America's Got Talent Finalist to Headline Enfield Italian Festival

ENFIELD, CT — An Italian-American singer from Long Island who wowed the country during his appearances on the 11th season of America's Got Talent will be performing in Enfield this weekend.

Sal "The Voice" Valentinetti, a 21-year-old former pizza delivery boy from Bethpage, N.Y., was a finalist on AGT in 2016, and has since released his debut album, The Voice. He made his initial mark on the show covering Frank Sinatra's classic "My Way," receiving the Golden Buzzer from judge Heidi Klum.

The crooner has begun touring the country, with a stop scheduled Dec. 3 at the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Tickets range from $103 to $272 for that show, but visitors to the 92nd Enfield Italian Festival Saturday night will have to dole out just three bucks to catch the rising young star.

The feast, sponsored by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society, is one of the longest-running festivals in the nation. Four days of activities commence with the traditional candlelight procession through the neighborhood streets at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The festival itself runs Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Besides Valentinetti, live music continues to be a staple of the festival. Local favorites Let's Do This! and Off the Cufflinx will perform Friday, while the Manhattan Skyline takes the stage Sunday. The Stray Dogs, another local group, open for Valentinetti Saturday night.

As usual, food is prepared on the premises by members of the Society and Auxiliary. New samplings this year include Caprese salads and grilled chicken, while bakery products will be delivered fresh daily from Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., home of the TV reality series Cake Boss.

Marenna Amusements once again provides carnival rides and games, and special autograph-signing appearances will be made by World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Bob Backlund and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kara Wolters.

A traditional Mass, spoken partly in Italian, will be celebrated at the society chapel Sunday morning at 8:30, followed by a procession through the streets with the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. That night at 6:30 will be the wildly-popular greased pole climb.

For the first time, Foxwoods Resort Casino has signed on as presenting sponsor. "We are very pleased to have this partnership with Foxwoods," Society president Carl Sferrazza said.

Daily admission is $3; children 12 and under are admitted free with an adult.

Photo credits: YouTube