HISTORY
“When Italians get together, we have a lot of fun!” LA DOLCE VITA, according to Steve Ambroso, President of the Sun Lakes Italian American Club. And the tremendous growth of the club, more than doubling membership over the last two years, is proving that this is the club to join in Sun Lakes.
In 1972, E.J. Robson acquired 2,560 acres of farmland southeast of the Phoenix area which became Sun Lakes. Today, Sun Lakes an active adult community, includes 5 vibrant neighborhoods with their own golf courses, country clubs, pools, walking paths and hundreds of special interest clubs. Population in 2022 was over 14,000. www.sunlakesofarizona.com
The Sun Lakes Italian American Club (SLIAC) was founded in 1979 with a monthly meeting and Potluck. Evolving with the times, we now meet the first Thursday evening of the month – October through May in the Oakwood Ballroom, with a catered dinner, meetings and a program. Some of the programs from last year include:
- Interactive Italian Trivia.
- Holiday Party/Raffle with the AZ Opera singers.
- Celebrating Traditional Italian Weddings with dancing and family photos.
- Italian Potluck at Sisk Park with a mini-Bocce Tournament.
- Pastor Steve Foss talking about his father’s experiences in Italy during WWII.
- Great Italian Desert Bake-off Competition and Italian Food Trivia.
PURPOSE
To promote the general, cultural, and social welfare among its members and to preserve Italian heritage, customs, and traditions.
MEMBERSHIP
Open to all residents of Sun Lakes and surrounding communities. Dues are $20 each, payable by our first meeting in October. Currently we have 164 paid members.
MEETINGS
Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month – from October through May (unless otherwise noted) Catered dinners require an RSVP and pre-payment ($26 each) and held at the Oakwood Ballroom, 24218 S. Oakwood Blvd. Sun Lakes, AZ 85248 (inside, next to the Stone & Barrel restaurant). Our Holiday Party and Potluck require membership to attend, but we encourage guests to come to other meetings one time and check us out, dinners still require an RSVP and payment.