Dean Martin fest draws fans in from all over
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STEUBENVILLE -- The annual Dean Martin Festival is important for Steubenville because it celebrates a hometown hero, but the ever-suave Dean Martin has been an influence for countless others.
Visitors from across the nation, all united by a love for Dean Martin and his timeless legacy, make their way to Steubenville each year to take part in the festival and see old friends.
Jim and Debbie Monaco made the trek to Steubenville from Cliffwood, N.J. Jim Monaco is the curator for the Dean Martin Traveling Museum, which will be displaying Dean Martin memorabilia at 124 N. Fourth St. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Jim Monaco is an extensive collector, having begun his collection at 13 years old. He and his wife spent about 16 hours setting up the museum on Thursday, and now they can sit back and mingle with visitors. They even went through the effort of organizing one-sheet posters for Martin's more than 50 movies in chronological order.
While watching over the collection, Debbie Monaco listened to the weekly show by Deana Martin being broadcasted online. She said that the Monacos have a great relationship with Deana and her husband John.
They first met In New York, Debbie Monaco said. From there, they visited each other's homes and even shared a barbecue.
Debbie Monaco said Deana often gives them shoutouts on her show, calling her "Deedee." She expected another shoutout on Friday for her upcoming anniversary, which falls on the weekend of the festival.
Jim Monaco received a visit from another good friend: Lou Martini Jr., who is an actor best known for his roles in "The Sopranos," The Godfather" and "Law & Order." Martini will be the grand marshal for the festival, a role he has been fulfilling for 15 years.
Martini said that his father became friends with Martin through the Copacabana Nightclub in New York. Through that relationship, Martini said, Martin would sometimes play with him when he was a child.
Years later, Martini said, he had the chance to reintroduce himself to Martin. Martini told Martin that he was inspired to take up acting because of him, to which Martin replied, "You keep doing what you're doing, pally, and you'll be fine."
Martini said, "The hairs on the back of my neck went 'swooo!'"
Also stopping in for the festival was Cindy Williford. Coming from Texas, Williford is the U.S. representative of the Dean Martin Association, which is based in England.
The association, Williford said, was started by Bernard H. Thorpe, who was a young man in England in 1960. He was a fan of Martin and had written him a letter asking if he could start a fan club for Martin.
From there, the association was born and recently experienced a revival headed by Bernard H. Thorpe's son, Elliot Thorpe.
"(Martin's) influence, even today, is mind-boggling," Williford said. "He didn't demand applause, you just applauded him because he was Dean."
Williford said she hopes to make further connections in Steubenville and get the association more involved in future festivals.
The guest book in the Historic Fort Steuben Visitor Center provides a sample of the festival's far reach. Over the last two days, visitors reported being from places like Culpeper, Va.; Baytown, Texas; Denver; and Bellevue, Ky.
Those exploring the Visitor Center were treated to a video display honoring Dean Martin. The video, compiled by Tina Baker, was composed of clips from Martin's TV show, movies and interviews. Judy Bratten, executive director of Historic Fort Steuben, said the fort has been showing the video each year for the festival for around 15 years.
Larry Coleman has been volunteering at the fort for about 20 years. He said that the most popular question people ask when entering the Visitor Center -- apart from "Where is the restroom?" -- is "Where is Dean Martin's house?"
Coleman said he remembers once in the past when a young boy, about 10 years old, entered the center and went right over to the Dean Martin display. It turns out, that boy was a fan, and "He knew everything about Dean," Coleman said.
At the Spot Bar's Dean Martin karaoke competition on Thursday, a former winner made a reappearance.
Jim Colocci, of Chesterland, Ohio, won the karaoke competition three years ago after performing classics like "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" and "Houston." His "100 percent" Italian heritage may have assisted his performing skills, he said.
Colocci is attending the festival for his 12th year, and he has a long history with Dean Martin.
"My two favorite singers growing up were Dean Martin and Ray Charles," Colocci said. "The first song I fell in love with -- I was 6 years old -- was 'Memories Are Made of This.'
"(Martin) is one of the best entertainers you ever had."
Colocci, who is also a Mr. Cleveland Bodybuilding Competition champion, said his favorite part of the festival is "meeting people who you've met throughout the year."
"It's the people who make any event," he added.