The arrangements for the 3rd Annual Crachesi del Nord America Reunion are set and we invite everyone to make plans to join us in Brooklyn this October.  It will not only be another chance for all of us to meet again but the event has the potential to become the site to announce plans to preserve Craco.
The outline of the Reunion and tentative plans are intended to help you plan for the weekend.  We will be issuing more information along with the registration form during the summer.  The three day event is structured as follows:

• Friday Oct 23: 6:30pm Cocktail Reception at Sirico's, on 13th Avenue for 3 hours so we can all reconnect.

• Saturday Oct. 24: morning seminar at Knights of Columbus, (KofC) on 86th Street for 5 hours.  The theme is "Stories from Brooklyn" covering the Crachesi migration from Manhattan to Brooklyn.  There will be a lunch followed by concurrent sessions of book signing by two members who are authors and also there will be oral history recordings of members’ stories.  Afterwards, we will offer a tour and dinner in Brooklyn that would depart from the K of C and include sights, along with stops a some locally known pizza emporiums of considerable fame and dinner locations that are equally well known.  We are also attempting to create a Saturday evening venue in Manhattan for those who are already familiar with Brooklyn and would prefer an alternative.

• Sunday Oct. 25: breakfast at Ferrara's, in Manhattan, followed by a Noon Mass for San Vincenzo at St. Joseph's Church.  Immediately following the Mass a lunch will be held at Forlini's Restaurant.

As with previous Reunions, individuals will be able to participate in all or part of the scheduled events.  There are ample hotel accommodations in Manhattan & Brooklyn for out of town members.  Free parking is available at the two Brooklyn sites and there is a parking lot adjacent to Forlini's for the events in Manhattan.
There are two contingent events that may impact the program.  An Italian film producer is interested in attending and would be involved in filming the oral histories along with the events.  Second, if the World Monuments Fund announcement about Craco is positive there may be a contingent in NY to participate in the Reunion.
October is Italian Heritage and Culture Month in New York so our timing is perfect for the Reunion.  With all these exciting developments we want to use the event to increase the visibility of the organization in an attempt to reach as many Cracotans as possible.  We will be listing the Reunion events in various local newspapers’ public service announcement sections, attempt to obtain time on public access TV, communicate with Italian American organizations, place advertisements in church and community bulletins and place posters in businesses at event areas.
Prior to meeting we plan to use the Craco Ancestry Database to inform attendees about kinship connections.  So in the meantime, start gathering your photographs and stories of “Crachese in Brooklyn".

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News from Craco ~

 

 

 

 

Craco Peschiera although well served by the new Church of San Nicola Vescovo, lacks a rectory for the priest who must commute to Craco.  The Azione Cattolica is attempting to acquire a facility that would become the residence for the parish priest and is seeking assistance. Historically, the parish priest, or  “parroco”, played an integral part in life of the southern Italian hill towns.
The Society holds historic pictures of the last residence of the parroco in Craco Vecchio as part of the material donated by Fil & Rosa Francavilla.  The rectory shown above was constructed in the early 1960’s by Domenico & Salvatore D’Elia on land donated by Gerrardo Francavilla.  It was located on via Risorgemento.
The planned new rectory in Craco is to be located down the street from the Church and Municipo.
For those wishing to assist with contributions, additional details about the fund raising campaign will be forthcoming.

 

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Society News

In last month’s Newsletter we mentioned that the Society would reach the second anniversary of its incorporation but when we published that edition we did not know that on May 12th we would reach a milestone by enrolling the 300th member. To have gone from nothing to 306 members in two years speaks to the amazing nature of the Crachesi.  Bravissimo to us all!!

 

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 Craco Panorama- A 1960's View
 

 

 

The image on June page of the Society calendar shows a view of Craco that is actually a painting done for Joe Rinaldi, the Society President.   The watercolor was copied from a 1965 post card (“cartolina” in Italian) that showed this contemporary panorama of Craco.   The artist, Mary Fay Scott-Brown, a friend of Joe and his family, painted the scene in 1991 and it has hung in his home since then.
This view of Craco includes most of the homes on Via Umberto, including the house that Joe and other family members were born in.   Shown in the painting is the large tree on Via Umberto, that anyone who grew up in Craco will remember.   It was a refuge from the hot summer sun, and a popular meeting spot for Cracotans of all ages.   Under the comforting shade of its branches countless family stories and tales were told.
It seems that Craco’s beauty and history inspired several postcards over time, including those still produced today.   The Society archives has 11 different postcards going back to about 1935 with various scenes.   There are two different cards with views of the Madonna della Stella and the chapel; one with a panorama with the Madonna della Stella and the War Monument; one with scenes of San Vincenzo in the chapel at the Monastery, inside views of the chapel and the outside of the Monastery; one postcard of just the outside of the Monastery; one with San Vincenzo and a panorama of Craco; one card with the War Monument and 4 different panorama views.             Amazing for such a small town!
 

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Craco Ancestry Database- Part 2

 

The database that we introduced last month, with over 700 names of individuals who were born, married or died in Craco, has unique capabilities to assist Society members.   It can produce “Kinship Reports” that identify all the relationship of individuals in the database.  It can then ex-plain how any two individuals are connected by a “Relationship Report.”
These two reports will be provided before-hand to all registrants for the Reunion so they can take advantage of the opportunity to spend time with new found family members.

 

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