Magnifico! How Downtown Fargo Became Italian for Two Weeks in 1971 – InForum

If you’re looking for an example of a month in the past that had it all, September 1971 is it.

Here’s part of what happened:

• September 13: Prisoner revolt at Attica prison. A four-day uprising at Attica Correctional Facility in New York state left 43 dead, including nine hostages.
• September 15: Greenpeace is founded. A group of activists set sail from Vancouver on a converted fishing vessel called the Greenpeace to stop the United States from testing an atomic bomb in Alaska.
• September 27: Hirohito becomes the first emperor to visit the US He met with President Richard Nixon in Alaska.

Walter Cronkite had plenty of stories to fill his evening newscast.

But local news in Fargo, North Dakota, brought to light something entirely different—an Italian invasion of the city’s downtown.

A good one, of course (not unlike the British one of seven years ago that brought the Beatles to our shores). It was a renaissance of art, music, and food as members of an Italian trade delegation descended on Fargo to teach Midwesterners what it meant to be Italian.

From September 17 to October 9, the Herbst department store at 16 Broadway hosted the “Salute to Italy” event in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Italian Government Travel Agency.

Buyers had the opportunity to see the latest trends in Italian fashion and watch demonstrations by Italian craftsmen who specialize in glassblowing, woodcarving, jewelry design and ceramics.

The store showed travel videos while customers drank Italian wine and feasted on cheese, sausage, and pastries.

If that didn’t satisfy customers, they could head downstairs to the famous Herbst café on the lower floor, where one of the store brochures advertised the pizza as “The Pizza Di Resistance.”

“Our favorite Italian recipe for spaghetti and meatballs will pamper your senses with the aromatic and visual delights of Italian cuisine. Mama Mia, these are spiced meatballs! They are prepared by an authentic Italian chef… forget about the diet… enjoy… enjoy… enjoy!”

After meeting with a trade delegation, watching movies and eating pasta, customers were able to prepare for the 5,000-mile flight to Italy by watching a packing demonstration led by a real “flight attendant.”

“Throw away the aspirin and extra baggage. Marilyn Allen will answer your questions and show you how to pack it all into one suitcase. You’ll leave with the knowledge to travel to sunny Italy at any time.”

The name of the department store, Salute to Italy, was a natural fit for a family that loved to travel.

Frances Herbst, wife of then-store president Robert K. Herbst, donated her collection of 300 international dolls to NDSU in 1972. She collected dolls for more than 40 years, visiting 78 countries.

But the Herbsts didn’t keep their esteemed Italian guests to themselves. They took the Italian travel officials to NDSU to learn more about where their pasta comes from—the durum wheat fields of North Dakota.

For that brief two-week period in the fall of 1971, Fargo shoppers left the mall with bellies full of wine, cheese and sausage and brought home their new Italian clothes in specially designed red, white and green shopping bags. They paid tribute to Italy in style.

This is way more fun than a New York prison riot.

Note: There is no sound in the video.
Video courtesy of: State Historical Society of North Dakota/WDAY-TV Collection

Tracy Briggs has over 35 years of experience in broadcast, print and digital journalism.