Bella Notte Italiana Festival to salute local Queen of the Feast and Italian heritage tomorrow in Orange Square!
- sharonsiegel1954
- Aug 8, 2025
- 4 min read
by Sharon E. Siegel
Port Jervis, NY -- Maria Mazzara (known in her public life as Maria Mann) is widely known as a Port Jervis businesswoman, councilwoman, and diligent citizen volunteer. Mazzara is being honored as Port Jervis’ ‘Queen of the Feast’ Bella Notte Italiana Festival 2025 which will take place in Port Jervis this weekend.
The festival will take place tomorrow, Saturday, August 9, in Orange Square, Pike Street from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Besides cultural food and drink booths, the event will feature family fun entertainment and musical performances by Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti, Christian Guardino, Vittoria DiCarlo “The Graceful Tenor” and more. It is advised to bring a lawn chair and stay to enjoy the music.
Mazzara, selected as this year’s festival queen, was born and grew up in a loving Italian family in Brooklyn (Bensonhurst) New York. She has proudly called Port Jervis home since 1992.
Mazzara recalls going to Italy in August of 1992, and coming back a month later to move to and start her longtime family business in Port Jervis, which she still runs and resides above today.
As a child, Mazzara recalls growing up in her traditional Italian family, and sharing the traditions, culture, and everyday life that she is proud to celebrate during this weekend’s festival.
“Growing up in an Italian family was vibrant and filled with loving experiences, marked by strong family ties, delicious food, and a deep appreciation for tradition,” Mazzara said. “Family isn’t just a part of life it’s the heart, soul, and foundation of our entire culture. It is both joyful and sacred.”
Mazzara’s ancestry links through generations of Italian immigrants, including her Italian-born father who immigrated from Sicily and her mother’s grandparents who also immigrated from Sicily, but in the early 1900’s.
“My dad came to the United States with my Nonna,” Mazzara said. “They all settled in New York. Like many immigrants, they traveled long distances to get to America and faced significant hardships in starting new lives in a new country. They made many sacrifices, but brought their traditions, food, and music to America, enriching the cultural landscape.”
Many Mazzara family traditions center around family, food, and religion, and focus on the importance of family and significance of Sunday lunch with “la famiglia.”
Family meals, as recalled, always came with Nonna’s insistence to “eat a little more” and involved firsthand learning.
“Growing up watching my parents and grandparents cook allowed me to learn secrets that aren’t written in any cookbooks,” Mazzara revealed.
Cultural pride, traditions, and passing along parental values are wholeheartedly embraced in Mazzara’s own daily life, including respect and appreciation for education and the value of hard work. As an Italian American, she honors and integrates family traditions into her daily life, especially with her grandson.
“I have been teaching him how to speak the Sicilian language. He proudly says, “That’s not my grandmother, that’s my Nonna!” Mazzara shared.
Mazzara is honored and proud to share her culture and Italian heritage, and is looking forward to Saturday’s festival of celebration.
“Italian immigrants endured many sacrifices and resilience. They built new lives while maintaining their heritage, Mazzara said. “We carry immense pride in who we are, and have become.”
As an active member of the Port Jervis Tourism Board, which sponsors diverse cultural events in the city, Mazzara is pleased to serve with extraordinary volunteers who honor customs and offer insight into identity and origin. Tourism Board annual events include, among others, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration and the German Christmas Market – Christkindlmarkt.
Laura Meyer, Tourism Board Chairperson, said the board is very pleased that they chose Maria as their Queen of the Feast, and that she accepted. She said the fifth annual Bella Notte Italiana/Italian Festival offers something for everyone, as it has annually.
“What isn’t there to love? All the delicious Italian cuisines, wines, handcrafters! Our own local Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society with their famous sausage and peppers sandwiches! And the best live entertainment!” Meyer said. “The festival has been a tremendous success since it began.”
Mazzara agrees.
“It brings me great joy to see not only our community members but also many who travel from afar to enjoy all the festivities of these events,” Mazzara said of such events. “Personally, it’s an amazing feeling to share what it was like for me growing up in an Italian household. Bella Notte Italiana – Italian Festival – is a day filled with laughter, love, delicious food, entertainment, and a strong sense of family and community!”
The Queen of the Feast 2025 and the rest of the PJ Tourism Board invites all to join in celebrating Italian-American identities at Bella Notte Italiana this Saturday afternoon into evening!
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