Joe Scalissi as Dean Martin

WEIRTON – The Dean Martin Hometown Festival returns for the 30th anniversary year, and Weirton is set to host one of the highlight events during the weekend.

Acclaimed Dean Martin tribute artist Joe Scalissi will be performing his nationally-touring show, “Joe Scalissi Sings Dean Martin” on Saturday, June 20, bringing a touch of Vegas to the city “forged by steel.”

The banquet hall at Undo’s inside the Holiday Inn on Three Springs Drive will be transformed into a Las Vegas show lounge for Scalissi’s performance, which will be supported with professional production design with sound, lights and staging by Ohio Valley native-turned-rock star Bobby Pizzoferrato of Wild Cherry (of “Play That Funky Music” fame). The Undo’s culinary team is preparing a multi-course lunch that will compliment the very Italian aesthetic that comes with attending the Dean Martin Hometown Festival. As if a dinner theatre-style show of songs like “That’s Amore” and “Volare” and a meal featuring tiramisu for dessert wasn’t Italian enough, special celebrity guest Lou Martini Jr. from “The Sopranos” and “The Godfather,” among others, puts the (maraschino) cherry on top as the event’s master of ceremonies.

Although most of the weekend’s events take place within the city limits of Steubenville, this year’s celebration will see programming in neighboring cities, ultimately expanding the economic impact of the tourism brought to the area as a whole.

“Events like this highlight how closely connected our communities are,” said Rachel Keeney, executive director of The Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Expanding this festival event across the river invites visitors to engage with more of the region, supports local businesses and restaurants and increases overnight stays.”

Scalissi has received praise from Dean Martin’s children for his authentic recreation of their “King of Cool” dad, and critics alike have been equally as thrilled by Scalissi’s performance by calling him “…Dean to a ‘T’.”

In addition to his solo performances, Scalissi has appeared with the in-demand Rat Pack productions like “The Rat Pack is Back!” and “Brian Duprey’s The Rat Pack,” where he enjoys return engagements and sit-down residencies in casinos and performing arts centers across the country.

“Although it’s a thrill to travel all over the world sharing Dean’s music and legacy, there’s something about coming back to the Ohio Valley that just feels right each time I return to honor Dean by giving back to this community,” Scalissi said.

Tickets for “Joe Scalissi Sings Dean Martin” at Undo’s on Saturday, June 20, are available online or by calling a Dean Martin Hometown Festival volunteer committee member at 410-302-3421. Lunch and show package tickets are available, and this includes admission to the show, the meal, gratuities, fees and access to the Dino & Friends display, available only to attendees of Scalissi’s performance. A VIP package is also available with additional amenities.