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On behalf of the Tirolesi Trentini del Minnesota club, I want to welcome you to the 20th ITTONA Convention July 20-22 in Mountain Iron, Minnesota.
Immigrants from Italy and more than 43 other countries made their homes in northern Minnesota in the early 1900s. Many of our parents and grandparents were among those of past generations who worked in the iron ore mines in an effort to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
We cherish our Trentini heritage because we sincerely believe it inspires our present and contributes to our future endeavors. In keeping with these beliefs, our convention theme is “Mining Trentini Roots on the Iron Range” and our motto is “A Bonding of Friendships.”
Consequently, we’re encouraging everyone who attends the convention to get to know as many Trentini members from other clubs as possible. Each attendee can offer a wealth of Trentini history from his or her community. To further our goal of bonding friendships, we’re recommending that everyone at the convention exchange their club pins with one another.
During the convention, we plan to showcase venues that will highlight our lives and ancestry in northern Minnesota. While here, I encourage you to tour our open pit iron ore mines and visit our Research Center. Enjoy the music of “Abies Alba” from Trento - a folk group that includes Maurizio Tomasi - and listen and dance to the acoustic jazz ensemble “Clearwater Hot Club” as well as the 50s and 60s band, "The Renowns.” And if that isn’t enough, we’ve scheduled a popular sing-a-long featuring many Italian favorites.
Here’s something else to consider: Diane Olds at “Happy Trails,” a professional tour company that many of our members have used to travel to past conventions in Solvay and Toronto, is providing three tours exploring northern Minnesota for those who want to extend their visit by arriving early or staying late. In conjunction with these extra tours, Holiday Inn Manager Jane Serrano has been kind enough to offer conventioneers the opportunity to stay at the hotel for three days before and three days after the convention at the special convention room rate.
Additional information and registration forms to print out are available on our website at www.trentini.org.
There is also a blog for day-to-day information at ittona2012.blogspot.com.
It should be obvious...we’re excited for you to come and celebrate Trentini heritage and fellowship with us this summer in northern Minnesota, the land of more than 10,000 lakes and sky blue waters.
Ciao, Debbie Corradi President Trentini Tirolese Del Minnesota, Stella del Nord
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