WHEELING — The 42nd-annual Undo’s Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival will be held July 25-27 at Wheeling’s Heritage Port.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 25-26 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 27.

This year’s event will focus on food, family and fun, according to organizers.

The purpose of the festival is to provide scholarships to local students, as well as to continue to share the Italian culture with members of the community.

This year, $18,000 was provided in scholarships, officials announced.

Recipients included two students from each of the six counties represented by the board: Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio, and Brooke, Hancock, Marshall and Ohio counties in West Virginia.

In addition to foods of homemade sausage and meatballs, wood-fired pizza and other Italian dishes will be available, as well as food from other cultures.

A kickoff dinner has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Undo’s West in St. Clairsville. The dinner will be in honor of the Italian-American of the Year, Beau Catalano. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

Among the activities and events to take place at the festival is a veterans ceremony to honor all veterans in the Ohio Valley. This event will take place at 11 a.m. on July 26. At the conclusion of the ceremony, there will be a hospitality tent with a light lunch and a time for camaraderie, officials announced.

A Catholic Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. July 27, featuring Bishop Mark Edward Brennan of the Wheeling-Charleston diocese.

The Mass will be preceded by the rosary, set for 9:40 a.m., organizers noted.

Following the Mass, a traditional spaghetti and meatball Sunday dinner will be available, beginning at 11 a.m. The meal will continue until all of the food sells out. Dinners will be available for purchase at the Little Italy food tent.

Other events set for July 27 include: Demonstrations on gnocchi making and Limoncello making; beer, wine and wine slushies will be available for purchase and the children’s area will make its return to the festival. The childrens’ area features inflatables, games and fun for boys and girls.

Entertainment during the three-day event will feature a variety of local dancers and singers occupying either the main stage or the Little Italy stage.

Opening ceremonies will kick off the festival at noon at the main stage, officials said.

Featured entertainers include U.S. Kids, 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. July 26, main stage; Spinning Jenny, 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 26, main stage; and the McCartney Project, a McCartney/Wings/Beatles Tribute, 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. July 26, main stage.

Faire May music will be performed from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 27 at the Little Italy stage. And Shawn McClurg, a Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra singer, will take the Little Italy stage from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. July 25 and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 27.