Michael Cripe
Special to the Citizen

The annual Festa Italiana at Zona Rosa went off without a hitch as hundreds of people enjoyed the atmosphere.

For those unfamiliar, the Italian Festival is held for a weekend in May or June and features authentic Italian food, activities and live music. New artists join every year to play classic songs nearly all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year, the event took place between May 31 and June 2.

This event is free and open to the public.

For the younger guests, a few bounce houses were placed on the outskirts of the event for a quick distraction. Italian-themed sweets and some soccer in the streets also shook things up at the festival, too.

As expected, funnel cakes and copious amounts of pasta lined the streets for visitors to taste.

Steve Paul of KC Poppers, one of the local kettle corn vendors, says he has been involved in the event for the last few years and has no plans to stop. He says the people and their hospitality are what keep him coming back every year.

“This weekend has been fantastic,” Paul said. “The weather has been fantastic, good sales, and everyone has been happy.”

While talking to The Platte County Citizen, another vendor stopped by to offer Paul fresh strawberries for no other reason than hospitality.

Friendly attitude littered the sidewalks at Zona Rosa thanks to vendors like Paul, and the live music provided the backdrop.