After saying yes, he has been good this year, Matthew Beatty — all smiles — told Santa Claus the thing he wants most for Christmas is a new record player: just the thing for someone who loves music from Michael Jackson to Willie Nelson.
With his wish put in with the big guy in the red suit, the Meadville resident, seeming satisfied, sat back down at a table with his family and friends.
“I’m so happy,” he said.
That mood echoed through the packed banquet hall at the Italian Civic Club of Meadville on Tuesday as the club hosted more than 400 guests at its 48th annual Christmas party for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Along with the traditional visits with Santa, its other highlights included a three-course spaghetti dinner, a disc jockey spinning Christmas tunes and dozens of pop-dance favorites, toys for children and, of course, that undeniable
air of festive merriment that a traditional holiday celebration can bring.
“I like coming here with my boyfriend of two years and having a good time, dancing and eating good food. I’ve been coming here for I’d say about five years,” said Tiffany Manross after she and her boyfriend, Dale Clemmen, stepped off the bustling dance floor.
Manross, 27, and Clemmen, 29, both said they also enjoy seeing their friends at the ICC, and Clemmen added he always likes a chance to wear one of his Christmas sweaters. “I do wear a Santa hat (too), but I don’t have it on right now,” he said with a smile.
The ICC’s guests for the party are residents from around the area who utilize some of the variety of services offered at agencies including the Arc of Crawford County, United Community Independence Program, Vallonia Industries and others that serve people with developmental issues.
“It’s a great thing. Everybody’s got smiles on their faces,” said club manager John Quinn as he worked with other club staff and upwards of 30 volunteers who were helping out with everything from cooking and serving to cleanup.
It takes a serious amount of preparation to pull off the annual dinner, which generally calls for about 70 pounds of pasta, hundreds — and hundreds — of meatballs and around 80 gallons of sauce.
It costs the club between $6,000 and $8,000 annually to put on the party, and the club raises money for it year-round through its more than 300 active members and 1,200 social members. Quinn and other club officials said that despite this year’s recession economy, they were able to bring it all together without cutting any corners. “We still do it no matter what,” he said.
It’s a tradition the ICC started in 1961, and one that club President John Vitelli said gets right to the heart of what the club — which goes by the motto ‘Where Heritage and Civic Duty Are Instilled’ — is all about.
That’s “what we go by,” Vitelli said, and that “says everything.”
Ryan Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at rsmith@meadvilletribune.com.
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Smiles abound at annual Christmas party
- Local News
-
-
Budget, aesthetics a balancing act at Armory
The next time there’s a moment or two to spare for quiet contemplation, pause in the vicinity of the City of Meadville’s picturesque Diamond Park. Let your eyes rest on Parkside Commons, the meticulously refurbished structure at the northeast end of the park that was once known as “the old junior high.” Make a point of focusing on the windows.
-
Former rockers Drywater enjoying glow from album's rebirth
It’s funny how perceptions can differ from one person to the next; how what sparkles in one set of eyes can appear tarnished in another.
-
Edinboro site eyed for retirement homes
About two years after halting expansion plans into the Conneaut Lake area, Meadville-based Wesbury United Methodist Retirement Community now is looking to expand north into Erie County, possibly sometime in 2013.
-
Langley voted in as Meadville City Council's new member
“Pleased” is the word that best describes Bob Langley’s response to the news that he had been selected to fill Meadville City Council’s vacant seat.
-
French Creek conservation group to benefit from environmentalist's talk
When one of the world’s best known environmentalists, the author and activist Bill McKibben, speaks next week at Allegheny College, his audience will likely be putting some money where its heart is — right into French Creek.
-
Vernon Police chief suspects 'human interaction' in Sunday fire
An investigation is continuing into a weekend fire that destroyed a historic structure in Vernon Township, and Vernon police are urging anyone with information to give them a call.
-
Walker hired to fill Meadville's newest administrative position
The City of Meadville’s soon-to-be-newest administrator is a familiar name in the area and familiar with the city.
-
Edinboro protest planned against proposed state budget cuts
If you’re a student or faculty member at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, don’t be surprised if Trevor Belz, a sophomore from Saegertown, shares some strong opinions with you in the next few days — and urges your attendance at a campuswide protest planned for Tuesday.
-
Local legislators: Corbett budget off to a good start
Elected officials representing Crawford County in Pennsylvania’s Senate and House of Representatives are gearing up for what looks like a lengthy budget process.
-
Crawford Central's Heller says new budget plan hobbles school districts
Area educators haven’t had a lot of time to mull over the implications of the budget proposal presented Tuesday to a joint meeting of Pennsylvania’s Senate and House of Representatives by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Budget, aesthetics a balancing act at Armory
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
