LITTLE ITALY NEWS SEPTEMBER 2010 EDITION

www.littleitalytroy.org

troylittleitaly@gmail.com

LITTLE ITALY TO AWARD BEST REHAB FOR 2009 AT CEREMONY SEPT., 8, 2010
PRESS RELEASE
Marion Field of Troy Little Italy announces that the three story, mixed
use commercial building at 7 Hill Street, Troy, NY, has been selected as
Little Italy's Best Rehab of 2009. The property is located at Liberty
Square at the junction of Fourth St., Liberty and Hill Streets across from
the historic MarketPlace in Troy's Little Italy neighborhood.
Mayor Harry Tutunjian and Marion Field will present a cast metal
plaque to Lisa and Terry Jordan, owners of the building and Lisa's
Gelateria, the Gelato Shop located at the corner of Hill and Liberty
Streets in the first floor commercial space of the building. Michael
Esposito, Little Italy's resident historian, will present a brief history of
this building, once owned by one of Troy's mayors in ages past, and
will explain the importance of this landmark to the neighborhood. The
ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, at 4 pm, and
will coincide with the weekly Little Italy Farmers Market seasonally
held within the MarketPlace.

Lisas Gelateria Schedule of events and Hours of Operation

Farmers Markets

Hours of Operation

Tues 10:30-1:30
2:30-5:30

- Troy Farmer's Market at Monument Square

- Watervliet Market

Thurs 10:00-2:00

- RPI Market

Sat

- The Crossings of Colonie

3:00-7:00 Tues-Thurs
3:00-9:00 Fri-Sat
Closed Sun & Mon
Twitter Lisas for possible early hours

9:00-1:00

Sun 10:00-2:00

- Schenectady Greenmarket

Salute a Colombo! Vino, Pasta e Bel Canto

Neighborhood Watch
Officer McDonald is out on medical leave.
In the meantime, Captain Sprague of CPU
will be taking our email concerns. He can
be reached at rick.sprague@troyny.gov.
He will be assigning resident concerns to
other officers in the CPU. Officer Colleen
Goldston will be attending our monthly
meetings and giving us the area update as
usual.

Important City Numbers

Emergencies
911
Code Violations
Code Violations
(anonymous)
Troy Police
Non-Emergency
SOS Confidential
Drug Tips
DPW
Public Utilities

(518) 270-4584
(518) 270-4404
(518) 270-4411
(518) 270-5004
(518) 270-4579
(518) 237-0319

On October 8, 2010, at 7 pm, the American Italian Heritage Association, the Lake George
Opera at Saratoga, Friends of Lake George Opera, and Michael Cocca of Franklin Terrace
Ballroom, are partnering to Celebrate Columbus Day and Italian Heritage Month by hosting a sumptuous and festive fundraiser for the American Italian Heritage Museum and the
Lake George Opera at Saratoga. Appetizers and dinner is being prepared by the chefs of
Franklin Terrace. The evening will include a special performance by artists from the Lake
George Opera at Saratoga. The event will be held at the Franklin Terrace Ballroom, 126
Campbell Avenue, Troy.
The Museum which opened in the fall of 2009, is located at 1227 Central Avenue, Albany.
It honors the Italian immigrant and tells their story and the contributions of Italian Americans. We are fortunate also to have a wonderful opera company such as the Lake George
Opera at Saratoga as a part of our Capital District community; opera being another great
gift to the world from Italy. Keep the museum alive and well, keep the tradition of opera
going and celebrate Italian culture. He cost is $60 per person. The reservation deadline is
September 24th. For additional information please contact the AIHA at 435-1979, or
LGOpera at 584-6018.

September Meetings
9/15 Neighborhood Watch 6 pm
Troy Little Italy 6:30 pm
233 Fourth Street, Troy N.Y.
9/16 Weed and Seed 5:30 Italian Community Center, 1450 5th Avenue, Troy, N.Y

22nd ANNUAL SHRINE FESTA ITALIANA

Game Night Regulars

Agnes Zink, Marion Field, Gina Corina and
Andrea Daley played host along with Jerry
Favata, Joe Popson and Olivia Tripodi to a
weekly crowd of 25, including adults and
children. Hot dogs, drinks and snacks were
served free of charge. Kelly Forenzo, Jim
Fazzone and Bob Mosca & family were in
charge of bocce and stickball lessons.
Monday Night Games has ended for now
due to the fact that school is in session, we
will be back next year.

Troy Chromatic Concerts

114th Season
20102011
Thursday, September 30, 7:30 pm

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

Sunday, November 14, 3 pm

Lara St. John, Violin

Martin Kennedy, piano

Italian Community Center Charitable

Foundation of Troy
1450 Fifth Avenue
Troy, New York 12180
(518 273-0508
Friday, Saturday & Sunday
September 10th -12th, 2010
Friday 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Saturday 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Sunday Mass 10:00am inside the main hall
The public is invited to attend Mass

Great Italian Food - Kids Fun - Games of

Chance - Live Music

Also
Troy Little Italy will be selling St. Marys Church
2011 Calendars and a book about our history

Sunday, February 6, 3 pm

Academy of St. Martin-in the-Fields

Chamber Ensemble
Thursday, April 28, 7:30 pm

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Flavours Caf with Coffee & Italian Pastries

Empty Bowls will have an information booth

Arabella Steinbacher, violin soloist

All concerts are proudly presented at the
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Second & State Streets Troy, NY
(518) 273-0038
www.troymusichall.org
FREE pre-concert talks are given 1 hr
prior to concerts at the Rensselaer
County Historical Society, 57 Second
Street, Troy, NY. www.rchsonline.org
Subscriptions available (all 4 concerts at
a great rate of $140 or $125. Individual
Concerts $35 or $45 each

ICC will have Italian Souvenirs & Cookbooks

Entertainment
Friday 9/10 - Capri Band - 6 to 10pm
Saturday 9/11 - Good Times Band - 6 to 10pm
Sunday 9/12 - Al Bruno - 2 to 6pm

Historic Saint Marys Parish Calendar Available

Additional retail outlets are now available for purchase of the Historic
Saint Marys Parish calendar, dedicated to the memory of Father Harry
Donaghy. The 36 page calendar contains 100 photographs donated to
the church archives by parishioners over the years as well as text which
tells the story of St. Marys, celebrating the 167 year history of the
church located in Troys historic Washington Park neighborhood. A
limited number of calendars have been purchased by Troy Little Italy
and are for sale at $10 per calendar. The proceeds will be distributed
equally to LaSalle Institute and Catholic Central High School for an
award to be named in honor of Father Harry. The Calendar are being
sold at Clement Frame & Art Shop, 201 Broadway; Market Block
Books, 290 River Street; DeFazios Import Store, 264 Fourth St.; St.
Marys Hospital Gift Shop, Little Italy Farmers Market on Hill Street
(Wednesdays, 3 to 6 pm). Orders are being accepted at the Little Italy
Visitor Center, 39 Hill Street. Call 326-0415 or email littleitalyvisitorcenter@gmail.com. Checks should be made payable to Troy Little Italy.
Volunteers will sell calendars at two September events the ICC Festa
Italiana and the International Festival at the Hill Street MarketPlace.
An Angel Passing By
In South Troy!
I have lived in South Troy for 3 years
with my family. Last Friday afternoon, as
I was getting ready to join some friends
for dinner, I went down my front steps,
while carrying a rectangular wire tray
basket and a shopping bag; you know the
kind of shopping bag that we all carry
now, made out of that nylon cloth; its
strong and it holds many things. On Friday, it held my pocket book, my camera,
a gift for a friend and some important
papers I was working on. I saw one of
the two friends I was to meet. I motioned
to her to come on over, and invited her to
see what I had done to the basement
apartment. I sat the bag in the tray on the
stoop outside the door, knowing I wouldnt be far or long.
When I came out, less than 5 minutes
later, I saw only the tray. The bag and all
its contents were gone. In a panic, I could
only speak the words, My whole life is
in the bag! Money, credit cards, and all
sorts of IDs: drivers license, membership cards, etc. A frantic feeling set in. I
immediately checked with the neighbors
Did anyone see anyone walk off with
my bag? I was now beating myself up
for being so careless. I rushed inside to
stop my credit cards, someone outside
called the police, a friend took off in her
car to circle the blocks. Now everyone on
the street was looking for my stolen bag.
The bank put me on hold.minutes were
ticking away. Being impatient, I wanted
to be outside when the police arrived, and

