Roma Lodge #1573

Roma Lodge 1573 held its 85th annual ravioli dinner. After taking a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, lodge members decided to continue this long held tradition and fundraiser. The picture on the right shows the 25th anniversary of of the dinner back in the 1960’s when attendees got a dinner of ravioli, spaghetti, ½ BBQ chicken, salad, salami, cheese, wine and dancing to a live orchestra until 1 a.m. for only $3.00. It was the social event of the year for the community with over 1,250 people attending. How times have changed.

Long time Roma Lodge member Charlie Pitigliano and grandson Wessel Pitigliano setup the Italian and American flags for diners as they drove through the takeout line to pick up their meals of ravioli, chicken, green beans, bread, and homemade biscotti cookies. Over 600 meals were distributed to individuals of the community.

Nearly 60 members sold tickets, worked long hours cooking and serving meals and celebrated Italian Heritage Month with the community. These pictures show our junior members helping with the cooking and distribution of our ravioli dinners. Juniors are our future. Without them there will be no future.