Italian Heritage Festival set for Oct. 18th
The Italian-American Club of Hilton Head will bring the sights, sounds and flavors of Italy to the Lowcountry with its 15th annual Italian Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn.
The festival celebrates Italian heritage and has become one of Hilton Head’s most anticipated fall events. Club President John DeCecco, known as “Johnny D,” said more than 3,100 people attended last year, lining up for porchetta sandwiches, pasta dinners and cannoli while enjoying music and marketplace booths.
This year’s festival will again support scholarships and local charities while recreating the feel of an Italian family gathering and will feature a kids’ zone, a return visit from “Mister Puppet.” Bob “Mr Puppet” Abdou a professional ventriloquist and puppeteer who blends humor, marionettes, and audience participation to delight kids and families.
Legion XIIII, a Roman reenactment group whose historical roots trace back to Julius Caesar’s armies, will bring ancient drills and traditions to life for festival visitors.
The festival will also include grape-stomping and pizza-eating contests, live big band music, and a silent auction.
IACHH was founded in 1993 by John Calamari and Frank Guidobono, starting out with 18 to 20 members. Today, the organization has grown to 167, welcoming both men and women—and Italian heritage isn’t required. Its purpose is simple: to celebrate culture and tradition while giving back.
“Our members and volunteers pitch in, set up tents, run the silent auction, cook, and stay late to clean up,” said DeCecco, “It’s all about the members and volunteers. Every scholarship and every grant we give happens because people give their time and energy.”
The Italian Heritage Festival is the Italian-American Club of Hilton Head’s largest fundraiser, but the group hosts several other annual events open to the public.
These include a spring pasta dinner, a charity golf tournament, a bocce tournament, a fall wine tasting, and a January holiday gala. Together, these fundraisers make a significant impact. The club recently awarded nine $2,000 scholarships to local high school seniors and donated $18,000 to area nonprofits.
On average, about $36,000 is returned to the community each year. Local charities also benefit directly from the Italian Heritage Festival, where complimentary booths allow them to raise awareness and raise funds.
The club made history in 2017 by earning a Guinness World Record for the largest meatball ever cooked—1,707 pounds, eight ounces. The feat required a custom oven, five days of cooking, and teams of volunteers, drawing about 5,000 spectators. The record still stands, remembered as a symbol of teamwork and generosity.
DeCecco emphasized that none of this would be possible without support from local sponsors and the club’s dedicated members and volunteers, whose combined efforts power both the festival and the year-round calendar of events. For DeCecco, that spirit is what sets IACHH apart. “This is a team effort,” he said. “That’s why the club has grown, and that’s why we can keep giving back.”
For more information or to join the club, visit IACHH.org or their Facebook page.
