Swinging Sixties Senior Center has been hosting a lecture series in memory of reknown local, Michele Giannattasio, in collaboration with the Calandra Institute at Queens College. On June 5th, the series will host a screening of The Barese Ice Men of New York, which begins at 7 p.m. Joseph Sciorra will emcee and there will be a Q and A following with some of the film’s participants.
The Barese Icemen of New York, directed by Carlo Magaletti a Barese, is an ice blast from the past, that awakens its audience to the realities of what our city was like before modern conveniences such as refrigerators and air conditioning. The film follows the story of the Italian immigrants from the region of Apulia who from the 1920s to the 1960s dominated the making and delivery of ice in New York City.
What was it like lugging 100 pounds of ice up four flights of tenement stairs? Why did this trade remain lucrative throughout the Great Depression? How did many of these icemen transition into coal and oil delivery after household refrigerators had become the norm?
Come see the screening and get the answers to these questions.
‘The Barese Icemen of New York” will be presented by Joseph Sciorra, Ph.D. (Calandra Institute at Queens College) on June 5 starting at 7 p.m. There will be a Q & A following the film’s screening.
If you’d like to make reservations please go to: https://bareseicemen.eventbrite.com
The Greenline 