LITTLE ITALY NEWS MARCH 2009 EDITION

www.littleitalytroy.org

troylittleitaly@gmail.com

WINTER CARNIVAL 2009 PHOTO ALBUM

Thats All Folks !!!!!

Unfortunately the weather didnt cooperate with our attempt to have an ice rink and of course, the day after the event, we received a
terrific snowfall that would have added a special feel to the festivities, but all in all, the two day winter celebration was an enjoyable
event and helped somewhat in cutting into the sense of cabin fever we sometimes feel during the long, drawn out winter months. Getting out and about in a friendly environment, which hopefully the winter carnival provided, moved us a bit closer to spring!
Special thanks to the following people who either helped in planning the event or donated their services: The City of Troy, Old Word
Provisions, B95.5fm, Magic 100.9fm, The Record Newspaper, Chef Larry Schepici of Toscas Restaurant, DJ Dave Disisto, Tri City
Valleycats, The Troy Youth Hockey League, Aces Sound Systems and USA Track and Field.
On behalf of Troy Little Italy, The Italian Community Center, The Troy Youth Organization (CYO) and all our members and businesses
in the area, we want to thank everyone who attended and lent a helping hand. Since this was our first winter event, it was also a learning
experience, and we guarantee our volunteer partners made notes to be reviewed during planning for the second annual event, next year.
South Central/Little Italy News
The Record gave our Winter Carnival
good press coverage with the three articles in one week: February 22, 2009, p18,
Come enjoy Little Italys cool celebration by Mike Esposito (a Troy Treasures
column); February 27,2009, p9, Troys
Little Italy hosts Winter Fest by Tom
Caprood; March 1, 2009, pl, 3 Inaugural
Winter fest draws families to Little
Italy by Tom Caprood, a wrap up of the
events which included three great photos
by Tom Killips.
The Record, February 13, 2009,Troy
losing more than churches by Tom Caprood. After 167 years in the South
Central/Little Italy Community St.
Marys Church will close in 2010.
The Record, February 13, 2009, OLVS
Pizza Off, photo by Tom Killips. Mayor
Harry Tutunjian presents Rocco DeFazio
of DeFazios Pizza with an award for the
best pizza in town., as the result of a pizza
contest at Our Lady of Victory School.

The proof is in the proofs

By Mike Esposito
Last week Arcadia Publishing sent me
paper copy of the proofs for Troys Little
Italy to review and edit before the book
goes to the printer. I also received a letter
from their sales distribution office informing me that Monday, June 8,2009
will be the expected date of distribution
for the book. This month will be a year
since I signed the contract agreeing to
their request to produce a book on our
neighborhood. Arcadia first learned of
our neighborhood efforts via the internet by reading our monthly newsletter online.
The Little Italy Newsletter is now into its
fourth year. It has been almost six years
since the Monday afternoon chat session,
billed as Come Share Your Story, was
first held at out Neighborhood Resource
Center in the storefront space we rented at
the corner of Fourth and Adams streets.
We can remember also the Saturday
morning coffee hour at the NRC

where neighborhood volunteers would

meet and greet newcomers, current residents and former residents to chat about
the past, the present and the future of the
neighborhood. Little Italy is one of the
many fine neighborhoods in our city.
Each has their own story to tell.
March Meetings
3/18 Neighborhood Watch 6 pm
Troy Little Italy
7 pm
233 Fourth Street, Troy
3/19 Weed and Seed
5:30 pm
Rourke Center, 4th and State
3/25 TNAC
5 30 pm
233 4th Street, Troy

