Longtime Westmoreland croquet fundraiser will contend with sticky wickets one last time

When Ernie Vallozzi started Vallozzi’s Restaurant in 1980, his very first hire was Amy Dicesere.

Neither knew at the time that they would not only spend their entire careers together, but also create one of the largest sanctioned croquet tournaments in the United States.

That certification is relatively recent, but the charity tournament itself dates back to 1990. And while Vallozzi and Dicesere prepare to mark the sold-out event’s 34th anniversary on Sept. 15, they are also a little wistful that 2024 will be its final year.

“I’ve met the most wonderful people, not just from Westmoreland County but from all over,” said Dicesere, a Latrobe resident who started as a server before becoming assistant manager and working today as Vallozzi’s assistant and bookkeeper. “It will be very sad to say goodbye to it.”

Vallozzi, 72, of Greensburg, started the tournament with Greensburg investment advisor Robert Unkovic and members of The Old Joe Club, a nonprofit the duo started with a dozen close friends.

“We were looking for a different type of fundraiser that wasn’t happening around here,” Vallozzi said. “Something where we could have families and fun, and a little bit of competition.”

Proceeds from the tournament have benefited human service, arts, music, education, child protection and a host of other organizations over the past three-and-a-half decades.

“We decided years ago that we were going to open up our event to other nonprofits, and we invite them to come in and provide dinner for their guests,” Vallozzi said. “At the end of the night, we donate money to their charities.”

The proceeds are handled by the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, with several different organizations receiving funds each year.

The event began growing soon after it began, moving first to the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg campus, and now at Westmoreland County Community College outside Youngwood.

“Amy took over as the coordinator and really turned it into a powerhouse,” Vallozzi said. “She and her committee work very hard. Her dedication is pretty monumental, and it’s always been a wonderful community event.”

At one point, Vallozzi said, the tournament had 250 players on the field, and nearly 2,000 guests. It was enough to attract attention from the U.S. Croquet Association.

“People came down from as far away as Connecticut and Massachusetts,” Dicesere said. “They’d heard about the size of the tournament and wanted to see how we did it with so many people. A lot of croquet clubs are private, without a lot of members.”

The association was impressed enough that on a half-dozen occasions, professional croquet players and former champions have taken part.

Vallozzi thought that might have been a little much.

“We play long-grass croquet, which is what you do in the backyard with friends,” he said. “Even the pros loved it, but they raised the level of play a little higher than we wanted. People were getting eliminated pretty quickly, since most of them do this once a year, here at the tournament.”

Being accredited by the national association also meant switching to traditional, all-white attire. Vallozzi had to add a little bit of color, though.

“I’m not a golfer, but I love the green jackets they give the Masters winner,” he said. “We give our winners a blue blazer, and they get to design their own banner that gets displayed at the event. Plus we have two beautiful trophies we keep at the restaurant with a list of all the winners.”

The tournament even has a competition where participating groups can decorate their tent space, which is judged on decor, their food table and their overall theme.

“They also get a trophy that they can keep at their table,” Vallozzi said.

Dicesere said she loves walking onto the tournament grounds, which have been at WCCC since 2017.

“The community college is wonderful to work with,” she said. “And their campus has been redone over the past few years, so it’s really beautiful.”

Both Vallozzi and Dicesere said they won’t forget the friends they’ve made through the annual fundraiser.

“I’ll hold them very close,” Dicesere said. “It’s a good bunch of people and a lot of fun.”

For more on the history of the event and the charity, see OldJoeClub.com/croquetclub.