Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - This coming Friday marks a milestone year for the Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival, as the annual event celebrates 50 years of cultural significance in the city and Western New York.
While the celebration has taken place in a number of different locations within the city, starting out on Connecticut Street, Judy Porto-Fiorella, president of the Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival, feels right at home being back on Hertel Avenue for the very popular street festival.
"Hertel Avenue is home, and it's great. And I'm thankful to all the residents in North Buffalo, the businesses in North Buffalo, on Hertel Avenue, because without them saying OK, we wouldn't be able to. So we greatly appreciate all of them," said Porto-Fiorella in an interview with WBEN.
There are a number of elements Porto-Fiorella is looking forward to with the 50th Italian Heritage Festival in North Buffalo this coming weekend.
"Seeing everybody, enjoying the entertainment, walking around enjoying food. I get to see friends I haven't seen in a while, I get to meet new friends. I get to meet new vendors. We have vendors coming from out of town that have never been here before, they're so looking forward to coming here. So it's great, and that's what I look forward to, just seeing everybody and being a part of it," Porto-Fiorella said.
One of the focal points at local festivals and other public gatherings in Western New York in recent weeks has been safety and security, especially after fights and other violent incidents, especially involving teenagers.
In June month, fights among teens became a significant issue at festivals like Kenmore Days and Buffalo's Juneteenth weekend celebration. Recently, rules for Old Home Days in Williamsville were put in place that says anyone under the age of 16 will not be permitted to the festival after 6 p.m. unless accompanied by an adult. Additionally, attendees under 18 are prohibited from carrying backpacks during evening hours.
Related
Despite safety and security concerns at other festivals and public gatherings this year, Porto-Fiorella is confident their plan of action this year will ensure safety for festivalgoers across the board.
"We've hired our own security, and we also are working very closely with the Buffalo Police Department to make sure we have enough security on the side streets and everything. We feel very confident that we will be successful with no incidents," she said.
"They do a great job at the Italian Festival and really focusing on culture. There's a lot of cultural events here, in addition to the food. Also, there's a great job they do with the security. Buffalo Police Department has a presence, so there really haven't been any issues the last several years that the event has been here on Hertel. And we don't expect any issues this year either," added Delaware District Councilman Joel Feroleto with WBEN.
Shortly after the issues with fights among teens at the Juneteenth festival in Buffalo, Masten District Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart proposed restrictions for unaccompanied teens at festivals and a number of other gatherings across the city. While work is being done by some city lawmakers to further enhance guidelines to ensure safety, Feroleto says there's already a process for every city festival that looks at public safety and security.
"When we have special events like this in the City of Buffalo, they all go through a Special Events Committee. And part of that Special Events Committee is looking at a security plan," he explained. "The Italian Festival board does a great job in hiring a lot of security officers so they have a presence here, and I don't expect any issues, and look forward to a great cultural event."
When further looking into enhancements or other changes to safety and security at local festivals, Feroleto believes it is important to check in with other local leaders to make sure communities are all on a similar wavelength.
"I think it's important to talk to other municipalities, see what other ideas they have. The City of Buffalo could work with Amherst, Tonawanda, Kenmore, and try to all be on the same page," Feroleto said.
Porto-Fiorella says many local festival organizers are already talking on a regular basis to ensure people are not only safe and secure at these events, but also able to enjoy their time to the fullest extent.
"We increased our security, our private security and along with Buffalo Police Department. But we, as a whole, we're changing certain things. Our security will be walking around constantly, you will see them in the mix of the whole thing. Whether it's on the sidewalk, in the middle of the street, you'll see Buffalo Police here," Porto-Fiorella noted. "We just want everybody to have a good time. This is just about socializing, having fun and being together. That's what we look forward to, and our security team is all ready for it. We've already had our discussions, so we're all set."
Porto-Fiorella reiterates that security will keep an eye on everything that's going on within the festival, and if there are any issues that pop up, organizers will be notified immediately and take appropriate action.
One change of note for this coming Italian Heritage Festival in North Buffalo is with early forecasts already projecting high temperatures for the coming weekend, Porto-Fiorella is asking patrons of the festival to leave their furry friends at home.
"Their paws in that, it's hot. It's hot for the animals. It's hot for us, so it's really hot for them. It's twice as hot for them. So that will be the only thing, no dogs allowed," she said.
The 2025 Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival gets underway Friday on Hertel Avenue between Delaware Avenue and Lovering Avenue. The festival runs Friday from Sunday, with gates opening all three days at 11 a.m.
Related
