IARA Italian American Relief Association

05/05/2024

On the first Sunday in May, it is here that the Feast of Madonna della Sanità (our May Day) celebration begins in Volturara Appula, Italy. After the service, the statue is paraded through the town followed by all the people. The church, built in 1200s, is the cathedral and is in the center of the village. The church in this video is the sanctuary and is about 1km far from the village.

05/05/2024

Preparing for the Feast of Madonna della Sanità at Volturara Appula, in Italy.

The man on the left, in the second photo, is Vincenzo Zibisco, the current mayor of Volturara.

The Nun on the right in the third photo is sister Gloria. She is the custodian of the sanctuary, with three other nuns of the order founded by Blessed Mother Maria Gargani, who lived in Volturara in the 30s and 40s.

The church was built in the 1200s.

05/04/2024

Sabrina De Santis of Volturara sends us this greeting today:

"The Memory of John Lucchese Is still very much alive in the people of Volturara who knew him. They send their deepest condolences to his family."

She also sent us photos from this morning's dressing ceremony of the statue in the traditional Red Dress embroidered in gold.

05/03/2024

John Lucchese, perhaps the most renowned restaurateur in Elkhart County, shared insights from his life at the age of 80 in 2008. Despite having undergone minor eye surgery just two days prior, the brightly lit room didn't keep him from sharing some of the wisdom he had acquired over the years. Although this excerpt is only a snippet from a longer conversation, John's smile speaks volumes about his love of life. Here's to John, his family, and all the Elkhart Italians for the valuable lessons he leaves behind.

John Lucchese, perhaps the most renowned restaurateur in Elkhart County, shared insights from his life at the age of 80 in 2008. Despite having undergone min...

05/03/2024

Volturara Appula sends greetings to Elkhart. You are preparing to celebrate May Day and in Volturara we are preparing for the feast of Madonna della Sanità (Holy Mother of Health).

We are in the church where the ancient statue is kept. Before the feast, on the First Sunday of May, we used to pray for nine days a special prayer called 'novena'. Yesterday was the seventh day. Tomorrow morning the statue will be dressed in the tradizionale red dress embroidered in gold.

- Sabrina De Santis

02/19/2024

From 2008, here is an interview excerpt with Frank Lucchese. He talks about his mother who came here from Italy, her cooking, and her hardship of leaving Italy to come to Elkhart. These are memories of the Harrison Street Italians that should always be remembered.

From 2008, here is an interview excerpt with Frank Lucchese. He talks about his mother who came here from Italy, her cooking, and her hardship of leaving Ita...

02/03/2024

One frosty February day in 2012, Frank Lucchese and I (Larry App) scanned most of the pictures that were hanging on the wall at the Italian Club.

Collectively, these people helped shape the Harrison Street neighborhood and, for sure, the Italian Club. Their names should never be forgotten.

The Italian Club on Harrison Street in Elkhart (Indiana) was one of the most important places in the Italian community. It was a neighborhood gathering place...

07/24/2023

It is important to keep traditions alive to remember who we are and where we come from. In a video from 2009, the St. Anthony's Day Bonfire celebration/tradition continues in the Harrison Street neighborhood at the IARA Club in Elkhart, Indiana much like it did when it was a thriving area of our community.

From 2009: The St. Anthony's Day Bonfire celebration/tradition continues today at the IARA much like it did on Harrison Street neighborhood in Elkhart, India...

04/10/2023

The first of the two main feast days celebrated at the Italian Club (IARA) in Elkhart, Indiana is the Feast of the Blessed Mother (May Day) traditionally held on the first Sunday in May. This video is from 2009 and it captures the explanation and warmth of this celebration. In it you will see many of the old Italians and hear their voices as they narrate it. Many of these people are gone now, including all of the narrators, which makes this video more valuable as time goes on.

The first of the two main feast days celebrated at the Italian Club (IARA) is the Feast of the Blessed Mother (May Day). It is a tradition that has lasted si...

01/26/2023

Nicky D's Italian Restaurant:

The Italian neighborhood in the Harrison Street area of Elkhart, Indiana is long gone now. But, thanks to storytellers like Ron Minichillo the neighborhood establishments, like the very "colorful" Nicky D's Italian Restaurant, still live on. It was known to everyone in town for its "ambience" as much as for its food. People came from as far away as Chicago to frequent this place. If you are old enough to have eaten there, this video will bring the stories back to life. If you never visited there, this video will make you wish you had.

This video is an excerpt from a video segment of a larger documentary made in 2011. The full documentary is almost 4 hours long and preserves the stories of the neighborhood as told by 20 Italians who lived in or near Harrison Street. Preserving heritage through the telling of stories reminds us of who we are and where we come from.

The Italian neighborhood in the Harrison Street area of Elkhart, Indiana is long gone now. But, thanks to storytellers like Ron Minichillo the neighborhood e...

08/26/2022

Here is a message that I received from Brendan Noonan who is researching his family's Italian heritage. Since it involves Elkhart's Harrison Street neighborhood and Volturara Appula, hopefully some of you will have some good information for him. I have no contact information for Brendan, but go ahead and post your comments under this post and I'm sure he will see them. Salute!

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Hello from Brendan,

We are planning a family trip to Italy next spring, and we have been researching the Italian ancestry on my mother's side. My grandfather was from Volturara Appula. My daughter has done a lot through ancestry, but there are many holes. Below is her summary of her work so far. We would appreciate if you could share this with the community there:

What we know: Michael (Michele) Checchia was born in 1894 in Volturara Appula, Italy and came to the US via Ellis Island in 1910 at the age of 16. He lived in Newark, NJ at the time of his enlistment in WWI in 1917. Between these points, he lived in Indiana for some time.

With research, we have found city directory records of a Michael Checchia living in Elkhart, IN in 1912 and 1914. According to these, he lived at 415 Harrison Street as a boarder of Raymond Checchia (also spelled Checchio). He worked for a shoemaker named Angelo Dente.

Although Raymond Checchia is a likely relation, we do not have enough information about Michael's family tree to determine the exact connection. We're looking for any information available about the Checchia/Checchio family. We would be interested in connecting with any living descendants or any other person who may have knowledge about this. Thank you!

Also, his father's name was Giuseppe, and his mother was Carmela Borelli.

05/25/2022

Hopefully we can help out Pinnacle Rick:

Good Morning... My name is Rick Kalil I am the son of Nena DeDario. Attached is a photo of my uncle AJ DeDario (kneeling in front) and several others from the Harrison/Mason Street neighborhood. Curious if anyone can identify the others. I believe that two others are Casey Montagano and Frank(Pammy) Palmero also my uncle/godfather. If you could post the photo for others that would be great. Thanks