MILWAUKEE — The first festival of the season at Henry Maier Festival Park is starting off with a bang as Festa Italiana brings food, music and cultural traditions to the community.
"I can't express how happy I am to be here," 13-year-old performer at Festa Italiana, Avery King said.
King is dancing at the festival for the first time after years of watching her older cousins perform.
"Last year I decided I am going to dance next year and here I am," King said.
The young dancer has been working hard to prepare for her debut performance.
Watch: Performers and vendors welcome Festa Italiana back with open arms
"I've really been influenced to join and now I am so proud to be here," King said.
She and her fellow dancers are dedicated to keeping Italian traditions alive through their performances.
"We have practice once sometimes twice a week, usually for a few hours," King said.
While the dancing is a highlight, King admits there's another aspect of the festival she particularly enjoys.
"The food. The food. The pasta is so amazing," King said.
Food vendors are indeed a major attraction at the festival, with some bringing unique offerings.
"We have the world's biggest mozzarella stick," co-owner of Fonzarelli's Italian Deli, Greg Kieckbusch said.
Fonzarelli's, a first-time vendor at the festival, is serving up an array of Italian specialties.
"We're doing some garlic bread sandwiches, chicken Alfredo melts, peperoni bacon melts, man some really cool stuff," Kieckbusch said.
Kieckbusch and his business partner Tim Szuta are new to festivals of this size but are enthusiastic about the opportunity.
"Definitely ready for our first festival season. We think it's going to be awesome — we think it's going to be great," Kieckbusch said.
Festa Italiana runs through Sunday, featuring classic Italian music and food throughout the weekend.
"You guys come down…we're ready for ya," Tim Szuta said.
Festa Italiana Hours:
Saturday, May 31st: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sunday, June 1st: 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
This story was reported by Megan Lee and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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