Staff
Reconnecting with old friends and celebrating Italian heritage will be on the menu when the Borderland Italian Fall Dinner returns Saturday, Sept. 26 to the local Legion.
The evening is for “any Italians or wannabe Italians or part Italians,” said Kim Lepine, one of the organizers, adding that for many, it’s a chance to meet with people they haven’t seen in a long time while celebrating their common heritage.
Some of those who first immigrated to the area from Italy came as early as the late 1800s, Lepine noted, while others came later such as in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s.
“Over the years, the people who have immigrated here from Italy have had get-togethers,” said Lepine, explaining it was a way for the families to socialize.
It also was often a cross-border gathering, with those from Rainy River District and International Falls taking turns hosting the fall dinner.
Lepine admitted it’s “been a while” since they’ve held a the fall dinner, though, citing how busy people are nowadays.
As such, organizers decided it was time to get the dinner going once again to bring people back together.
Many of the first immigrants from Italy have passed on, Lepine conceded, and over time most of the families are no longer all Italian but now are mixed families.
“And not many have the language, but it’s nice to get people together and have people talk about their trips and different things, and their families, and bring pictures,” she reasoned.
If people are interested, they also can send pictures to her via e-mail at klepine@live.ca as she’s hoping to put together a slideshow that can be running so those on hand can see pictures of people from years ago.
The evening will kick off with a social at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30.
Tickets, which will be on sale until Sept. 16, are available at Mario’s Jewellers, or by contacting Kim Lepine (481-2527) or Joe Gust in International Falls.
Tickets cost $15 for adults and $8 for children aged five-10 (kids under five are free).