For a local Italian immigrant, accordion is a reminder of home
Ercole Ventura isn’t convinced his name suits him.
In Italian, “Ercole” translates to “Hercules.”
And at 5-foot-8 and average weight, Ercole said, he can’t compare to the mythic figure.
“I just don’t have the muscles of Hercules,” he said.
But the way the 75-year-old lithely supports an almost-30-pound accordion across his chest might suggest Hercules fits Ercole just fine.
Ventura, a New Hartford resident, learned to play the Herculean-sized accordion in 1950, when he was just 14.
The instrument was popular in his hometown of Andali, Italy, a village of about 1,100 located in the province of Catanzaro. On a clear day, he said, you could see the speck of a ship traversing the ocean.
Four years later, Ventura became one of those specks, sailing his way to America on the “Constitution” with the rest of his family, searching for better fortune. Close by him was the used accordion his father had bought him years earlier. In its hard-shelled case, it was protected on the nine-day trip. But on several occasions it was out, strapped around Ventura’s shoulders after he was called upon to perform for the ship’s passengers.
“I cherished it more than anything else,” he said. “I would keep it with me in my cabin and only take it out and go play at the restaurant and the stage that they had.”
Almost 60 years later, Ventura still is taking out his accordion (although not the original; that’s safely stored away). He makes frequent appearances throughout the Mohawk Valley, playing with Il Coro Italiano (The Italian Choir) or on his own. It’s not uncommon that he and the accordion have “jobs” several times a week.
The demand for the accordion-fueled Italian music might not be as intense as it was in the ’50s and ’60s when Italians immigrated in large numbers to the area, but there’s still a strong demand, Ventura said.
Ventura Seaside Tournament - News
Ventura's music is able to intensify that bond for the Italian immigrants and their families in his audience. It also offers him a piece of his seaside homeland. “There are certain songs that are particular of my region, and I have a special feeling
James C. Altman III and Ka Wai Choy sold 604 Majestic Oak Drive, Majestic Oaks, Seaside Plantation to American International Relocation Solutions LLC for $250000. David Ray and Gaynell D. McDaniel sold Unit 116, 1025 Riverland Woods Place,
2 at Seaside Reef in Cardiff by the Sea over the weekend. out of 22 teams. UCSD-A scored 80 points. The SDSU Black team won the event with 124 points. The next Southwest College event is schedule for the 9th Street break in Huntington Beach on Dec.
BREWERS TOYS FOR TOTS: The Ventura County Brewers will Host the inaugural Toys for Tots Baseball Tournament Dec. 17-18. All teams will be asked to donate a minimum of 10 new packaged unwrapped toys worth $19 or more, The Brewers will also hold a raffle
Twenty two of the West Coast's College Teams descended upon Cardiff's Seaside Reef on Sunday, November 13 and were greeted with super fun glassy peaks. Although the swell had decreased and was too small for classic reef conditions, the surf was going
Santa Cruz – Outside Roundup: Jason Collins, Ken Collins lead ...
From left, Frank Hagaman, Nancy Napoli, Aaron Burke and Ken… (Darryl Virostko/Contributed)
Several Santa Cruz pro surfers hit the links in Half Moon Bay on Sunday for the first Fleahab Golf Tournament organized by Darryl “Flea” Virostko.
The best-ball tournament featured about 10 pro surfers and 30 amateur golfers at the Ritz Carlton’s Old Course. The event raised roughly $2,000 for Virostko’s Fleahab, a sober-living environment and drug rehabilitation program that uses sports to help those with drug and alcohol addictions.
“It was really a success,” Virostko said. “We’re going to get it going for next year.”
Two foursomes shot scores of 67, including a group led by Santa Cruz surfer Jason “Ratboy” Collins and another led by Ken “Skindog” Collins. Skindog’s group — which included Nancy Napoli, Frank Hagaman and Aaron Burke — won on a countback.
Maverick’s pioneer Jeff Clark won a closest-to-the-pin contest on the 17th hole and received a jacket from sponsor Quiksilver’s Waterman Collection. Other prizes went to Hagaman for closest-to-the-pin on the third hole and Michael Minor for the longest drive.
Captiola’s Shaun Burrell, who now lives in La Jolla and attends UC San Diego, placed third in the men’s division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s Southwest Conference College Team season event No. 2 at Seaside Reef in Cardiff by the Sea over the weekend.
Burrell helped his team, UCSD-A to an eighth-place finish out of 22 teams. UCSD-A scored 80 points. The SDSU Black team won the event with 124 points.
The next Southwest College event is schedule for the 9th Street break in Huntington Beach on Dec. 3-4.
Santa Cruz native John Mel, who now lives in Newport Beach, won the boys division of the NSSA Southwest Conference Open Season event No. 5 at 54th Street in Newport Beach on Nov. 9.