Troy Night Out

Friday
March 27,2009 5 to 9 pm

South Central Troy Neighborhood

Watch February Update
The last Neighborhood Watch Meeting
was held on Wednesday, February 18th at
the Freihofers Race Headquarters. Of
the 3,823 calls for service made in the
City of Troy, 395 were for the South Central Troy Area. This area covers Ferry to
Canal (north/south) and the Hudson to
Prospect Park (west east). Calls for service in our area were 10.3% of the total.
Of those calls, there were 16 arrests in our
neighborhood representing 6.1% of total
arrests in the city.
Deb Carey from the Crime Victims Assistance Program spoke at this months
meeting about the Walk a Mile in Her
Shoes fundraiser scheduled for April 25,
2009. The fundraiser, which is a march to
stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence, is held to benefit the Sexual Assault and Crime Victim Assistance Program in Rensselaer County. In the spirit
of the phrase you cant really understand
another persons experience until youve
walked a mile in their shoes they are
asking men to seek sponsorships in exchange for agreeing to walk one mile in
womens shoes- demonstrating a willingness to be a courageous partner with
women in making the world a safer place.
For information, please call Deb at
(518)270-4454. www.nehealth.com/
Medical Care/SAM/ Sexual Assault
Center/ walk a mile /
There were several code concerns
brought up at our meeting. One that is a
constant concern is of garbage and junk.
If you have a large pickup, please call
DPW (518) 270-4579. Problem properties should be reported to DPW and Officer McDonald for proper processing. The
email version of this update has a flyer
attached for people to use in their immediate area if they so choose.
If you see any suspicious, drug related
activity, it needs to be reported to the hotline at 270-5004. All calls are anonymous. If you want to receive regular updates through email and get crime alerts,
please send an email to sctroywatch@gmail.com. Officer McDonald
can be reached at
chris.mcdonald@troyny.gov. The next
Neighborhood Watch Meeting will be on
March 18th at 6:00 pm at the Freihofers
Race Headquarters at the corner of 4th and
Washington. Bring a friend!

Help Preserve the Peace

Submitted by Joely Johnson
Did you know it is against Troy City
Code for cabs to honk their horns when
picking up passengers? Help stop this
illegal noise pollution and improve the
quality of life in our neighborhood this
spring. When you hear a cab honking for
a pickup, take note of the taxi company
and the cab number. Then let the police
know by calling the non-emergency
number (270-4411) or contacting your
community cop.
Something to think about
Submitted by Theresa Kegley
GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me
that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football
game. Their car was parked on the 20
green which was adjacent to the football
stadium and specially allotted to football
fans. Things stolen from the car included
a garage door remote control, some
money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.
When the victims got home, they found
that their house had been ransacked and
just about everything worth anything had
been stolen. The thieves had used the
GPS to guide them to the house. They
then used the garage remote control to
open the garage door and gain entry to
the house. The thieves knew the owners
were at the football game, they knew
what time the game was scheduled to
finish and so they knew how much time
they had to clean up the house. It would
appear that they had brought a truck to
empty the house of its contents.
MOBILE PHONE
I never thought of this....... This lady has
now changed her habit of how she lists
her names on her mobile phone after her
handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which
contained her cell phone, credit card,
wallet etc... was stolen. 20 minutes
later when she called her hubby, from a
pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text
asking about our PIN number and I've
replied a little while ago.' When they
rushed down to the bank, the bank staff
told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the
stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the
contact list and got hold of the PIN number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their account

Moral of the lesson:

Do not disclose the relationship between
you and the people in your contact list.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey,
Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom,
etc And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts,
CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when
you're being texted by friends or family to
meet them somewhere, be sure to call
back to confirm that the message came
from them. If you don't reach them,
be very careful about going places to
meet family and friends who text you.
*I never thought about THAT! As of
now, I no longer have home listed on
my cell phone.
A Little South Troy Humor
Courtesy of Fr. James Spenard
A priest went to Rome and outside the
Vatican he saw a phone booth that had a
solid gold phone. He asked the Swiss
Guard what it was connected to, the answer was, this is a direct line to God. He
asked how much does it cost to make a
call. The answer was 3000 Euros. The
priest came back home and when he
landed in Kennedy airport, he saw a
phone booth similar to the one at the Vatican with the same phone. When he asked
the guard how much it was to make the
call, he answered $3,000. When he arrived back in Troy he went to a local
South Troy Eatery, when he went to make
a phone call, he realized they had the
same phone booth with the same gold
phone.. He asked the bartender how much
it was to make a call. The bartender said
50 cents. The priest explained how much
it was in Rome and New York and
wanted to know why this call was so
inexpensive. The bartender replied its
a local call.
Ginos under new management
Ginos Pizza & Fried Chicken, located at
123 Fourth Street, is now under the management of Little Italy residents, Mary
and Don Stebbins. Neighbors remember
when the couple purchased a vacant, fire
ravaged building on Fourth Street near the
corner of Ida several years ago and did a
terrific job of restoring and renovating the
residence which is now their home. We
wish them success in their new venture.
Ginos is open from 11 am to 3 am, 7days
a week and offers free delivery for orders
($10 minimum) from 4 pm to 2 pm!
Phone orders 274-2000, fax orders 274-1051.

