Edition 3 of our Family Cookbook - coming up!!

Dear Family & Friends,

In 2007 the Ciccone, De Luca and Mantine families created a collection of recipes, photos, stories and memories called “From Abruzzo With Love” Version 2. The idea of a picnic emerged while writing the book. That picnic took place on the long weekend in August 2007 in Vancouver at John Hendry Park. Since that picnic, our interest in our roots has led us to meet new relatives and reacquaint ourselves with other old friends. Some of those relatives, a Celli from Salt Spring Island and a Ciccone from Duncan felt left out that they had missed the 2007 picnic. Also, there were many requests from others who had been to the first picnic, and they wanted to know when the next one was scheduled. Margaret Monro (Celli) and Teresa Sainsbury (Ciccone) have graciously agreed to organize a 2010 picnic on the long weekend in August at the same venue.

As we helped them work on the invitation list for the picnic, we realized that this second picnic was turning out to be bigger than just the Ciccone, De Luca and Mantine families. It was going to be a celebration of families who emigrated from Abruzzo and settled in the Hastings East part of Vancouver. We also wanted to include families who settled in other parts of the world and had been researching and finding their links to this area. They want to come too! The picnic will be a celebration of our Abruzzo links; a sharing of our common roots.

Now that plans for a 2010 picnic are underway, an update of the “From Abruzzo with Love” sounds like a good idea. We quickly realized that a simple update of the same information is not sufficient. Our circle of connections is getting bigger, and there are many more stories and photos about relatives not even mentioned in Version 2.

We need your help! We want to produce Version 3 and we want it to tell your stories and show your photos. We plan to create the book after the August 2010 picnic and we are counting on you to contribute. Now is your chance to tell us about your Abruzzo roots. Contributions of pictures, old and new, and stories and memories of your family are wanted. If you have any genealogy charts, send them too. When the charts are linked, you may find that your old friends are really relatives!

The timeline for submitting photos and stories from now until October 1, 2010. The new version of “From Abruzzo with Love” will be available sometime before Christmas.

Send your contributions electronically to Irene McCart (DeLuca) at mailto:imccart@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing your contributions in an E-mail, an envelope sent by post, or handed in at the picnic in August.

2010 PICNIC CONVENERS
Margaret Monro (Celli)
Teresa Sainsbury (Ciccone)

CONSULTANTS (with experience from the 2007 PICNIC)
Madeline Dent (DeLuca)
Irene McCart (DeLuca)
Jen DeLuca
Juanita Madill (Nino/Mantine)