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The Southington
Cit itii zen
Volume 7, Number 28
Southington’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Friday, July 15, 2011
Pit bull fan joins ‘Pit Boss’ for a day By Robin Lee Michel The Southington Citizen Pit bulls may get a bad rap in some places but not in the Marion home of Emma Hermann. This 14year-old grew up with Mazzy, a pit bull, boxer and Akita mix that was rescued, and this year adopted a new pup, Angelina, who was from a litter of pit bulls that had been discarded in an oil truck. “I love them because I’ve had one most of my life,” Emma said. “They are misunderstood. A lot of people are wrong.” Emma, too, has had difficulties in life; she was born with a heart defect, intestinal complications and has Noonan’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder that prePhotos courtesy of the Hermann family vents normal development. The Hermann family, of Milldale, back row, take a break from the filming of “Pit Characteristics can include being short, heart de- Boss” in December. The July 18 showing will be the premier for the new season fects and unusual facial on Animal Planet. Front row, from left, are Ronald Lee Clark, Sebastian Saracharacteristics. ceno, Ashley Brooks and Shorty Rossi with Hercules; back row, from left, Marc, Three years ago, the famEmma, Mary Sue and Matthew Hermann. ily applied to Make-A-Wish Foundation, the nation’s mother. When they became aware of the Animal Planet largest organization that grants wishes to children with show, “Pit Boss,” that promotes the rescue, rehabilitation life-threatening medical conditions. “Her wish kept changing,” said Mary Sue Hermann, See Pit bulls, page 12
Calvanese Foundation knows the needs of the community By Julie Sopchak The Southington Citizen
Nearly 30 non-profits and community causes were the lucky recipients of thousands of dollars courtesy of the Calvanese Foundation in the summer distribution of funds raised from April’s Gala, which brought in $54,000. The Joe & Kay Calvanese Foundation was founded in 1996, “established to improve the quality of life in our com-
munity by supporting local charities, assisting individual causes and helping make seemingly impossible dreams come true,” according to the website. Since its beginning, foundation funding has helped nearly 100 programs and projects that possibly could not have materialized. One of the recent recipients was the Southington Parks and Recreation Department, which was given $25,000 towards the new
pavilion at Recreation Park. Longtime member of the Board of Park Commissioners, Joe LaPorte, has been working closely with the pavilion project and said without the help of the Calvanese Foundation, the Dibiaso family, and several other donors, the pavilion’s construction wouldn’t be possible. “Without their help it wouldn’t have been possible and they’ve always been a generous contributor,” La-
Porte said. “We’re very grateful to them for their help. They played a major part in getting the pavilion built.” LaPorte said the pavilion is a 115-by-50 foot structure that has restrooms, storage facilities and a sound system. It was unofficially opened on Sunday when a fundraiser for the Mehovic brothers was held there. Southington Community Services received $2,500 for See Needs, page14
Everyone’s Italian at festival By Julie Sopchak The Southington Citizen
Mamma mia! Slated for July 29 to 31 on lower Center Street, the Southington Italian American Festival is just around the corner, and for the seventh year, citizens will be able to watch, taste, smell and appreciate the culture of Italians. Along with the usual attractions like the food, winemaking contest and carnival, there will be some new attractions to draw in more crowds. A second carnival has been added for the teenage crowd, since the carnival in years past has really been more for younger kids. The kiddie carnival will be held in Factory Square, and the teen carnival will be held on the corner of Liberty and North Liberty streets. Another attention-getter is the Italian Mass, which festival co-chairman Joe LaPorte said is always one of the highlights. “One of the features is we have a Mass set in Italian and we have a procession around the neighborhood that we do
See Italian, page 10
Inside Calendar .........................32 Faith ................................18 Graduates .......................36 Marketplace ....................39 Obituaries........................19 Opinion............................20 Real Estate .....................36 Seniors............................24 Sports..............................27