The Dante Society of Westerly, RI

2026 Annual Fried Dough Breakfast
2026-05-09 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | St. Pius X, 45 Elm St., Westerly, RI, 02891
Dante Society of Westerly is hosting a Fried Dough Breakfast and Bake Sale.
Proceeds from the event help support educational grants and scholarships in keeping with the mission of the Dante Society.
Cost is $10 for 12 and older, $5 for under 12 yrs.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from members of the Dante Society of Westerly, or at the door.

Society members are encouraged to volunteer to assist with the event.

Movie: The Leopard
2026-05-19 16:00 - 19:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The United Theatre and the Dante Society of Westerly present a screening of the epic historical drama “The Leopard”.
The movie was released in Italy in 1963.

Adapted from the 1958 novel of the same name written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who never saw it published as he died the year before it was published. “Set against Garibaldi’s 1860s campaign to unify Italy, the film follows the aristocratic Salina family as they reluctantly confront sweeping social change. Proud yet pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina consents to his nephew Tancredi’s marriage to Angelica, the beautiful daughter of the bourgeois Don Calogero, hoping the union will preserve the family’s comfort and political influence.”

Much of this movie was filmed in Sicily, but most interior shots were done in Rome. The movie was originally shot partly in English and partly in Italian. Scenes with Burt Lancaster, who stars as Don Fabrizio Corbera, were shot in English, and later dubbed into Italian for the Italian release. The other scenes were shot in Italian and later dubbed into English. The movie was 191 minutes long when presented at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, wining the Palm d’Or. It was cut to 185 minutes for the official Italian release. The film is included in the Italian Ministry of Culture Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved.
The 1963 English release, for England and the US, did not fair well as it had been cut from the Italian release of 185 minutes to 171 minutes, and the English dubbing was considered extremely poor both in the translation and the synchronization.
The movie has circulated in 5 versions, with the lengths ranging from the original 205 minutes to the initial foreign release of 171 minutes. In 1983 the Italian version was approved for foreign release with the Italian language restored. Fox released a restored version in 2004 with English subtitles.

Length 3 hr 5 min; “PG” rated
Filmed in Sicily and Rome
Film is in Italian with English captions

Nominated for 1 Oscar (Best Costume Design, Color)
Cannes Film Festival: 1963 winner of the Palme d’Or award (the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival)
Additional information is available from IMDb
The plot synopsis and other information on the film can be found on WikipediA

Tickets may be purchased at the theater at time of the show or online. For online purchases, see the United Theatre web site for the movie.

General Membership Meeting June 2026
2026-06-11 18:00 - 19:00 | Westerly Senior Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the Second of the four members’ business meeting for 2026.
(the next meeting is scheduled for September 1)
The general agenda is:

Call Meeting to Order
Opening Statement by the President of the Society
Approval of the previous Minutes (Minutes from November are now available – see the page Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes)
New member Introduction
Committee Reports
Upcoming Events & Programs
Other new items

When available, the full agenda can be found in the Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes.
This meeting will be held at the Senior Center.

Members are reminded that the bylaws require attendance at a minimum of 50% of membership meetings as well as participation and support in society activities.
The remaining meetings this year are scheduled for September 10 and November 12.

Please review the minutes from the previous meeting (March 2026) prior to attending the meeting.
The minutes from the previous meeting, when available, may be found using this link: Index of Agendas & Minutes

2026 Annual Summer Gathering
2026-06-24 18:00 - 20:00 | RI
This is the annual membership gathering for the end of the 2025/2026 season. The Pat Sposato Award is presented at the event.
This is a members-only event. Members must sign up if they plan on attending, and indicate if they will be bringing a guest.
The society will provide provide pizza. A link will be provide a few months before the event for members to sign up. There is no charge, but a head count is required to determine how many pizzas will be required.
Members can find additional details on the event and the attendance signup form by clicking here: Summer Gathering Signup

2026 Johnny V's Meatball Challenge and Pasta Dinner
2026-08-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Calabrese Club, 28 Pleasant Street, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The Dante Society of Westerly hosts the 2nd Annual Johnny V’s Meatball Challenge and Pasta Dinner, where diners vote in a blind taste test for their favorite meatball.

