By Victor Passacantillli
On Saturday, September 16, the Friends of the North End celebrated its 51st annual reunion. 130 boyhood friends met to dine and reminisce about growing up in their cherished North End. The Capri Room at Spinelli’s in Peabody was filled with fun, laughter, hugs and love for 5 hours.
A special thank you to Sam Viscione and Arthur“Sonny”Lauretano for making this 51st reunion such a success.
And thanks to Vito Aluia for always being first in line to volunteer to help.
And Thank you to John Spinale for donating his time and music to our reunion.
Louie Bono enjoyed it so much that he pranced around the hall looking for someone to dance with.
Dom Capossela addressed the group and launched the sale of his book, “Do You Believe In Magic, an Anthology of North End Stories.”
All the profits from the sale of the book will go to worthy North End organizations and charities.
The book contains many stories of what it was like to grow up in the North End during the ‘50s and ‘60s. Over 30 North Enders have contributed stories that are funny, heartwarming and reminiscent.
North Enders and another large audience of readers are already writing wonderful reviews about the book. It has reached Number One status on Amazon in its category in such a short time!
Anthony ‘’Tony’’ Cortese spoke to the group of a project that became a passion for Michael Annunziata. Michael was determined to honor Italian immigration to this country and in particular to the North End. He laid all the essential groundwork for a sculpture to be erected in the Peace Garden of Saint Leonard’s Church just before he died in February. Tony Cortese has taken the reins with his unique set of skills and has put in an incredible amount of time, energy and know-how to make Mike’s quest come to life. A fundraising drive is underway. Those who want to donate to the Noble Journey Sculpture can visit the North End Historical Society’s website to do so, [email protected].
This year the Friends of the North End welcomed its long-distance attendees:
Peter Masucci from Maine
John Rosato from Rhode Island
Paul Puopolo, Richie Pantalieri and Bobby Chiota came all the way from California!
Richie Sinopoli and Kenny Casale were awarded the Woz Award for correctly answering the Coppola Challenge trivia question: What was the name of the grocery store at 364 Hanover Street? It was Di Bicarri’s. The question was submitted by Vito Aluia.
Everyone who attended this year’s reunion is joyfully awaiting the next one. Spinelli’s has already been booked for Saturday, September 21, 2024. Long Live Our North End.