Posts from — December 2018

Adriano, with helpers Sandro and Giovanna Cologna , surprised the men on Friday evening December 7th with a dinner of deliciously spicy trippe, grilled polenta and pommi cotti for dessert. Some of our youth tasted trippe for the first time and also accumulated volunteer hours.

Santa Claus came to town – specifically to Casa Ricca, where 85 children 12 and under were in attendance on Sunday morning, December 2 at our yearly get together dedicated to the children in our community. In anticipation of Santa and his gifts, the children, accompanied by parents and grandparents, enjoyed a pancake breakfast and other delicious treats together with an array of beverages, plus activities and entertainment which included a magician. Laughter and fun was in abundance. Then, each child had his much anticipated moment with Santa captured with a picture. At the same time, our Women’s Group held their traditional and very popular bake sale by the entrance, providing everyone an opportunity to pick up a strudel or other delicious dessert. Many people generously gave their time and energy to make this special event a wonderful time for the children. We express our heartfelt thanks first of all to our hardworking organizer, Lorena Danelon, and then to our fantastic youth group, all the volunteers who set up, served and cleaned, not to mention our “pancake chefs” Joe Tanel, Dan Bertolini and Rick Tanel. We hope that the children who attend this fantastic annual occasion will have delightful memories for many years to come.

Nothing but praise for our very successful annual Hunters’ dinner, held at the club on Saturday, November 24. The huge number of people who attended enjoyed an excellent dinner of stew, polenta, and cabbage salad, while relaxing and laughing with friends and relatives. Many people went home with great prizes from the lottery that took place after the dinner. Our chief cook, Elda Morettin, once again proved her culinary skills by creating a savoury stew, aided by Gemma, Gabriella, Natalia and Carla. We thank them wholeheartedly, as well as the other volunteers. A note of gratitude also to our “polenta” duo – Rinaldo and Franca, Sandro Cologna for the procurement of the meat and Franco Morettin for the preparation, all the generous donors of the prizes, bartender Joseph Tanel, and last but not least, the ladies who brought the desserts.

Our first dinner of the season featured a savoury autumn menu of barley soup plus weiner schneitzel potato salad, garlic bread and even fried apple fritters! What a hearty and delicious way to greet the oncoming winter season! After dinner, every guest was served a sampling of a special Campari aperitif that is made in Trento, courtesy of President David Corazza. This particular Campari is available in certain LCBO stores locally. As always, we extend our gratitude to the people involved in making these evenings a great success – cooks Gemma, Natalia, Carla and Gabriella, our bartender for the evening, Luciano Davero, and of course, the ladies who provided the sweets.

This September several of our youth joined other Trentini from all over North America in New York, after two previously successful youth conventions in Rock Springs and Toronto. During their weekend in New York City the youth were able to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, taste Trentini wines and eat polenta at the annual New York Club picnic. Although they were able to learn more about the people and values of Trentino over glasses of Teroldego, this weekend was not about the past but the future. The delegates spoke at length on ways to strengthen our communities by engaging with Trentini youth and the next generation. We can’t wait to see what you have in store for our club!  

Members of Club Trentino Toronto, led by President David Corazza, were pleased to take part in the 23rd ITTONA Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio from August 3 to 5, 2018. Over 250 participants from all over North American gathered together to celebrate our heritage and share some fun-filled and meaningful time together. And fun it was! A boat cruise around Cleveland complete with lunch aboard gave those present an interesting and informative view of Cleveland and its history.
Those of us who chose to visit the famous “Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame” were fascinated by the exhibits, memorabilia, pictures and of course, the music which featured a history of rock n roll music right up to the present. With all the sights, sounds and screens everywhere, it was a real trip down memory lane!
This was followed by a formal supper in the evening at which each of the clubs were introduced. It was touching to see the different generations enjoying the music and company, including the youngest, a 5th generation 3-year old from Ogden, Utah, as well as an enthusiastic young-hearted Trentino who was about to celebrate her 90th birthday.
We were happy to have with us a delegation from Trento, including the Director of Trentini nel Mondo, Francesco Bocchetti, who brought greetings from the Province of Trento, emphasizing the continuing and affectionate bond between the Province and its immigrants abroad, and spoke again at the Sunday picnic.
Conferences on Saturday included a presentation of a book by Laura Perkins entitled “Wreck on the Wabash,” detailing the tragedy of a train wreck in 1901 on route to the mines of Colorado in which 100 Italian immigrants, many of whom were Trentini/Tyrolean, lost their lives, plus a presentation by Mary Beth Moser on the folk stories of Trentino and their contribution to ancestral values and wisdom, and also a presentation by Ivo Finotti on genealogical research resources and his own personal family project through these sources.
Saturday night dinner at Hoffbrau Haus was truly entertainment at its best. There were magical moments of intergenerational connection when all were invited to literally stand on the benches and sing and sway to the popular music being played by the band. The chorus of voices from the very young to the very mature was spontaneous and heartfelt. Several of us were brave enough to try our hand at “shotski,” where four people hold up a ski with four shot glasses and then drink at the same time. And you had to be there to see us navigating a “conga” line!
On Sunday, we proceeded to “Whiskey Island” for a celebration of Mass, followed by a buffet picnic. Among the delicious choices was, of course, polenta.
We would like to acknowledge the dedicated work of Nancee Visintainer of the Alpini Trentini Club, Cleveland, as well as all those who were involved in the preparations for this successful event. This passion to preserve and celebrate our collective heritage is the inspiration to continue these biennial gatherings, and so we look forward to coming together once again at the 24th ITTONA Convention in 2020.

The Veneto Centre in Woodbridge was the venue once again for the annual Club picnic held on Sunday, July 29. As always, the highly anticipated polenta and salsicce lunch was the highlight of the day, but there were plenty of activities to ensure that everyone, young and not-so-young, had a good time. For the kids, there was a hamburger lunch with treats and assorted games for all ages, including a bouncy castle (always a great favourite with the little ones) , and for the adults, bocce and briscola tournaments, not to mention lots of laughter and socializing. This year we also had a “baby contest” with prizes sponsored by CIBC and the adorable winners were: for the category of under 12 months –a 3-way tie; they were all just too cute! – Jaxson Brooks, Nolan Zucal and Avery Conter; 12 to 24 months category – Chelsea Gennings; 24 to 36 months – Brayden Zucal. The winners of the Briscola tournament were Joe Ricci & Julia Cescolini, with 2nd place going to Alice Corazza & Lina Daldoss. For the Bocce, the winners were Alessia Servidio & Julia Servidio, and 2nd place, Tony Manzone & Derek Brooks. A great deal of work goes into the preparation of this popular yearly family event, and as always we extend our appreciation and thanks to all the volunteers who helped out, and in a special way to Lorena Breda, who spent a great deal of time coordinating every detail, Carlo Filippi and company for the preparation of the sausages, all the cooks and servers who provided the polenta meal and children’s menu, Joe Marchetti for his help and use of equipment, and our enthusiastic youth who supervised the children’s games. We look forward to next year’s picnic, with the focus on a new venue that will offer many amenities for both kids and adults.