Revised Schedule for July and September Programs

By Nancy De Santi, First Vice President - Programs
The AMHS has made some changes to the schedule of events for July and September. We ask our members to note the following dates. We have decided to forego our summer program, for a couple of reasons. First, the date we were able to obtain at Casa Italiana is July 28, which is a little later than usual. This date is close to the date of our Ferragosto picnic on August 11 (see related article on this page). Second, we have found that many of our members are on vacation, or visiting their hometowns in Italy, so that the summer meeting is less well-attended than others. So, it was decided that those who wish to get together informally, should give us their suggestions.

For example, Maria D’Andrea-Yothers has volunteered to organize a lunch on Sunday, July 28, 12:30 p.m., at Osteria da Nino in Shirlington, Va. There would be no set menu; people can order what they wish from the standard lunch/brunch menu. If you are interested in this lunch, please contact Maria at uva051985@ comcast.net by July 21 for her to make a reservation with the restaurant (friends are welcome!).

Anyone else interested in organizing a lunch, or any other event that can bring members and friends together in July, please feel free to contact any of our officers and board members to discuss your ideas. And be sure to check you email for notices for these and any other events as the time draws nearer. For September, we have a wonderful luncheon meeting planned which will take place at Casa Italiana on the 22nd, 1:00 p.m. Our focus will be on the Vespa, the iconic symbol of Italy.

We will be honoring the inventor of the Vespa, Corradino D’Ascanio, who is Abruzzese (from Popoli). Our speaker will be Willy Meaux, an expert on all things Vespa. Willy is an AMHS member and a member of the board of the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center. Some of you may recall that for the Bella Italia Market in December, Willy arranged for a Vespa dealership to display several Vespas, including the prized Aprilia. We also expect to have remarks from the head of the Vespa Club in Sulmona (Abruzzo), Panfilo D’Angelo, who will be visiting in September.

We will also hear from the 2018 NIAF/AMHS scholarship winners, Kathryn Donati and Francesca Minicozzi. Our program will coincide with the Raduno, the Vespa rally that Willy is organizing for that weekend. The Vespa rally will include a concert featuring the Italian American guitarist Tony Richards, whose mother is Abruzzese. We hope to have many of the participating Vespisti come to our program. This will be a fun event! Stay tuned for more details.