The line between festival and family reunion blurred Sunday at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds.
Italian music carried across the warm afternoon, children danced near the Bambini Stage, visitors made their way toward wine tastings and food booths, and inside an exhibit hall, families paused in front of banners tracing Italian American stories rooted in Stockton, Linden and San Joaquin County’s agricultural past.
Presented by the Sambado family, Festa Italiana brought together Italian clubs, volunteers, vendors, performers and families for a daylong celebration of Italian American culture in San Joaquin County. The annual event filled the fairgrounds with music, food, cooking demonstrations, cultural exhibits and a sauce contest that invited attendees to judge one of Italian cooking’s most personal traditions…