabilia donated by area families, the retrospective will chronicle the life of miners with items such as mining tools, photos and other remnants of life pertaining to miners who belonged to United Mine Workers Unions 848, 264, and 685.

    "'Men of the Mines' is a unique exhibit," said Annette Graebe, a Collinsville resident who organized the film and exhibit and is also active with the Italian Film Festival of St. Louis. "It lets us take a step back in time to the days when coal was King. We see the miners, learn a little about their lives at home and beneath the ground, and walk away respecting their courage and dedication. After all, at one time coal mining was the very heart of our communities."

    The exhibit will be available during library hours: Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

    This year's film, "Pane e Tulipani" (Bread and Tulips), an award-winning romantic comedy film that swept the 2000 Donatello Awards (the Italian equivalent of the Academy Awards) will be shown Thursday, Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Collinsville Public Library.

    "Pane e Tulipani" portrays a disillusioned and unappreciated housewife, Rosalba, who is left behind at a rest stop on a family vacation. Unnoticed for hours, she decides to hitchhike toward home by way of Venice. She is entranced by the city and begins to see her own life a little differently. The movie allows movie goers to experience the uniqueness of Venice in a story of love, disappointment, and laughter.

    The movie is shown with English subtitles and admission is free. The film is rated PG-13 with a parental caution -- and not recommended for young children. For more information, or to contribute items to the exhibition, contact Graebe at 344-7143 or e-mail her at gindustirs@aol.com.
  • Grape Stomp It is believed that grape stomping goes back as far as Rome in 200 BC. For centuries grapes were picked by hand and grape stomping was the method used to extract juice from the grapes which was then used to make wine. This was done in every country that made wine.

    Eventually, concern for public health outweighed the grape stomping tradition. In most countries, grape stomping has been replaced with mechanical processing. Italy is one of the few countries where grape stomping still takes place.

    Italian Fest hosts its annual grape stomp on Friday, September 17 at noon on the Venezia Stage.
  • Parade Enjoy Collinsville's Largest Parade!
    Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 4:00 PM

    Don't miss the live wedding during this year's parade!
  • Scholarship winning essay » This Year's Scholarship Winner is Alexis Evers!
    Ms. Evers is the daughter of Todd and Angela Evers. She is attending University of Illinois where she is studying music. Ms. Evers attended Metro East Lutherah High School.
  • Wine Judging details Local winemakers go for gold in the Italian Fest wine making contest. Wine will be judged by local area experts on fest grounds. This year's deadline for entries has passed. Results will be announced Saturday September 18 after the judging along with Best of Show.

Weekend Event List

    Click here for a complete list of events

    Diaper Dash Prize

      Wendi Valenti, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and Bob Stik, tower designer and Italian Fest Volunteer with the tower constructed of over 100 disposable diapers and modeled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This year, the "Diaper Dash" has been added along with a Kids Fun Run after the Italian Fest 5-K Run/Walk on Saturday 9/18, 8 - 10am.