Vandergrift’s oldest Italian social club celebrated a major milestone last Saturday, Aug. 27.

The Bari Club, the sole surviving Italian social club in the borough, celebrated its 100th anniversary with wall-to-wall well-wishers celebrating all things Italian.

“All the other Italian clubs are gone in Vandergrift,” said Frank “Beans” Moliterno, 92, the financial secretary and oldest regular member of the club.

Moliterno became a Bari member 67 years ago.

Photos: Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review Frank “Beans” Moliterno, 92, of Vandergrift holds a framed photo of Saint Rocco, the patron saint of Noci, Italy.  

His nickname comes from when he was 11 years old and had a strong aversion to lima beans. The name stuck — and he still won’t eat lima beans.

Moliterno’s father, the late Angelo Moliterno, was a founding member of the club.

The first meetings were hosted at the Sons of Italy Hall, then on Linden Street in Vandergrift.

In 1938, property was purchased on Sycamore Street for $638.

The new club building was completed in 1940.

The club’s 45 “regular” members volunteer their time and efforts to keep the club going.

Think of it as an Italian fraternity, where friends are like family and fellowship abounds, members said.

According to the club’s bylaws, regular members must be at least 21 and an Italian male.

Nowadays, more than 480 social members call the Bari Club home.

Social memberships are open to men and women 21 and older, although the club has paused accepting new memberships because of capacity limits.

Some of Vandergrift’s earliest residents hailed from the Bari state of Italy.

Seeking work in a thriving turn-of-the-century Vandergrift, immigrants from all over Europe came to settle in the borough designed by famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Most spoke only Italian, and, in 1922, the Bari Club was created by 52 charter members, all male, seeking a place to socialize outside of work.

Members said there is no initiation process to complete.

The club building was constructed for $20,000, and its mortgage was paid off in two years.

Moliterno said his earliest memories at the club were dances attended by his parents.

“This is my club. I was in that corner when Kennedy got shot,” said Moliterno, pointing to his seat at the end of the bar, a spot he still claims today.

Now, video poker and games of chance help to raise money for the club.

Recent updates and amenities include the addition of WiFi, a jukebox, an ATM machine and replacing the cardboard ceiling with wood.

“We usually get about 65 (patrons) a day, coming in the evening. We have steady customers, and we serve pizzas and appetizers,” said member Ray Pugliese, 69, of East Vandergrift.

The club has endured difficult financial periods, but Pugliese said the club enjoys solid financial standing now.

“I think it’s a blessing to everybody, because this place went through some good times and bad times,” Pugliese said. “The business dropped off back in the 1940s.”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review The founding members of the Bari Club are listed in a Costituzione book. The Bari Club was founded in 1922 by Italian men from the town of Noci in the state of Bari, Italy.  

Mayor Lenny Collini called the club an Italian institution.

Collini has been a Bari Club social member since 1981.

“Congratulations goes out to the Bari Club of Vandergrift for their 100-year anniversary. May you keep up with the traditions and uphold the Italian values that our ancestors invested in,” Collini said.

Moliterno recalled that the upstairs hall of the club has hosted hundreds of weddings, First Holy Communions, birthdays, graduation parties and other celebrations.

“I grew up here. My parents would put me on two chairs. They didn’t have babysitters then. And everyone walked to the Bari,” Moliterno said.

Bari Club members are committed to giving back, combining service with socializing.

Moliterno raised more than $80,000 for the Leukemia Society through the Bari Open golf outing, which operated annually for 16 years before ending.

Recent charitable work from the Bari Club includes giving more than $15,000 to Vandergrift Meals on Wheels, supporting the Kiski Area School District wrestling program and donating to the Vandergrift Nos. 1 and 2 volunteer fire companies.

A Bari ladies auxiliary formed in 2020, and secretary Missy Toth of Washington Township attended the 100th celebration.

“It was good people and good food,” Toth said.

Courtesy of the Bari Club Courtesy of the Bari Club The Bari Club in Vandergrift celebrated its 100th anniversary with a large party Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022.  

More than 120 guests attended the club’s birthday celebration. The festivities included live music, a large cake and mega amounts of Italian food.

For Moliterno, celebrating the club’s 100th brought back memories.

“I had my graduation party here,” Moliterno said. “All my kids’ birthday parties were here.”

The ladies auxiliary assists with fundraising efforts and helps members of the community on a case-by-case basis.

Shawn Rowe, 48, of Vandergrift is Bari’s youngest member.

Rowe owns a funeral home, and his fellow members jokingly refer to him as the undertaker.

“I’ve been a member here since I was 21. I enjoy coming in and working with the guys. My mother is full-blooded Italian,” Rowe said.

Rowe said he is honored to be the junior member.

“Trying to uphold the family traditions,” Rowe said. “It’s nice to be a part of it. I get tons of advice. We work together well.”

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