I loudly called to my son Come here,

its an emergency! He asked, Whats
wrong? and I said My pocketbook has
been stolen! Would you stay on the
phone with my bank until they pick back
up? He said calmly, There is a black
bag over there, does that contain your
pocketbook?
Low and Behold, there sat my bag, with
all its contents! I asked my son, How
did it get there? Some man rang the
door bell and handed it to me.
Words cannot explain the gratitude and
relief that I now was living in. Someone
actually saw that bag sitting outside for
the taking, and instead, brought it to the
door.
When it was announced to the numerous
neighbors on the street, that now were
scurrying around or having conversation
about the missing bag, a whole new topic
of conversations came into being.
Whoever the anonymous angel was that
passed by that day, I will be forever grateful for his trustworthiness and integrity!
Ill pay his kindness forward: and something good will come to him.
Andrea Daley

NEW CURB
STOPS AT
THE
MARKET

1 BdRm 2nd St
Attractive 1 BR Overlooking a quiet
garden, in a beautiful Victorian row
house at 146 2nd St, close to Washington
Park and the center of Troy and walk to
RPI. Perfect for a single professional quiet building, owner occupied. Second
floor rear apartment with 1 spacious bedroom includes a large closet and a balcony overlooking a lovely garden. Bathroom has a ceramic tiled floor, pedestal
sink and bathtub with shower. Separate
kitchen with dishwasher, gas range, refrigerator and good storage cabinets. The
living/dining room has a built-in linen
cabinet and closet space. Original hardwood parquet floors with newer carpet in
the bedroom. Lot's of windows provide natural light.
Rent is $725.00 plus utilities, due at the
first of each month. Security deposit and
one year lease required. Single, non
smoker preferred. Cat is acceptable with
an extra deposit. Call: 279.1842

At Liberty
The Saga of an Italo-American Family
In Troys Little Italy
By Frank Laposta Visco
The Nineteen - Forties Part 11
The last year of the forties brought many
changes to 13 Liberty Street. The Case/
Caserta family was splitting up. Well,
part of it was leaving the old homestead
my father, Ed Case, my mother, Esther
Campobasso Case, and me, their son,
Little Eddie, were moving to my grandmother's building a few blocks away. Her
confectionery store, now a full-fledged
grocery store with booths left over from
the time she had a soda fountain, was on
the first floor of a solid brick building on
a busy corner. Grandma Campobasso
lived on the second floor, and she and her
now deceased husband had rented out the
third floor for extra income. Now that
she was prosperous, she needed her
younger daughter close by more than she
needed the rent, so we were moving.
I was coming up on my tenth birthday,
and, with the presumption of youth,
thought I had figured out the real reason
why we were moving. I had overheard a
conversation, and confronted my mother
with the facts.
So why didn't you tell me that nobody
likes Aunt Giovi, I said in my most accusatory tone.
What are you talking about?, my
mother said.
I heard everybody talking the other day,
and they said that nobody likes Aunt
Giovi.
(She was my father's widowed sister, who
lived upstairs over us with her sons and
daughter Michelina.)
Everybody loves Aunt Giovi! She's the
nicest of all the Cases. Where did you get
such an idea? Nobody would even think
that!
I heard it just before Dad went to Riposo's for pizza night.
My mother laughed until there were tears
in her eyes. When she stopped, she said,
Anchovies. Your father asked what everybody wanted on their pies, and they
said, 'anything but anchovies.' Nobody in
the family likes anchovies, not Aunt
Giovi.
I felt like the little fool I was, but still, I
knew there was a family problem. As the
red left my face, I remembered the arguments between my mother and her sister
Rose, who lived next door with my father's older brother.