5th Annual Homemade Wine

Enthusiasts Tasting and
Competition
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Italian Community Center
(Charitable Foundation)
1450 Fifth Avenue, Troy, New York
Public and Formal Competition

Judges
Fred LeBrun (Times Union Columnist)
Michael LoPorto (LoPorto Restaurant)
Diane Conroy - LaCivita and Jane LaCivita Clemente (Harmony House Marketplace)
Krista Olufsen (Rochester area Food and Wine Critic)

Agenda
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Participant Entry Registration
Two entries maximum. Use clean, plain (no labels) 750ml bottles. Two bottles of each
entry @ $15 per entry. Save $5.00 per entry by registering on March 20th 4 to 7 pm

4:30 pm Fontana di Prosciutto, assorted Cheese, Cash bar or Seminar: To age or not
to age...some factors to consider!! - - Followed by a discussion of home wine making.

6:00 pm Main Hall Seating/ Welcome and outline of evenings events .

Antipasto Freddo - Crusty Italian Bread, Sopressata,Bocconcini, Olive mix, Roasted
Peppers, Choice of Wine
~ Audience Tasting Begins ~
7:00 pm Domenico Marra --- former Head Chef of Carmines Restaurant presents
Risotto di Mare, Insalata Mista, Stuffed Roast Pork Loin w / Contorni del Giorno
Awards Ceremony - - - Dessert and coffee
Tickets: $40.00 per person
Deadline March 13, 2009
Limited Seating- 200 people MAX
For reservation or details regarding entry rules and registration forms contact:
Bob (Rabbit Riley) 518-369-5141
Or
Mike Cazzato 518-542-6599

Night at the Races - Troy Youth Association (CYO)

237 Fourth Street, Troy, New York Saturday March 28th 7:00 pm
Each year at this time the Troy CYO Center sponsors a Night at the Races. This event
is held to raise funds to offset the cost of operating the youth basketball program. They
serve approximately 100 boys and girl along with the help of twenty volunteers who supervise the children.

If any business or friends of the CYO would like to help, the cost to sponsor a race is $50.00. You can also purchase a horse, name it yourself and
if your horse wins you receive $25.00. Call Ray or Tony @ 518-274-2630
This is a fun event. Get a group together and join us. Hot dogs and liquid refreshments
are FREE. You can also bring your own food if you desire.
A group from Troy Little Italy will be attending, mark the date in your calendar and let
us know so we know how many people will be attending. The only cost you will incur
will be the purchase of a horse and any bets you would make. Call Marion @ 961-0590

NCAA Mens Basketball

Final Four Party
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Italian Community Center
(Charitable Foundation)
1450 5th Avenue, Troy, NY
1:00 pm
4 Person Bocce Tournament
$5.00 per person entry fee
5:00 pm
Salad Pasta e Fagioli 50/50 Drawing
6:30 pm Game 1 begins
7:30 pm
Homemade Pizza
Buffalo Chicken Wings
9:00 pm
Game 2 begins
Admission: $10.00 per person
Drink Specials:
$1 Draft Beer, Domestic Beer $1.75
Import beer, wine & mixed drinks
$2.50. Soda Free
Call Mike Cazzato @ 542-6599 to
Reserve. Payment Deadline: no later
than March 27, 2009

The Italian Community Center

1450 Fifth Avenue, Troy

Ziti and Meatball Dinner

March 26, 2009 11am to 7 pm
Take out or dine in
$7.50 Adults, 12 & under $6.00
Dinner Includes:
Ziti & Meatballs, Salad, Bread,
Cake, Coffee or Soda
Cash Bar Available
50/50 available
Need Not Be Present To Win

HAPPY
ST. PATRICKS
DAY

AT LIBERTY
The Saga of an Italo-American Family
in South Troy
by
Frank LaPosta Visco
Part Five: High School Sweethearts
For Eddie Case, high school was an opportunity to play to a wider audience.
Until his second year, in 1929, when
Esther, graduating from St. Anthony's
School, began her freshman year at
Catholic Central High.
From then on, he played to an audience
of one.
For once, the Campobasso and Case
families had something in common the
youngest member of each clan was the
first to extend their education past grammar school. But that didn't mean that
Francesco and Maria Campobasso approved of Eddie, let alone the American
custom of dating.
True, their reclusive older daughter, Rose,
had married Eddie's big brother Joe, but
that didn't bring the families together,
even when Rose gave birth at home to
Anthony Joseph Case in 1927.
The birth was a difficult one, and despite
the efforts of Viorica DiPaolo, the Italian
community's ostetrica midwife -- Rose
had to be taken to the Troy Hospital,
where Doctor Positano, the Italian community's obstetrician, attended to her
postpartum complications.
The baby was healthy, but the name the
parents chose rankled the head of the
Campobasso clan. It was expected that
the first son would be named after the
Case patriarch, but Francesco hoped that
at least the boy's middle name would be
the same as his. Instead, Joe had named
his firstborn after his grandfather and
himself, and proud Francesco took it as an
insult.
The economic depression didn't make
things easier. It seemed as though half the
population of Troy was out of work, and
the Campobasso Confectionery store,
even though struggling, extended credit to
many of their regular customers.
It wasn't easy for people like Joe Case,
either. Although he was employed, Joe
worked on commission, and found fewer
customers coming to the haberdashery, as
more men made do with worn and
patched clothing. Despite the downturn,
both families scrimped in order to send
their youngest to the Catholic high
school.

