Hendrick Hudson Senior Wins $500 Scholarship

MOUNT VERNON, NY - From the desk of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Society: The Society of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is pleased to announce the winner of its $500 Spirito d’Italia Scholarship. Jaclyn Raguso of Montrose, a senior at Hendrick Hudson High School, plans to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall. Her winning essay detailed her appreciation for the Italian culture citing “The family has always been, and will always be, the center of everything.”

Miss Raguso and her family will be among the special guests at the Mt. Carmel Society in Verplanck on July 12 for a reception celebrating the opening of the 95th Feast of Mt. Carmel. The reception, hosted by the Miss Mt. Carmel Sorority, will also honor the Margiotta family, of Paradise Restaurant, with the Patrimonio (heritage) Award for their support of the scholarship fund.

The Feast of Mt. Carmel, the longest running Italian Feast in Westchester, will be held Wednesday July 12 through Sunday July 16th. Eighth Street and Highland Avenue in Verplanck will be lined with rides, games, and food stands. There will be entertainment and dancing in the streets from 6 PM to 11 PM nightly. Saturday at 8 PM, Italian-American Idol will feature singers vying to win a $100 cash prize. At 9:05 The Big Tarantella is open for all to join in the dance. Sunday, an Italian Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick’s Church on 11th Street. After mass, a procession through Verplanck will follow with the statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, a tradition carried on for centuries in the Italian villages of the founding members of the Mt. Carmel Society. Sunday at 11 PM, Mt. Carmel’s fireworks extravaganza, the most lengthy and dazzling display in the Hudson Valley will bring the festival to a close.

For more information about 95th Feast of Mt. Carmel or the Miss Mt. Carmel Sorority visit www.olmcv.org

Image via The Society of Our Lady of Mt Carmel