Then it's something between you and

Aunt Rose. Why are we moving? I don't
want to go!
I was good at tantrums back then.
It's nothing to concern yourself with,
Eddie, she said. Sometimes grown-ups
just don't get along even if they are related. Especially when they're related.
We're moving and that's that.
That was as much of an explanation I
would get, until many years later, when I
made a startling discovery about a coverup involving the two sisters and a local
midwife.
Another big change at the Case family
compound: The flat we were leaving wasn't going to be empty for long. The Berlin
Airlift was ending, and the family's brave
little jeep driver, Coke, was coming
home, but not alone. He was bringing his
post-war bride, Hilda, home, and they
were going to set up housekeeping in our
old space.
As I look back on that year now, I can
see how the next generation was becoming more American and less Italian. Before the war, and certainly during it, it
would have been unthinkable for an Italian boy to marry anybody but an Italian
girl. But Coke didn't wait for the family's
approval he fell in love with a buxom
blonde beauty, married her and brought
her home.
In high heels, Hilda was nearly half a foot
taller than Coke, but neither of them
seemed to mind it. In fact, they took joy
in it, even matching some of the jokes
that family and friends made about the
towering German and the pipsqueak Italian, and their new Axis of Love.
We were moving out. Coke and Hilda
were moving in. And still, there were
more changes to come. At Thanksgiving
dinner in 1949, Coke's beautiful sister
Mike brought her boss from Tiny Town
Togs, Siro, to meet the family. I had a
crush on my cousin, even though she was
15 years older than me, and I couldn't
help disliking Siro for the way he treated
her. I think fawning was the word back
then. He pulled out her chair, gave her
first choice of every platter that was
handed to him, and looked at her lovingly, no matter who else at the huge table he was talking to. Of course, she reciprocated, and it was obvious to everyone that these two young. dark descendants of Italian immigrants, although
from different worlds, had found each
other and fallen in love beyond repair.

So, it was no surprise when, after Midnight Mass at St. Anthony's that year, Siro
and Mike announced their engagement
and she flashed an engagement ring with
a diamond so big that one of Mike's jealous co-workers called it skate-able.
Father John Bosco Pantera would perform
the wedding ceremony the following year,
and he didn't seem all that thrilled about
it.
After settling in on the 3rd floor at my
grandmother's, I discovered that I was
expected to help out around the store after
school and on weekends, and although I
resented the loss of some of my freedom,
I learned the value of work and the rudiments of business. Of course, we still got
together at Liberty Street on Sundays for
the usual family dinner, but now we were
more like outsiders.
More about that next time.
The author invites you to visit 2 of his
websites:
cafepress.com/writegood and admissions.blogspot.com

Little Italy Receives Grant

The Troy City Council has awarded us a
grant through the 2010 Neighborhood
Improvement program. We will be using
the grant to purchase shrubs and flowers.
Claire Davis has offered to help us prepare
the ground and to plant. We will need volunteers to help prepare the space for planting. The ideal time to do this will be early
October. If you are interested in helping
contact us at littleitalyvisitorcenter@gmail.com or leave a message at 518Plantings will be placed along the fence

New Business in Troy Little

Italy
Located at 225 Fourth Street, Prism Glassworks is open for business. They feature
custom hand blown glass and offer it retail
or wholesale, you can also take lessons or
rent a space.
Philip Sundling is the talented working
owner along with Andrew Crowley, Brad
Applebaum and Raj Singh . Stop in and
watch them work and see the beautiful
glass they design.
Troy Little Italy welcomes them to the
neighborhood ans wishes them a prosperous future.
You can reach Prisms at 518-273-4527 or
by e-mail artist@troyglassstudio.com for
their hours of operation

