The 4th Annual Italy Christmas Parade and Festival will be Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The parade will begin at 10:00am and will travel down Main Street, Italy.  Vendors will be located along Main Street and inside the McConnell Building (101 E. Main Street, Italy).  Vendor booth and parade float forms are available with this article or at City Hall.

The Italy Lions Club kicks off the Christmas Festival and Parade with an all you can eat breakfast.  For just $5.00 you can have a great breakfast and hang around for the parade and festivities.

On Saturday, November 19 at 8:00am the Italy Church of Christ will have a pancake breakfast in honor all of the Italy City employees.  The church is located at 601 S College Street in Italy.  Everyone is invited to come and thank our city employees and enjoy a great breakfast.

The Italy Ministerial Alliance in partnership with the Italy ISD has planned a community Thanksgiving Barbecue for Sunday, November 20th.  This event will be held at the Stafford Elementary sports field from 12:30pm to 2:00pm. It will be complete with bounce houses, fun children’s activities and of course, lots of food!

Local businesses along Main Street in Italy will have Trick or Treating on Monday, October 31, 2011. Take time to stroll the downtown streets from 4:00pm to 5:00pm and allow your little goblin to get some goodies for our local vendors.  One business will even be “treating” with free hot dogs!

The Italy High School junior class is having a Halloween Party for 6th, 7th and 8th grade Italy ISD students.  There will be lots of activities, food, games, and music.  Costumes are not required but welcomed as there will be a costume contest in the mix of all of the other activities planned throughout the evening.

Picture yourself back in the 1950’s when the military draft was in full swing. You are crazy about the rock-and-roll singer Conrad Birdie who just got drafted. Conrad is coming to your town of Sweet Apple, Ohio to give one lucky girl from his fan club a real “last kiss” on the Ed Sullivan Show before going into the Army.

The First United Methodist Church will have its annual Lord’s Acre Dinner and Live Auction on Saturday, October 22 at the church at 129 Harpold St.  A barbecue brisket lunch with home cooked beans, slaw, bread, and a variety of desserts will be served at 11:00 a.m.

Join us for a trip of a lifetime as we travel to the beautiful medieval cities of Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Budapest! The 10-day tour is set for June 17-26, 2013, giving us plenty of time to plan for travel with family and friends.

IHS Homecoming 2011 is Friday, October 7. Both Italy ISD campuses will be releasing early on Friday so everyone can join in on the celebration.  A last minute change to the schedule—the Italy Gladiator Regiment Band will perform their halftime show before the game (7:00pm).  This change is due to the need of more time during halftime for the homecoming court presentations.

The Italy Police Department would like to invite the community in participating in National Night Out tomorrow, Tuesday, October 4th.

The Heart of Texas Fellowship of Christian Athletes will be hosting its 12th annual Grant Teaff Golf Tournament on Monday, September 26, at the Ridgewood Country Club in Waco.

Texas Best Smokehouse of Italy invites the entire community to cruise in and enjoy great food while admiring the Midlothian Classic Wheels car show in the parking lot.

The Ellis County Equine Youth Association invites all area horse kids to participate in the ECEYA Fundraiser and Fun Horse Show on Saturday, September 10, at the Flying Dollar Ranch in Italy, Texas. The show begins at 9 a.m. and includes halter, western, English, leadline and speed events.

Sydney Lowenthal and Kimberly Hooker are performing in the play Aesop’s Foibles at the Southwestern Assemblies of God University. This will be Sydney’s third play with the Waxahachie Community theatre and Kimberly’s first.

Consider the facts. The Burn Ban is almost state-wide, county-wide for sure, and the 4th of July is just around the corner. Safety is always a key point during this holiday. Instead of raiding a local fireworks stand, which might be illegal, and blasting the countryside with potential fire danger, let’s all go to the safe fireworks shows already scheduled.

Make plans now to head downtown this Saturday, June 18th,  for Italy’s first annual Summer Fest in conjunction with the 26th Annual Tour d’Italia bike ride.  We are expecting up to 1500 cyclists from all around North Texas in town and that calls for a celebration!!  