Last year was a sellout; this is a preliminary save-the-date posting.
Details will be posted as they become available.

Three sponsoring contestants are participating in the challenge. Details on the sponsors will be added here.
The contestant will be assigned one of 3 colors (green, white, and red) on the day of the contest, and each of their meatballs will have a small flag with that color to identify it.
Each ticket has a stub which is the ballot to vote for your favorite of the 3
It is a buffet style dinner, served from a service table, with open seating. Details on the timing and seating.
You do not need to wait for the results as we will publish on our web site and Facebook page later that evening as to who was selected as the peoples’ choice for favorite meatball.
Details on ticket pricing and availability will be added here.

Sponsoring Contestants
Sponsors will be listed in Early to Mid June
After the event:

The winner will be listed here
The color associated with each sponsor will be listed here

Ticket Information

Each ticket contains 2 parts: one part for the dinner and a second part that is the ballot for voting for your favorite meatball.

If you bought tickets from the Chamber, be sure to bring them with you.
If you ordered tickets online, when you arrive for dinner stop by the desk at the door to pick them up.
It is expected that ticket pricing and availability will be posted mid to late June

Menu
Salad
Bread
Pasta with sauce
(3) meatballs, one from each sponsor
Dessert

Note: Each meatball will have a small green, white, or red colored flag. The ballot half of your ticket contains a list of the 3 colors. Be sure to select your favorite meatball by circling the color of the flag it came with, and submitting your vote at the ballot box before you leave.

General Membership Meeting September 2026
2026-09-10 18:00 - 19:30 | Westerly Senior Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the Third of the four members’ business meeting for 2026.
(the next meeting is scheduled for November 12)
The general agenda is:

Call Meeting to Order
Opening Statement by the President of the Society
Approval of the previous Minutes (Minutes from November are now available – see the page Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes)
New member Introduction
Committee Reports
Upcoming Events & Programs
Other new items

When available, the full agenda can be found in the Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes.
This meeting will be held at the Senior Center.

Members are reminded that the bylaws require attendance at a minimum of 50% of membership meetings as well as participation and support in society activities.
The last meeting this year is scheduled for November 12.

Please review the minutes from the previous meeting (June 11, 2026) prior to attending the meeting.
The minutes from the previous meeting, when available, may be found using this link: Index of Agendas & Minutes

Movie: Sept 22 - Title TBD
2026-09-22 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The United Theatre and the Dante Society of Westerly present a screening of {TBD}.
The movie title and associated details will be listed closer to the date.

2026 Annual Anna Turrisi Cooking Demonstration
2026-10-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Calabrese Club, 28 Pleasant Street, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The Dante Society of Westerly continues the tradition of hosting the annual Anna Turrisi Cooking Demonstration.
SAVE THE DATE
Tickets are required for attendance. There is a 160 seat limit.
Details will be posted as they are finalized.

A History of the Unification of Italy
2026-10-17 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
(details pending)

General Membership Meeting November 2026
2026-11-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Westerly Senior Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the Fourth of the four members’ business meeting for 2026.
(the next meeting will be scheduled for March 2027)
The general agenda is:

Call Meeting to Order
Opening Statement by the President of the Society
Approval of the previous Minutes (Minutes from November are now available – see the page Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes)
New member Introduction
Committee Reports
Upcoming Events & Programs
Other new items

When available, the full agenda can be found in the Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes.
This meeting will be held at the Senior Center.

Members are reminded that the bylaws require attendance at a minimum of 50% of membership meetings as well as participation and support in society activities.

Please review the minutes from the previous meeting (September 10, 2026) prior to attending the meeting.
The minutes from the previous meeting, when available, may be found using this link: Index of Agendas & Minutes

Movie: Nov 17 - Title TBD
2026-11-17 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States

2026 Holiday Concert
2026-12-09 08:00 - 20:00 | RI
>> Save the Date <<

A holiday concert (or 2) are in the works for this date. Updates will be posted as they become available.

Italian Opera
2027-02-27 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
