Sunday, March 24, 2013

SANTA CRUZ NORTH COAST PRESENTATION A SUCCESS.

IVANO SAYS: OUR SANTA CRUZ NORTH COAST PRESENTATION IN SANTA CRUZ ON MARCH 16, 2013 WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. MY THANKS TO JIM HOWES, LaNORMA, (NORMA DINELLI WILSON, PATTY MORELLI AND MY GRANDSONS KRISTIAN RICHARD KNOWLES AND ANDREW FRITTER. I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU.  ALSO MY THANKS TO THOSE WHO ATTENDED AND PARTICIPATED IN THE EVENT. MILLE GRAZIE.

BELOW ARE SOME PHOTOS OF THE EVENT TAKEN BY MARVIN DEL CHIARO:

Jo Anne Perkins (Papa) with Flora Anecito (Bargiacchi)
                                                                                    The "Old Rancere" with 'Shavola' in hand explaining how "Bronco"
                                 used to work the fields "su per la costa", while singing in Italian.


                                        Patty Morelli and Alverda Orlando



                                Jim Howes, my Production Manager

                            Marvin Del Chiaro, Friend and Photographer


                                  Pointing to Map of 'La Nostra Costa"
                                          with Marvin and La Norma


                                    With Grandson, Kristian


                           
 LaNorma telling it how it was growing up 'su per la costa'.


With Anna Maria Gottie, President, 
   Ladies Branch, Santa Cruz Old Timers


At ringside with Primo Carnera and Max Baer



IVANO SAYS (CON'T): Below are some photos shown on the 'big screen" at our Event:

                                           Benito Mussoline C.1922
                                      Stanchion at La Barranca Park - Santa Cruz
                                           Ellis Island
                                           Angie Battistini's Birthday - Santa Cruz
                      
 Fallen Santa Cruz Police Officers Elizabeth Butler and Loren "Butch" Baker  
                           Saluting Butler- Baker Funeral Procession  2013
                                                Gregory Brothers, Francis and Alvin C. 1945
                                                              Guido Bianconi
                         Gemignani Brothers, Lido, Augie and Joe

                                       Peter Pianavilla
                            Gervasio "Bronco" Comelli and Lido Cantarutti
                                                                         
                                          Lina Bressani Gemignani

                                Map of La Nostra Costa by Norma Dinelli Wilson


                  Photo of La Nostra Costa's Golden Bluffs by Anneliese Agren


                                                                                                         

Saturday, January 19, 2013

ANNOUNCING A SANTA CRUZ - NORTH COAST PRESENTATION - SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT AND UPDATE 3-2-2013:  JIM HOWES, A FORMER SANTA CRUZ POLICE OFFICER, WILL BE CONDUCTING A REMEMBRANCE FOR FALLEN SANTA CRUZ POLICE OFFICERS LOREN "BUTCH" BAKER AND ELIZABETH BUTLER JUST PRIOR TO THE START OF IVANO'S PRESENTATION.

IVANO FRANCO COMELLI, AUTHOR OF "LA NOSTRA COSTA (OUR COAST)   A FAMILY'S JOURNEY TO AND FROM THE NORTH COAST OF SANTA CRUZ, CA (1923-1983), will be making a Santa Cruz - North Coast Presentation , in Santa Cruz on Saturday, March 16, 2013.

Please come join Ivano, in his guise as"The Old Rancere",  as he celebrates, through stories, songs, photos and audience participation, life in "Santa Croce" and on "La Nostra Costa" as he remembers it in those early years.  Detail of the Event are as follows (Scroll down to bottom for Event time schedule):


WHERE: 399 ENCINAL STREET, SANTA CRUZ, CA
 SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
                BOARD OF EDUCATION  BUILDING - SOUTH WEST CORNER OF ENCINAL AND DUBOIS STREETS   ( NEAR COSTCO AND HARVEY WEST PARK -
                HANDICAP ACCESS THROUGH THE REAR OF BUILDING)


DATE:     SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013
TIME:      11:OO AM  TO 4:00 PM





FOOD:     A LIGHT CUISINE WILL BE SERVED







DRINK:   NON-ALCOHOLIC ONLY



MUSIC:   OLD ITALIAN SONGS AND ERA FAVORITES





FEE:          $5 DOLLAR DONATIONS SUGGESTED
















PARKING:    FREE -  IN THE BACK AND ON STREET

WEBSITE:     www.nostra-costa.blogspot.com

TEL:                831-521-0576


DIRECTIONS: AT THE INTERSECTION OF HWY 1 AND HWY 9 IN SANTA CRUZ, TURN ON HWY 9 TOWARDS FELTON; THEN MAKE A LEFT ON ENCINAL STREET (SECOND INTERSECTION ). GO STRAIGHT  TO THE INTERSECTION OF DUBOIS AND ENCINAL.  THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION BUILDING WILL BE ON YOUR LEFT. "CLICCA":  http://goo.gl/maps/RORkj   FOR MAP.