Milford’s second annual Arts & Crafts Fair will be held this Saturday, June 4th from 9:00am – 5:00pm.Located in the park off of Hwy 77 in Milford, Texas, the fair will have lots of vendors, shopping, crafts for kids, face painting, creative gifts, food and fun for all.  Make plans to attend.

Dear Parents – If you have a child between the ages of 2 and 12 that would like to participate in the First Annual Summer Fest Bicycle Rodeo (Saturday, June 18), please pre-register via email at [email protected].

The IYAA (Italy Youth Athletic Association) invites you to the IYAA Sports Carnival being presented by Triple T Amusements Thursday, May 12 thru Sunday, May 15 in Italy.

Waxahachie Community Theatre will present “Annie” starring Meredith Johnson as Annie, Jerry Ellis as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, Deborah Pappas as Miss Hannigan, and Randy Preston as “Rooster.” Italy will be represented in the production by the entire Clark family, Gary and Nan and daughters Sydney Lowenthal (3rd grader at Stafford Elementary) and Erika Larsen.

The 2011 Tour d’Italia and Summer Fest is right around the corner and will be here before we know it. Every year, the Tour d’Italia raises funds which benefit Italy High School, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and other North Texas charities. This year, the Tour d’Italia enters its 26th year and it will be bigger and better than ever!

The Easter Bunny made an appearance at the Upchurch Field on Saturday much to the delight of over 125 children of Italy. Special Delivery in the Italy Fire Department’s fire truck, E.B. came to help with the festivities. Hiding eggs is his specialty and this time was no different.

The Italy Park Board is inviting Italy children to its annual Mayor’s Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 23, at 10 a.m. on Upchurch Field.

Every year, the Tour d’Italia raises funds which benefit Italy High School, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and other North Texas charities. This year, the Tour d’Italia enters its 26th year and it will be bigger and better than ever!

McDonald’s® of Italy will be participating in the company’s national hiring day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19. Those interested in applying can do so in the store lobby or online.

Driving up and down the highway, your eye moves to the right and left looking at the brilliant Bluebonnets, spots of red Indian Paintbrushes and patches of Primrose. Spring in Texas is beautiful. Do you want to see some sights?

The 22nd annual Ellis County Youth Expo concluded on Saturday with a barbecue lunch before the sale began at 1:00 p.m. Several exhibitors representing both Italy and Milford made the sale and received much support from local buyers.

Several students with ties to Italy entered the Ellis County Youth Expo Show and Sale this week and have been fairing well. The Expo will conclude on Saturday following the sale which starts at 1:00 p.m.

It’s that time again! It’s time for Mayor Jackson’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt in Italy. But it is not at the library this year. They have changed the location to the UpChurch Ball Fields.

Mark your calendar. On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It’s a super “perigee moon”—the biggest in almost 20 years.

Gear up for the upcoming predator hunt with all proceeds benefiting the Bluebonnet Belles Scholarship Fund. The Bluebonnet Belles are a non-profit organization that award graduating senior scholarships to students that show animals during the Ellis County Youth Expo.

The third annual Italy Lions Club BBQ Cook-off in scheduled for Friday and Saturday, February 25th and 26th. This event is sanctioned by the Lone Star BBQ Society. As in years past, the cook-off will be staged at the Upchurch Ball Park at 201 E. Dilworth Road in Italy. New this year will be a kids cook-off on Friday evening.

The Titus Women of Milford will sponsor its annual Father/Daughter Dance on Saturday, February 12. All girls ages pre-k and up escorted by their fathers, grandfathers, etc. are welcome to attend.

The 5th annual Ennis Czech Music Festival will be held Saturday, February 12th. There will be five different bands performing, with the first band taking the stage at 1:30pm and the last band’s performance beginning at 10:00pm.

In and amongst the young lovers, heart throbs and twitterpated couples wandering starry-eyed in our midst, there are many activities listed in Texas for the 28 days of February. Here are a few ideas to get you started on the planner.