Esther was aware of the tension between

the families, but she still enjoyed Eddie's
attention whenever they crossed paths on
their way to class in the former Troy Hospital on the hill.
Although Eddie wasn't a sports star, he
took an active interest in basketball, tried
out for the all-male CCHS cheerleading
squad, and made the team. Even back
then, the rivalry among the high schools
was keen, and Eddie, using his wiles, had
developed a special trick to help his team
get an added advantage over the Troy
High and La Salle Institute teams.
In an era when nicknames were more
common, Eddie would learn the special
names that the members of the opposing
teams would call each other. Sitting at
courtside, Eddie would wait for his opportunity as a rival player was driving
toward the goal, he would call out:
Butch! Over here! The player, thinking
it was a teammate calling, would break
stride, and either earn a foul for doubledribbling or lose the ball to an alert Crusader. Naturally, this earned Eddie his
own nickname: Slick.
Although Esther's sense of justice and
fair play was offended by his trickery, she
had to admit that she admired Eddie's
ingenuity. His good looks and attention to
her didn't hurt, either.
If you had asked Eddie about Esther's
looks, he would have said they were perfect. Actually, she combined the best of
her parents' features, with her mother's
wide-set, hazel eyes, high cheekbones,
and her father's large mouth with a slight
overbite, all set into a smooth olive complexion. She wore her auburn-tinged hair
in the latest style known as Marcelle
waves. When she smiled, which wasn't
often, the effect was sufficient to cause
double-takes from the boys, and envy
from her female classmates.
Besides her looks, Eddie admired her
demeanor, too. While it's true that she
was serious and strong-willed, her pianoplaying revealed a sensitive side. When
she played at the school's annual recitals,
Eddie gave her his complete attention. It
wasn't that she played his favorite music;
far from it. Esther played classical pieces;
Eddie favored the popular music of the
day whenever he found the time to fiddle.
In fact, one of his favorite songs was a
ditty recorded by the now nearly forgotten
Jean Goldkette Orchestra, called Gimme
A Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh? To show

you how much Eddie appreciated good

music, the band featured Bix Beiderbecke
on cornet, Jimmy Dorsey on sax, younger
brother Tommy Dorsey on trombone, and
Joe Venuti on violin. And to show Esther
how much he cared, Eddie painted the
song's payoff line on the wall in the backyard at Liberty Street:
Gimme a little kiss, will ya, huh?
And I'll give it right back to you.
Esther would see it on the rare occasions
when the Campobassos visited the Case
homestead, and knew it was for her.
Copyright 2009 Frank LaPosta Visco
Next: In Part Six, a little kiss.
Wellness works: The price of pills
The New York State Board of Pharmacy
publishes an annual list of the 150 most
frequently prescribed drugs, in the most
common quantities. The New York State
Department of Health (DOH) collects
retail price information on these drugs
from pharmacies that participate in the
Medicaid program. You can search online
for a specific drug from the most
frequently prescribed drug list, allowing
you to compare prices by city, county, or
zip code for your medications. For instance, a prescription for 30 pills of 1 mg
Risperdol, retail, can vary in price from
$131 to $191, just within Albany.
This website can help you shop for
medications by price.
www.rx.nyhealth.gov
The 4th Annual
"A TASTE of TROY"
March 25, 2009
6-8:30pm
Hosted by:

Franklin Terrace Ballroom

126 Campbell Avenue, Troy
A Taste of Troy is a School 16 PTA
Sponsored community event which celebrates all Troy has to offer!! Take a Journey of Discovery through your own
hometown; find the hidden gems in your
backyard. This event promises to be a
wonderful evening, filled with surprises,
history and a taste of Troy's finest food
samplings! Over 450 in attendance last
year! WE were SOLD OUT!!
Order your tickets today!
Advance Ticket Prices:
Family Pack (2 adults + 2 children b/w
ages of 5-12) - $40
Adult - $15.00 Child (ages 5-12) - $8.00
For tickets contact:
Amy at 518-271-9146