HAVERHILL — The city's Italian community is a hardy bunch.
They rebuilt much of the downtown after it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1882 - the biggest fire in Haverhill's history. It took an amazingly short time - about a year - for them to reconstruct the urban core of brick buildings that breathed economic life back into the city.
They made their homes and businesses along River Street and in the Mount Washington neighborhood, and can still boast about the sturdy and historic construction of those buildings that dominate the landscape today.
These days, they leave a celebratory mark on the community each year with the annual Italian festival that takes over downtown - complete with Haverhill's own Miss Italy, champion pasta sauce cooks, and entertainment that makes you feel you're in Italy.
The weekend rain didn't sway Haverhill's hardy Italian community from celebrating its roots yesterday in the annual North of the North End Italian Festival. Whether you are Italian, Irish or French, you could find something to enjoy if you joined the afternoon-long celebration.
Here's a snapshot of the day:
Location: The weather cleared, allowing the festival to take place on Washington Street and in Columbus Park. Organizers considered moving the event to the City Hall auditorium if it rained, but Mother Nature cooperated.
Crowd: An estimated 5,000 people stopped by during the six-hour festival that kicked off just after noon and ended about 6 p.m.
Miss Italy competition: The winner of the competition was Angela Scibelli of South Hadley. Two Haverhill women finished second and third - Kristen Kelly and Jacklyn Maffucci.
Pasta champs: The festival has 15 contestants in the competition to determine who has the recipe for the tastiest sauce in Haverhill. Taking first place overall was Zabeth Robinson of Haverhill, who also received the award for the best meat sauce. Mary Ann Zito, also of Haverhill, took first place in the meatless sauce competition.
The event was organized by the Haverhill Downtown Association, a committee of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce.
