July 26 - Italian Festival Night at the Ballpark

Bisons baseball and Italian Night together, that's Amore!
A great tradition every year at Coca-Cola Field, the Bisons will host their annual Italian Festival Night on Wednesday, July 26, presented by Ilio DiPaolo's. The Herd hosts the Durham Bulls starting at 7:05 p.m., but the fun starts well before the first pitch.
Get to the ballpark for a special pregame Pavilion Party beginning at 5pm with live entertainment, food specials and special award ceremonies for this year's Bisons' Italian Night Honoree, Ottoviano 'Tovie' Asarese. Then after the game, make sure you check out a spectacular Fireworks Show, presented by UNYTS.

Here are all the details for this year's Italian Festival Night
Tickets
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS, and remember you save $2.00 with every ticket you buy in advance of game day.

Pre-Game Pavilion Party
TIME: From 5-7pm
ENTERTAINMENT: Live music from the Buffalo Jazz & Swing Band.
FOOD SPECIALS: Enjoy a Stuffed Shees & Italian Sausage Platter (with garlic bread) for only $8.00, Italian Sausage with peppers and onions for only $5.00 or Tripe for $2.00.
ITALIAN NIGHT HONOREE: Ottoviano 'Tovie' Asarese
Ottoviano Asarese, better known as "Tovie" has always been a Community minded person. A Korean War Veteran and owner of the Royal Printing Co., he has multiplied enough accomplishments in several areas of endeavor for others to do justice to ten ordinary men. In an ongoing never ceasing manner, he has given unselfishly of his time, talent, energy and resources in several different fields of self-sacrifice for others.
Mr. Tovie Asarese has been an integral part of the Western New York sports scene for over 50 years. A humble and unassuming man, Tovie's contributions to amateur and youth sports has been widely noticed and recognized by many organizations in the area.
HONORS AND AWARDS: Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame - 1998; Western New York Softball Hall of Fame - 1992; Man of the Year, Buffalo Municipal Baseball Association Award; Knights of Columbus Council 3076 "Phil Scaffi di" Man of the Year - 1982; Buffalonian of the Year, Presented by Mayor Griffi n - 1984; Canisius College Cage Club Past President's Award for "outstanding service to youth"; West Side Sportsman Association "Stan Barron Memorial Award" for dedication to youth on the West Side - 1988; St. Sebastian (Patron Saint of Athletes) Award for sustained and dedicated service to Parochial School Athletics in the Diocese of Buffalo - 1993; Alfred S. Marino Community Service Award of Lifetime Achievement - West Side Jr. Baseball Club; Chairman of Family Day at the Ball Park, 32 years; inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2007; Lafayette High School Hall of Fame.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO ATHLETICS: Sponsor/Coach AAABA Royal Printing for over 50 years -team finished 3rd in the nation in 2000. Also went undefeated in 1976. Coach at Catholic Academy of West Buffalo - baseball and basketball (boys); softball and basketball (girls). Founder/Director West Side Street Hockey Program; one of the founders of the West Side Little League Football Club; Founder/Director of West Side Ponytail Softball League (50 year involvement). Helped re-organize the West Side Boys Baseball (also a past president).
NOTABLE: Asarese-Matters Recreation Facility - 1989; Converted empty lot in 1970 to a West Side Play Area consisting of paving, lighting and fencing 9500 square feet - four basketball courts and tot lot (turned into a parking lot in 1992). Program moved to School 18 playground. Coached these former athletes: Sal Buscaglia, Pat Raimondo, Phil McConkey, Joe Mihalics, Ed Book, Leonard Stokes.
OTHER AWARDS: Holy Name Man of the Year - 2005; Buffalo City Lodge Man of the Year; Scajaquada District Boy Scouts of America Award of Merit; Forest District Civic Association Civic Recognition Award; West Side Business and Taxpayers' Association "Man of the Year" Award; Service to Mankind Award - Greater Buffalo Sertoma Club; Lafayette High School Wall of Fame.
He is a former trustee of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, where he served for 26 years. Chairman of the Salacious Literature Committee of the Diocesan Union of Holy Name Societies, has served on the advisory board to Buffalo Boys' Town and the City of Buffalo High School Advisory Sports Committee. He also served as a volunteer with the City of Buffalo Commission on Human Relations. He is a former President of the Forest District Civic Association, and the Past President of the Evening Optimist Club of Buffalo.
His devotion to youth has been communicated through sports which he uses as a vehicle of reaching the younger generation. He was one of the founders of the West Side Little League Football Club, and is a past president of the West Side Jr. Baseball Club. Founder and Director of the West Side Ponytail Softball League for girls ages 9-18 with 10 teams still going strong and the West Side Street Hockey.
Without a doubt, the greatest monument to Tovie's dedication and love for youth was the conversion of an empty lot in 1970 into the West Side Play Area. He used his energy, talent, resourcefulness and love to completely pave, light and fence 9,500 square feet of vacant land into a play area in order to give his beloved youth a place to go to do something constructive. It was through sheer determination that Tovie engineered the construction of four basketball courts and an adjacent Tot Lot in this area where over thousands of youths had used this facility for 21 years until 1992 when it was turned into a parking lot. This was his greatest joy and also his biggest disappointment.
Not to say "die" the program was moved to School #18 playground with the help of the Board of Education and the City of Buffalo and then to this day at the Asarese-Matters Center.
In 1989 a new recreation facility located on Grant Street was named the Asarese-Matters Center which is a great tribute to Tovie. To be alive and to see this happen is the greatest tribute any person could ever receive in a lifetime.