Little Italy Real Estate

For Sale
1 FAMILY
85 Ida Street
369-7247
36 Division Street
687-2222
130 Second Street
279-1900
1023 Fifth Ave.
281-3342
2 FAMILY
177 Hill Street
281-3342
198 Hill Street
857-5427
186 Hill Street
424-5291
118 Adams Street
253-7094
337 4th Street
584-0743
190 Hill Street
320-6826
126 Adams Street
448-6241
121 Adams Street
724-6871

$63.000 Todd

136 Third Street

369-7247
263 4th Street
724-6871
1 Irving Place
852-1365

$50,000 Todd
$64,900 Douglas

76 Hill Street

$215,500 Richard

Beautiful, spacious and newly renovated

apartments in Little Italy. Quiet, private
and fenced back yard.

$119,900 Judith
$399,900 Michael
$104,900 Kyle

Apartments for Rent

In Little Italy
245 2nd Street
2nd Fl apt. in Victorian brick row house.
1 BR, Dbl parlors, nice K, great light,
work/storage space. Smoke free house.
No dogs. $650 (incl heat) + Security. References. Call Bernice at 273-1692.

$64,500

Kyle

$98,500

James

$17,000

Barbara

$74,900

Brian

$209,900

Ian

$95,000

Donald

3rd Floor. Spacious 2 bdm, Living room,

dining room, hardwood floors, family
room, $1,100 with heat and hot water
included. Cat OK. Security and references. Call Marion 518-266-1406.

$86,000

Tracy

Basement apartment

$95,900

Douglas

1 small bdm, large living room, yard, cat

ok, $475.00 all utilities included. Ideal
for I person. Call Marion 518-266-1406.

MULTI UNITS
326 4th Street
$111,500 Ellen
495-0099
167 Second Street
$435,500 Anne
424-4099
114 Washington St. $168,500 Michael
813-6049

Consider purchasing a house in

the Little Italy neighborhood.
There are many multi-units for
sale. Live in 1 unit and help pay
your mortgage with the income
from the second unit.

Washington Place

Large 3 BR 1st floor apartment with huge

newly updated kitchen. New dishwasher,
countertops and lighting. New carpeting in
the living/dining rooms. Extra large pantry
and plenty of cabinets. $775/month plus
utilities.
2 spacious 2 BR apartments with large
living area. New carpeting in the living
room and bedrooms and new flooring in
kitchen/dinning rooms. Newly upgraded
bathroom. All new kitchen cabinets. Large
front windows with a great deal of natural
light. $675/month plus utilities.
2 rear apartments, 2 BR or 1+ BR with
extra space. Extra large pantry and large
eat-in kitchen. Newly upgraded bathroom.
Beautifully refinished hardwood floors in
the kitchen and carpeting in the bedrooms.
$575/month plus utilities.
Security deposit and one year lease required. No pets please and non smokers
preferred. Call Peggy at (518) 852-8502.

Advertise your Real Estate Here

To place an ad for an apartment
e-mail troylittleitaly@gmail.com or call
518-326-0415. Please remember to notify
us when your space is rented.

SOUTH CENTRAL DROP IN CENTER

PHOTO GALLERY
Thank you to all who made this drop in center possible. The kids had a great time and are looking forward to next
year. We had 31 children, boys and girls who signed up to attend.
Credit goes to the following agencies who gave of their time, in kind donation or had fund raisers.
Troy Little Italy, the Italian Community Center, CYO, Westside Waterfront Weed and Seed, Sage Colleges, City of
Troy, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Community Police, 15 Love, Little Italy and St. Anthony bingo volunteers and
the Tri-City Valletcats.
Jim Fazzone, the director, Kelly Forenzo, Sam Rivet, Joseph Hathaway and Nilda , the counselors worked hard to
create a different activity every day. Rick Rivet of the Community Police was their driver and escort on their day
trips. They played tennis, basketball, bocce, stickball, dodge ball, games and went swimming once a week. Cornell
Cooperative extension taught them about nutrition and gave them healthy snacks and they also attended a baseball
game at the Joe Bruno Stadium.