INDEPENDENCE, La. (WGNO) — Happening Friday, March 8 to Saturday, March 10 is the Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival.
It’s a celebration of the culture of the Sicilian families that settled in Tangipahoa Parish, tradition, accomplishments, music, and food.
The weekend is filled with fun as acts like Southern Heat, Rockin Dopsie, Peyton Falgoust Bag of Donuts, Dominos, and more hit the stage.
WGNO crews were out on festival grounds Friday, March 8, previewing what’s to come with the help of students from Tangipahoa Parish School System College & Career Magnet Center and their teacher Tara Barbe.
The students, who are learning the ins and outs of production, assisted reporter Kenny Lopez and Chief Photographer Patrick Thomas as they sat down to interview Mayor Jim Paine.
Festival organizers have officially released the lineup of food vendors that will be out at the festival with traditional Louisiana dishes, along with meals of Sicilian origin.
Knights of Columbus
- Italian Sausage Poboy $12
- Muffaletta ¼-$8, ½-$14 Whole-$22
NHS Robotics Team 1912 Booster
- Crawfish Beignets-$7
- Grilled Crab Burger N Fries-$12
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo-$10
Cajun Food Market
- Alligator Sausage Poboy-$12
- Shrimp Poboy-$12
- Oyster Poboy-$16
Air Force Academy Foundation
- Ground Coffee/Coffee Beans-$14.99
- Espresso/Cappuccino-Various prices
Independence Volunteer Fire Department
- Italian Tea-$4
- Jambalaya-$5
- Refills-$2
Milan’s Wood Fire Pizza
- 10” Cheese -$9
- 10” Pepperoni-$10
- 10” DiCarne-$13
ISHF Royalty
- Cannoli-$5
Loranger Band Booster
- Hamburgers-$6
- Fish-$7
- Fries-$4
- Fries with Chili & cheese-$5
HSFC
- Sausage Egg Rolls-$5
- Assorted Arancini-$5
NOLA Chuckwagon
- Meat Pie-$7 with fries-$10
- NOLA Chicken Bites-$8 with fries-$12
- Crawfish Mac & cheese-$10
IHMS Football
- Soft Drinks-$3
- Water-$2
Mater Dolorosa Catholic School
- Spaghetti with Meatballs & Boiled Eggs (As an add-on to the plate)
- Large-$10
- Small-$7
- Egg-$1/each (per customer request)
- Meatballs-$1/each (per customer request)
- Meatball Poboys-$8
- Small bowl of gravy $5
- Large bowl of gravy $7
- Festival T-Shirts
- Youth sizes-$15
- Adult Sizes (Sm-XL)-$18
- Adult (2X-4X)-$20
Royally Roasted Nuts
- Cinnamon Roasted Nuts-$5-20
- Chocolate Covered Nuts-$5-20
- Cajun Spice Pecans-$5-20
Tangi Fair
- Manicotti-$5.00
- Cheese Sticks $5.00
Mir Group
- Cracklins-Gratons-$10
- Pork Skins-$5
XLR8 Softball
- Crepes- 2 for $10
- Crepes-$7
IICM
- Stuffed Artichokes-$10
- Italian Cookies-$7 Fig-$8
- IICM T-Shirt -$50
Leathernecks of Louisiana
- Crawfish Bread-$10
John F. Kennedy Council 2952 KC
- Funnel Cakes-$8
- Fried Oreos 6 for $5
Hebert’s
- Lemonade-small $8
- Large $10
While the festival is free to enter, fest-goers are encouraged to purchase tickets to enjoy the rides all week long.
Rides will be open Friday, March 8 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, March 10 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Single-session passes are $25/per session. All weekend Mega passes are $60 in advance and $70 once the fest opens.
WGNO will air a Sicilian Heritage Festival special on Friday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. on WGNO and 9 p.m. on WNOL.
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