LITTLE ITALY NEWS FEBRUARY 2013 EDITION

www.littleitalytroy.org

troylittleitaly@gmail.com

South Central
Little Italy News
The Record, January 20,
2013. Troys Little Italy
matters, by Mike Esposito.
Troy Treasure article summarizes 2012 programs and
events of the neighborhood
group, Troy Little Italy.
Times Union, January 19,
2013. Friehofers Run for
Women awarded top honors
in Northeast by magazine,
by Caroline Murray. Competitor Magazine awarded
the honors to the Friehofers
Run for Women which is
headquartered in our
neighborhood at 233 Fourth
Street. Congratulations!
The Record, January 31,
2013. Stapleton loved Troy,
and Troy loves her, by Bob
Goepfert. RCHS exhibit and
tribute production by David
Baecker to highlight most
recent events to honor
Maurteen Stapleton.
Troy is My Home Town:
The Life and Times of
Maureen Stapleton, a major
exhibit of the Rensselaer
County Historical Society, 57
Second Street, Troy, will run
from February 1 through July
27, 2013. The exhibit, sponsored in part by the Herold
Charitable Trust and Berkshire Bank, is part of the year
long tribute to our own Maureen Stapleton.

FREE

FREE

FREE

Free Tax returns prepared starting

Saturday January 26, 2013
Italian Community Center
1450 Fifth Avenue, Troy, N.Y.
VITA
Monday 6 to 9
Thursday 12 to 5
Saturday 10 to 2

AARP
Tuesday 9 to 3
Wednesday 9 to 3

For appointments call: Meghan at The

Community Police Dept. 518-270-4689
Student Housing Charming APARTMENT in the heart
of Historic Troy Little Italy. Perfect for 4 students to share. It
sits across from DeFazios Pizza, and is in-between the best
rehab of 2012 and the CYO, Community Youth Organization. It is 1block from Washington Park, 2 walking blocks
from the Red Front restaurant, 5 blocks to downtown Troy, 2
blocks to Patricellis Sub shop, and Laundromat. It is a
hop, skip and a jump from the Market Place where social
events are held throughout the year. Heat, electric, fully furnished kitchen, living area, dining area with conference table
and chairs, partial laundry and house cleaning service, internet, cable, TV, secure rooms with private refrigerators.
$500.00 per student.
251 4th Street, 2nd floor. contact by email at
diyrestoreit@gmail.com or call Andrea 470-7369.

Maureen Stapleton Collection (on DVD)

Troy Little Italys Maureen Stapleton Tribute Committee has
donated the following twenty one film and TV performances
of Maureen Stapleton to the DVD collection at the Troy Public Library. They are available for a one week. Additional
titles will be donated as available on DVD format.

Addicted to Love 1997 Film; Airport 1970 Film (Maureen

won a Golden Globe as well as Oscar and BAFTA Nominations); Bye Bye Birdie 1963 Film; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1976 TV (Laurence Olivier Presents); Cocoon 1986 Film;
Cocoon: The Return 1988 Film; The Fan 1981 Film; The
Fugitive Kind 1959 Film; The Gathering Part I & II 1977
TV Series (Maureen was nominated for an Emmy); Interiors
1978 Film (Maureen won LA and NY Film Critics Awards, as
well as Oscar, Golden Globe and National Society of Film
Critics Nominations); Johnny Dangerously 1984 Film; Last
Wish 1988 TV; Liberace: Behind the Music 1988 TV;
Made in Heaven 1987 Film; The Money Pit 1986 Film;
Nuts 2003 Film; Passed Away 1989 Film; Plaza Suite
1971 Film; Reds 1981 Film (Maureen won an Oscar,
BAFTA, LA Film Critics award as well as nominations from
NY Film Critics, National Society of Film Critics and Golden
Globe); Sweet Lorraine 1987 Film
Team Stapleton
The Maureen Stapleton Tribute Committee was organized in the early months of 2012 to continue Troy Little Italys efforts to honor people of the South Central/Little Italy neighborhoods
who have made considerable contributions to the community including the remarkable Father
Peter Havermans know as the Father of Troys Catholic Institutions, internationally known
Troy jazzman Nick Brignola, and acclaimed Oscar, Emmy and Tony winning actress Maureen
Stapleton.

Members of the committee: David Baecker, Associate Theater Arts professor, Russell Sage
College, who suggested that a tribute production would be appropriate; William G. Carey, Jr., a
private collector of Maureen Stapleton memorabilia who manages a Facebook site on Maureen;
Joyce Chupka, Geri DeSeve and Patti Melita, longtime supporters of the arts; Mike Esposito
(Chair), Don Millington, friend of Maureen and the Stapleton family who served from January
to July, and Don Rittner area historian and writer.
The events held during the summer and fall of 2012 were Cinema Under the Stars film series
organized by Rocco DeFazio and an information station on Maureen Stapleton at the International Festival organized by Mike Esposito and Bill Carey Jr. In October author Jane Scovell
who collaborated with Maureen on her autobiography A Hell of a Life presented a program at
the Troy Public Library preceded by a luncheon organized and sponsored by the Friends of
Troy Public Library. Later in the same day a bronze plaque was placed at 188 First Street
(between Washington and Adams Streets in Troy), the former Stapleton residence followed by
a dinner for Stapleton family members, committee members and guests hosted by Lynn Kopka
at her residence. During the year a series of brochures on our events and plans were designed
and prepared by Bill Carey Jr. In November the committee donated films of Maureen for the
Troy Public Librarys DVD collection. A major exhibit on Maureen Stapletons life and times
opened at the Rensselaer County Historical Society on February 1, 2013 followed by a tribute
production directed by David Baecker at the Bush Memorial Chapel, Russell Sage College.

TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council) meeting on Wednesday, February 13th from 6
7:30 PM at the Hill Street Inn at 202 4th Street in Troy.
(Re)Imagining Troy project
Updates from Vacant Properties Workgroup & Drug Free Communities Committee
Neighborhood sharing
Announcements
Neighborhood Watch
Problems can be reported to Rocco DeFazio
Stop in the store at 264 Fourth Street or call 518 274-6688
rdefazio@nycap.rr.com neighborhoodwatchsc@gmail.com
Troys Little Italy matters
By Mike Esposito
In T. R. Coles reference book, Italian Genealogical Records, the author states that as America
became a melting pot, providing us with an important common social and cultural basis and
common objectives, much has been lost in the process. This loss includes the traditions, heritage and culture of the country of origin of our ethnic cultural background. As a longtime Troy
resident who grew up in the 1940s and 50s in Little Italy, I remember well the strong cultural
diversity of our citys southern neighborhoods, home to of descendants of Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Polish, French, and Ukrainian immigrants, an area originally settled by Irish immigrants in the 1850s who built most of the solid, modest brick row houses. The eastern portion
of what is now known as South Central Troy was transformed into Little Italy in the early
years of the nineteen hundreds but it wasnt until February 2003, when Fourth Street businessman Rocco DeFazio formed the Friends of Little Italy, that we collectively reaffirmed the honor
of this distinction. Two years later the volunteer group, Troy Little Italy, was organized with the
goal of maintaining a healthy and vibrant neighborhood. Our objectives are to make the area a
clean and safe place for people to live, work and visit, to establish Little Italy as an ethnic tourist destination and to restore the historic Market Place as an inviting public space for familyfriendly activities.
Several years ago Italian Ambassador Sergio Vento was invited by our former Senator Hilary
Clinton to the first Statewide Little Italy Heritage Tourism Conference held in Troy. In his address the ambassador reminded us of the power of memory as a formula for a great project.
Memory has been described as a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are
and the things you never want to lose. This set in motion one of the main components of what
it is that we do in Troys Little Italy which is to celebrate our history by sharing our culture and
traditions. At the heart of that culture is bringing people together. We promote neighborliness in
many small ways. Our annual stickball tournament raises food and funds for the Roarke Center.
In warmer weather months, teams play bocce at our two outdoor courts. Names of residents are
added to our memorial wall. We celebrate cultural diversity by sponsoring an annual fall International Festival. Each year we add another activity to our Christmas in Little Italy celebration.

This year along with the blessing of the Ceppo, lighting of the tree, roasting chestnuts, and the
story of La Befana, we presented la posada, an age old tradition in Latin countries, a representation of Joseph and Marys unsuccessful attempt at finding a place to stay in the hours before
the Christ Child was born. Our event ended, appropriately, at the Joseph House Hill Street Inn
where the remainder of the program was held amidst good cheer, music, warm drinks and
plenty of delicious desserts provided by residents and staff of Joseph House.
We celebrate our neighbors who have made considerable contributions to the community including the remarkable Father Peter Havermans know as the Father of Troys Catholic Institutions, internationally known Troy jazzman Nick Brignola, and acclaimed Oscar, Emmy and
Tony winning actress Maureen Stapleton.
We welcome new businesses, support those presently doing business in the neighborhood and
recognize a business with an annual award. This years winner, the gifted artist Andrea Daley of
Restoration Specialists at 253 Fourth Street, was the catalyst for the Bella Vita community
fresco project which brought much attention to Little Italy. We were active participants in the
Statewide Neighborhood Revitalization Conference held in Troy in September which brought
together urban planners, neighborhood leaders, and local government officials who shared ideas
on how to improve the quality of life in our cities.
As we create an environment where people want to live, work and visit, we have developed a
good tract record by partnering with others groups and organizations to meet our objectives. We
are advocates for the continuation of the successful Neighborhood Improvement through Code
Enforcement (NICE) program, as well as strong supporters of Community Policing and an active neighborhood watch program. Residential and commercial buildings for sale in the
neighborhood are frequently listed in our monthly newsletter to attract artists, young professionals, entrepreneurs, empty nesters and young families as owner-occupants. Little Italy is a traditional urban neighborhood in every sense of the word. An added plus is our location adjacent to
Troys central business district providing us easy access to many services and amenities offered
downtown.
Our monthly newsletter is available by contacting troylittleitaly@gmail.com. We meet the third
Wednesday of the month (Neighborhood Watch at 6 pm, Little Italy at 7 pm) at 233 Fourth
Street, corner of Fourth and Washington. Troys Little Italy matters. Check us out!

February Meeting
2/20
Neighborhood Watch
6 p.m.
Troy Little Italy
6:30 p.m.
233 Fourth Street Corner of Washington and Fourth