AS TOM MARKETELLO WOULD SAY:
DRIVE SAFELY.  HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

EVENT TIME SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES APPROXIMATE):

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM 
WELCOME - MEET WITH THE 'OLD RANCHER' (IVANO), LUNCH BY ZOCCOLI's

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
REMEMBRANCE FOR FALLEN OFFICERS LOREN 'BUTCH' BAKER AND ELIZABETH BAKER BY JIM HOWES

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
SANTA CRUZ NORTH COAST PRESENTATION BY IVANO FRANC0 COMELLI AND NORMA DINELLI WILSON

2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
GROUP MINGLING, PHOTO VIEWING, 
LA NOSTRA COSTA (OUR COAST) BOOK SIGNING BY IVANO




Friday, January 18, 2013

REMEMBERING FIGLIO DELLA COSTA (SON OF THE COAST) HERMAN MONDO

 
IVANO SAYS:  The below Remembrance
 of Herman Mondo was first published
 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
 www.santacruzsentinel.com

  
Herman Mondo
December 21, 1932-
January 14, 2013
Resident of Santa Cruz
Herman Raymond Mondo passed away on January 14, 2013 at his

Santa Cruz home after a long time illness. He was 80.
Herman was born in Santa Cruz on December 21, 1932,

 the son of Mario and Antonietta (Orecchia) Mondo. He grew
up in Santa Cruz where he attended Laurel Kindergarden,
 Mission Hill Elementary and Middle School
 and was a graduate of Santa Cruz High School,
 Class of 1952. He later attended San Jose State.
He was a life time resident of Santa Cruz.

He owned and operated a Coors Beer Distributor 
with his brother John for over 20 years. He also
 farmed on the north coast and was active in
 real estate investing.

He was a member of Holy Cross Church, the
 Marconi Club, Forty
Thieves Tracy Gun Club and a life member of
 the Santa Cruz Elks Lodge. Herman enjoyed life
and loved spending time with his family and
friends. He loved duck hunting, trout fishing and
hunting for mushrooms.
He is survived by his brother and sister in law,

John and Nadia Mondo of Santa Cruz;
 his nephew, Ron Mondo and his wife, Sandi
and there children, Mason and Nico; his niece,
 Michelle Mondo and her children,
Anthony and Sophie. He was preceded in death
 by his parents, Mario Mondo and
Antonietta Orecchia Mondo.
Services will be held at Benito Azzaro Pacific
Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz,
CA on Monday January 21, 2013
at 1:00 pm. A visitation will be held at
Pacific Gardens Chapel
on Sunday from 4pm until 6pm. Please visit
www.pacificgardenschapel.com to light a candle
or express your condolences to Herman's family.
The family wishes to express their deepest

 appreciation and thanks to
Care From the Heart Home Service and
 especially to his care givers Leigh Galang
and Heidi Rodriguez for the loving and
compassionate care they provided Herman
 during his illness. The family would also
like to express a special thanks to all of
Herman's friends who visited
and kept him company during his illness.
In lieu of flowers contributions are

 preferred to the Shriners Hospital
 for Children, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento,
 CA 95817.
 www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org.
 
 
IVANO SAYS (CONT'D):
 Addio Herman. Until
we meet
 again, "Across Il Ultimo Ponte". 

Thursday, January 03, 2013

REMEMBERING HARRY BELLEVILLE - AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE


IVANO SAYS:  Those of us who attended Mission Hill Jr. High School,
 in Santa Cruz in the early 1950s will remember Harry and some of the difficult times he had there.  His Remembrance below was first published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: www.santacruzsentinel.com    .  


Harry Belleville
December 26, 1937~December 29, 2012
Resident of Scotts Valley
Harry Clayton Belleville, Jr. was born on December 26, 1937 in Oakland, CA to Harry Clayton Belleville, Sr. and Helen Emma Wilder Belleville. He passed away suddenly in the Merced Mercy Medical Center on December 29th 2012. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Leotta L. Allman Belleville, sons, David, Raymond, Michael, and daughter Jennifer. Mr. and Mrs. Belleville have many grandchildren and have lived in the Scotts Valley area for over 30 years.
"Skipper" graduated Valedictorian, Montezuma School for Boys, Los Gatos and went on to study animal husbandry at Modesto Junior College. He then became a chicken rancher producing millions of eggs per week.
During his life, he worked a large variety of jobs throughout the country from steel worker to a card shill. He worked as a printer, a custodian, a truck driver for a winery, a youth detention counselor, and a jobber.
Skipper especially enjoyed his years as a zookeeper and loved working with animals. His entrepreneurial pursuits included building a greeting card company, owner of antique shops, melon stand operator, dry cleaner and becoming a published author.
He worked for multiple charities. His most satisfying work was taking a vow of poverty creating the community charity "The Society of Good Neighbors" and associated "Poor Man's Store". Under his leadership the charity had far more impact than the national or denominational charities in one of the poorest areas of Utah for several years.
Skipper left the world a better place.
Funeral service will be held Friday at 10am: Santa Cruz Memorial - Mission Chapel, 1927 Ocean Street (Ocean Street extension) Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Reception will follow at: Yan Flower Chinese Restaurant, 617 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
If you would like to send your condolences to the Belleville family, share your memories, view or post photos, or light a candle, please visit www.scmemorial.com.

