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A taste of "The Sopranos" - courtesy of the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack - will flavor up this year's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival.

Festival and track officials announced Monday a partnership that will bring cast members from the popular television series "The Sopranos" and comedian Joe Piscopo to both the festival and the racetrack the weekend beginning July 24.

Actor Vincent Pastore, who played Salvatore Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos," will perform with his band The Lickety Splits from 7-9 p.m. July 24 at the festival at Wheeling's Heritage Port. Then at 8 p.m., Pastore will join fellow Sopranos castmates Tony Lip and Denise Borino Quinn for the "Shut Up and Eat Dinner and Book Signing Show" at the racetrack.

Lip and Quinn have compiled a cookbook titled "Shut Up and Eat" featuring recipes from Sopranos cast members, and selected dishes from the book will be prepared by the executive chef at the track for the dinner, according to track spokeswoman Kim Florence.

Then as guests eat their meal, Lip and Quinn will interact with the diners, answer questions about the dishes and sign copies of their cookbook.

Piscopo, meanwhile, will perform at the track at 7 p.m. July 24. On July 25, he will serve as master of ceremonies for the the Italian Festival from 1-5 p.m.

Tickets must be purchased for the track events, while the festival events are open to the public.

The annual Upper Ohio Valley Heritage Festival Kick-off Dinner also will take place at the track this year, starting at 6 p.m. July 17. It is during the dinner that the "Italian-American of the Year" is honored and college students receiving scholarships through the festival are acknowledged. This year's Italian-American of the Year is Tony D'Ulisse of Follansbee.

Robert Gaudio, chairman of the Upper Ohio Valley Heritage Festival, on Monday dispelled rumors that the festival had fallen on hard financial times.

"We are financially stable due to our patrons and sponsors," he said.

Gaudio noted, though, that earlier this year the festival had asked for donations for its scholarship program, which had lost money from its investment portfolio as the stock market rapidly declined.

"As expected, the people and businesses of the Ohio Valley stepped forward," he continued. "Some offered financial donations, while others offered help in terms of volunteering. And none was more exuberant than the track."

Gaudio said the partnership between the festival and the track has its origins at West Virginia Northern Community College. It is there that Kathleen J. Fantazzi, president of the festival, and Clyde Callicott, vice president of marketing at the track, both teach classes.

"The heart of the festival is the scholarships," Florence said. "That is why we support it."