July News Updates

The July 2009 news updates for the SIA and the SIA Auxiliary are now available on the What’s New page.  Also, with  Festa Italiana coming up  July 30 – August 2, we are looking for single women ages 17 – 21 to enter the Queen Contest.  Entry forms are available here.  Entry deadline is July 10, so don’t delay!

2009 Festa Italiana Schedule Announced

The 34th annual  Festa Italiana will be held July 30 – August 2 on the  Society of Italian-Americans grounds at 1801 SW McKinley Ave in Des Moines.  The schedule of events for the festival can be found on the Festa page.

Welcome!

Welcome to the newly redesigned website of the Society of Italian-Americans of Des Moines, Iowa!  Our club has roots dating back to 1898 and we are still going strong with over 240 members and a very active auxiliary of over 140 members.   The purpose of our society can best be described as it was in the Des Moines  Italian-American newspaper almost 80 years ago:

“Some thirty-two years ago, a Sunday in April to be exact, a group of Italian men gathered together at one of the homes to discuss the possibility of organizing a society that would benefit both them and their families.  There were hundreds of American organizations doing benevolent and charitable work, but these Italians hesitated to join because of their difficulty with the American language.  Timidity held back those who could speak English.  It was important, then, that this mass of foreign speaking, but American thinking individuals should band together and form an organization that would serve as an outlet for the charitable impulse and at the same time create for them a social atmosphere that would make their lives in their adopted country more important, pleasant and profitable.” – The American Citizen, August 22, 1930

One hundred and eleven years later, our society now consists of not only some original Italian immigrants, but 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th-generation Italian-Americans who still band together in a social atmosphere to support each other, improve our community, and preserve our precious Italian heritage.  Through strong leadership and the continued activism of our members, we plan on being around for another 111 years.