ADDIO HARRY  UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN ACROSS IL ULTIMO PONTE (THEN LAST BRIDGE).



Tuesday, December 25, 2012

FACES OF LA NOSTRA COSTA - A HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2012-13

                                    ANGIE AND JOHN BATTISTINI

              GUIDO BIANCONI WW II REMEMBRANCE BY DIANE BIANCONI



                                                   PETE PIANAVILLA

                                   
                         ANDREINA RODONI AND VALENTINA COMELLI



                                         'BAFFI' CAMPIONI


                                   ANDREINA AND DANTE RODONI


                ANDREINA RODONI - RINA RINALDI - ELSIE (RODONI)



            RODONI FAMILY: ANDREINA, DANTE, MARIO AND ELIO



                                           DAVE FERRARI

                                                 
                                DAVE FERRARI AND IRENE TERRINI

                                  FRANCIS AND ALVIN GREGORY




                      DIANE BIANCONI'S PARENT'S WEDDING IN DAVENPORT



                                              JOE 'PINO' BROVIA


                                       JOE ALVES AND FERD MORO


                                  GIOVANNI PRIMO (JOHN) COMELLI


   GILDA STAGNARO WITH IVANO, LANORMA  AND ALVERDA ORLANDO

                           IRENE TERRINI WITH JOE ALIBERTI


                                             JOEY DELLA MORA




DAVE FERRARI AND MAGARET DELLA MORA
 




MALIO STAGNARO

GILDA STAGNARO


                                             
                                                                                                        
                                                        MINNIE AND JOE DELLA MORA

NICK FAITOS -CYD CHARISSE - TONY MARTIN

                                           

                                                               PINO PFYFFER



                CONSTANTINO "AUGIE" GEMIGNANI WITH WIFE VICTORIA AND ALDINE


                                                      TONY AND PINA MICOSSI



                                                           ALDO CANEPA

                                               THE OLD RANCERE




VANDA DEGLI-ESPOSTI AND ADA CAMPIONI



                              DANTE RODONI AND MORO DEGLI-ESPOSTI

                               

BRONCO AND VALENTINA



Several of the photos above were contributed by Friends of this Blog and my Facebook Pages. I sincerely thank each and everyone of you for sharing them with us.  Sempre Avanti and Happy New Year.  Ivano

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

ADDIO EUGENIO "LARRY" DITANO


Larry Ditano and his wife Josephine as I will always remember them. (Photo courtesy of Diane Bianconi.)  Addio Larry, until we meet again across  "Il Ultimo Ponte" (The Last Bridge).


IVANO SAYS: THE BELOW REMEMBRANCE OF LARRY DITANO WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL: www.santacruzsentinel.com





Eugenio "Larry" DiTano passed away on September 29, 2012 at his Santa Cruz home, at the age of 84. Eugenio was born in Pieve San Paolo, Italy, the son of Guiseppe and Teresa (Pelli) DiTano. He grew up in Italy and came to the United States in 1950 as a young man. He spent a short time in Sacramento with his cousin before moving to Santa Cruz. He spent his life working on the north coast near Davenport as a carpenter for Pacific Cement and Aggregates which later became Lonestar, and also on the ranches of Louis Poletti and others as a carpenter, electrician etc. fixing anything needing repair. He became a Naturalized Citizen in 1958. Eugenio retired from Lonestar in 1984.
Eugenio was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church and numerous other organizations. He was a life member of the Santa Cruz Elks Club, a member of Italian Catholic Federation, Sons of Italy, Marconi Club and 40 Thieves. He was also a member of the Davenport Volunteer Fire Department where he served as chief and helped to start the Davenport Fire Rescue. Larry was well known throughout the community as an active and willing volunteer. He could always be counted on to cook at the countless barbecues and dinners put on by the organizations he was a member of. He also volunteered his time fund raising for Santa Cruz High and Soquel High's Band He was an avid fan of the 49'ers, the Giants and the Sharks and he especially enjoyed youth athletics.
He is survived by his daughter, Marlene George and her husband David of Santa Cruz and his son, Michael DiTano and his wife Joelene of Santa Cruz; three brothers, Reno DiTano of Italy, Italo DiTano and Mario DiTano both of San Francisco; He is also survived by his five grandchildren, Allison George, Christopher George, Adam George, Brian George and Kevin DiTano. He was preceded in death by his wife, Josephine DiTano in 2004.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Holy Cross Church 126 High St., Santa Cruz, CA on Monday October 8, 2012 at 11:00 am. A Vigil will be held at Holy Cross Church on Sunday evening at 6:00 pm. Visitation will be at Holy Cross Church on Sunday from 3:00 pm until service time. Entombment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery 2271 7th Ave., Santa Cruz, CA. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Santa Cruz High School Athletic Foundation, 415 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060.



IVANO SAYS: (CONT'D):  Larry  was a very  good  friend and a Brother Elk.  When I was Exalted Ruler at the Santa Cruz Elks (1979-80), Larry was always there to help me out with his Barbeques.  I couldn't  have done it without you, Larry.  I will miss you old friend.