Norwich — The Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee of Norwich will hold its annual Columbus Day banquet on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Holiday Inn Norwich and will honor two "Italians of the Year."

The event will honor the Italians of the Year John Iovino and Rosario Presti. The banquet annually honors a person of Italian descent from the greater Norwich area, who promotes Italian culture and contributes to the betterment of the entire Norwich community.

A buffet dinner of antipasto, pasta bar, beef, chicken breast, flounder, oven potatoes, vegetables, wine, coffee/tea, spumoni and Italian pastries will be served.

Tickets are $36 each and can be picked up at the Liberty Store, 426 E. Main St., Norwich, or call (860) 889-0864.

Iovino, director of student affairs at Norwich Free Academy, is a third-generation Italian-American. Iovino, who grew up in Danbury, started his NFA career in 1977 and has held several academic and athletic positions during his tenure.

He was head coach of the NFA baseball team from 1979 to 2007, and in 2003 the team won the Eastern Connecticut Conference Championship, the LL State Championship and was voted the No. 1 team in Connecticut and the No. 24 team in the country.

He is a member of the Otis Library board of directors, a member of the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame Committee and is chairman of the Norwich Recreation Advisory Board. He was inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Presti, nicknamed “Rosey the Bug,” the son of immigrant Italian parents, grew up in Norwich.

He was a mainstay at Fitzgerald Field, where he ran the snack bar, using a bike and a wheelbarrow to transport goods.

As a musician and DJ, he hosted sock hop fundraisers, local dances and veterans' events and ran sound trucks for politicians.

He is a longtime member of the Norwich Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee.