Food, bocce ball tourney draw over a thousand to Paesano Days

What started off as a family picnic has grown into an annual fundraiser and bocce ball tournament in the Anderson River Park. Hosted by the Sons of Italy's Shasta Lodge, Paesano Days has become a 25-year tradition that was celebrated last weekend.

To the usual attractions of prizes and drawings, spaghetti dinner, Italian sausage and cannoli, the weekend event has added craft vendors in the last few years, lodge president Jim Nobili said. Dancing and continuous italian music is another hallmark of the celebration.

"We served about 1,150 people at the spaghetti feed (on Friday)," Nobili said.

Most of the crowd at Paesano Days on Saturday afternoon, however, was gathered around the bocce ball courts as the three-day bocce tournament was in full swing. In bocce ball, two teams compete to roll balls closest to a target ball, called a pallino.

Funds raised from the event have contributed to such organizations as Northern California Burn Foundation's annual camp and Wings of Angels.