Mamma mia! The Italian Festival returns to McAlester

In today's Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch, the crew is joined by Tobi Coleman with Revolve Productions to talk all things Italian for the 53rd annual Italian Festival going on in McAlester this weekend.

"The staging and the tents are going up today, it's really, really an awesome event," Coleman said. "A great, fun weekend."

The event will be a weekend-long affair, with activities and entertainment planned throughout both days. It will be completely free to attend.

"Of course there's a carnival, and there's live music all day," Coleman said. "We got the party on the lawn, and Saturday afternoon we have a spaghetti eating contest for the kids at 3 o'clock. And elephant rides, hot air balloon rides if the weather permits. It's just a really good time."

Coleman made it a point to shoutout the people who put the whole show together, and said it's really those people who make the event impactful and memorable.

"This festival is really ran by the community and a lot of volunteers," she said. "Any money they raise goes back to the community to various charities. And they also give away two scholarships to students who are actively involved in community volunteering."

For more festival details, make sure and checkout the info on their official website.