By Joe Bonadio

There’s a chill in the air, and while a profound quiet has stolen over the neighborhood this past week, there is an underlying anticipation for the days ahead. The light has taken on a different slant, the decorations are coming out, and can I say it? It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And with Thanksgiving less than a week away now, things are about to get very festive around here.

No doubt, North Beach takes the holidays very seriously. With its ultra-tight community and café culture–not to mention two beautiful Italian churches gracing its historic streets–North Beach does the holidays like no other San Francisco neighborhood. I’ll be staying in town for the holidays this year, and I’m psyched for all the parties and happenings coming our way.

One of them is a special holiday concert, set to be held in one of the aforementioned Italian churches: the Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi, which has occupied the northeast corner of Columbus and Vallejo for over a century and a half. Nick Figone, the Executive Director at North Beach’s San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, is one of the people bringing us the event, and was kind enough to talk to me about it earlier this week. Lightly edited for clarity and length, our conversation is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): So Nick, it’s hard to believe, but it’s late November. And here we are, right on the cusp of the holidays.

Nick Figone (NF): There is no busier time than the holidays in North Beach, so there are all kinds of wonderful events and activities in store for families and local groups, not to mention companies and nonprofits. We’re certainly going to be doing many, many holiday parties here at the Italian Athletic Club.

But there is one event I’m particularly excited about, that’s being put on by the Club and our foundation: the Concerto di Natale.

JB: The Concert of Christmas.

NF: Yes. It will be held on Thursday evening, December 5th, and it’s a great way to jump-start your Christmas season. It’s going to be a truly beautiful KQED-caliber performance by a tenor named Pasquale Esposito. He has appeared on KQED several times for a number of specials he has produced, so we are in for a treat.

It’s going to be happening at the Shrine of Saint Francis Assisi, which is an incredibly beautiful church, and now a shrine, in case you’ve never been inside.

JB: Right across the street from Caffe Trieste.

NF: That’s right. Also next to the Porziuncola, and Biordi’s Italian Imports.

JB: That’s a pretty darn Italian block. (Laughter)

NF: It is chockablock with all things Italian, so we figured there was no better place to host this Christmas concert. And again, we’re thrilled to have Pasquale Esposito with us.

JB: Have you had the event here at the Club in the past?

NF: No. Last year was our first year for the event, and we did it at the Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi last year too. We did that intentionally, because we really want to promote the food and beverage outside of the four walls of the SFIAC. We’re encouraging attendees to make dinner reservations at our local restaurants before the concert.

Remember, it’s meant to be an economic stimulus for the neighborhood. That’s one of the pillars of the SFIAC and its foundation: to promote and support the local businesses in North Beach to not just survive, but to thrive.

Last year we confirmed over 80 dinner reservations made here in the neighborhood, just in that one evening. So that’s the idea: make a dinner reservation, go have a drink beforehand, and then you get to enjoy a great Christmas concert. Pasquale is going to be singing both Italian and American Christmas standards, and he’s got a full band with backup vocals, costume changes, the whole nine yards. It’s a serious show. And the church is decorated to the nines, so it looks absolutely beautiful.

JB: I can’t wait to see it. Did you see what Nick (at Lillie Coit’s, on the other side of the park on Powell) did across the street?

NF: I did! He beat us all to the Christmas spirit! (Laughter)

JB: Well, he’s got a bottom line to serve. Nick’s like:  “Let’s just get this thing going! It’s almost Thanksgiving!” (Laughter)

NF: Right! Yeah, it’s fun to flip that page to the holidays–even if it does seem to flip sooner and sooner every year. But getting into the holiday season is always great. It’s a special time in Italy, and a special time in North Beach. I think events like the Christmas concert, and what Nick’s doing, and all the things our restaurants do to decorate and brighten up the neighborhood–it’s good for everybody.

JB: Agreed. Christmas is a great time in North Beach. And in terms of supporting the neighborhood, there are more places than ever: we’ve got North Beach Restaurant open, and your neighbors next door at Park Tavern should be open soon, yes?

NF: Literally any minute now.

JB: Excellent. This neighborhood is going to be livelier than ever. So are tickets available for the concert?

NF: Yes, tickets are available for the show. We have general admission tickets for $50, and VIP with front row seating for $100. All proceeds benefit the San Francisco Athletic Club and its foundation, as well as the Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi.

It’s worth mentioning that Saint Francis is a historic church: it was built in 1860, and almost destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. But the exterior walls and twin campanile were saved, and it was rebuilt in 1919.

JB: I didn’t know that. So what time does the show start on the 5th?

NF: The concert kicks off at 7:00, so people can grab an early bite. Tickets are available at the SFIAC Foundation website: sfiacfoundation.org/concerto.

JB: So the last time we spoke, we were talking about your Cornhole Tournament. How did that go?

NF: The Cornhole Tournament, which we threw with the Olympic Club Foundation, was an unequivocal success! We had spectacular weather that day, and it couldn’t have been a better day to throw some bean bags.

We had Chris Mullin (of Warriors Basketball fame) in attendance, and he was kind enough to stay and play a game. One of the teams beat him, and that team happened to be the Italian Athletic Club’s team. And we will never hear the end of it, because they beat Chris Mullin…

JB: The basketball star.

NF: Yes, Chris Mullin, the basketball star. The Gold Medal Olympic Champion. He sunk his first cornhole on the ceremonial first bag, but after that our team managed to beat him in a game.

Anyway, it worked out really well. People were happy, and well-fed and watered. We raised a lot of money for programming here in North Beach, as well as for youth sports through the Olympic Club Foundation. Another public-facing event that helps activate the streets of North Beach, and we’re looking forward to doing it again next year.

JB: That’s great. Is there anything else that you want to mention before we sign off?

NF: There is one more thing: we are actively in the midst of our annual appeal for donations, and that goes through December 31st. Members of the general public who love what the Italian Athletic Club and its foundation are doing are encouraged to give at our website. Any dollar amount is appreciated, and it’s all tax deductible.

So if you’re feeling generous for the holidays, and if you love what we’ve done over the course of the year–whether it’s the Pizza Festival, the Festa Italiana or the Cornhole Tournament–please remember that these things don’t happen on their own.

JB: Thank you again, Nick.

NF: My pleasure.

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San Francisco Italian Athletic Club
1630 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
sfiacfoundation.org