CLARKSBURG, W.Va (WBOY) — The West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival kicked off its pre-festival activities with a pasta cook off on Saturday in Clarksburg.
Italians from across the state joined together to celebrate culture, heritage and what goes along with it-food.
It's not only Italian cuisine bringing people together. For the Rock family, it's the memory of their Aunt Mary, who recently passed away. They're competing for the gold with a red sauce in Mary's honor.
"She loved her family," Mary's niece Bella Rock said. "She loved everything about this. She loved the festival. She loved her Italian heritage."
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For others, continuing traditions like shaping Italian donuts or bombolini speak to their love of the old country.
"We have our dough balls," West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival board member John Boggess said. "We roll these out before we get to the fryer. We got two pans going at the moment. It's a great process. We dip them in sugar and they're hot and ready for everybody to come."
Festival organizers said nearly 50 years ago, in 1979, the highly anticipated event hosted over 80,000 visitors in its inaugural year. Now, in its 47th year, millions have flocked to the City of Clarksburg to join in on the fun.
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