The 2009 Sorrento Cheese Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival won’t just kick off on Thursday. It will erupt.

That’s because organizers have secured a replica of Italy’s most historically dangerous and currently dormant phenomenon, Mount Vesuvius. While the replica won’t spew hot magma down Hertel Avenue, it will erupt and shake every hour with sound and smoke. To its left will lie replicas of the ruins of Pompeii, the city buried in ash when the real volcano erupted in A. D. 79 and preserved until it was unearthed in 1748.

The 80-foot-wide by 30- foot-deep Vesuvius replica isn’t just for fun. Organizers hope it will attract patrons to the festival to help those affected by Italy’s most recent natural disaster, the April earthquake in L’Aquila that killed more than 200 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

All donations pinned to a statue of St. Anthony of Padua will go to the Italy Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, which has a goal of raising $50,000 to benefit those affected by the quake.

Peter LoJacono, heritage coordinator of the festival and president of the Federation of Italian-American Societies of Western New York, said the call to help the families of victims of the quake is more urgent than ever.

“Once it’s off the front page of the newspaper, these people are still suffering, these people are still homeless,” LoJacono said. “We have to remember that, and we want to do what we can to help them, and we know that they would be there for us as well. We feel the need to be able to help our own.”

The Vesuvius replica will come on the heels of last year’s popular Trevi fountain display, a replica of the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. Both were designed by Italian designer Giovanni Bucci and will be seen at this year’s festival.

The festival will also feature live music, a bocce tournament, a Miss Italian Festival, an Italian Idol contest, cooking demonstrations, computers for genealogical research and a “Dancing Under the Stars” competition among some of Buffalo’s favorite Italian sons: Joe Mesi, Anthony Masiello and Dennis DiPaolo. Also featured are the festival’s traditional food stands and an Italian bilingual Mass on Sunday.

But LoJacono said Vesuvius should be the most remarkable sight of this year’s festival.

“I think it’s going to be something special,” he said.

Bands and contests at main stage on Hertel Avenue between Colvin and Crestwood avenues:

Thursday

5:30 p. m.: national anthem; 5:45 p. m.: opening ceremonies; 6:20 p. m.: Sorrento cheese-building contest; 7 p. m.: The Formula; 8:40 p. m.: Boys of Summer

Next Friday

4 p. m.: Fortie Tomasulo; 6 p. m.: Nick Battistella; 6:45 p. m.: Exit; 8:30 p. m.: The Divas

July 18

2 p. m.: Italian Idol contest; 4 p. m.: Dancing Under the Stars; 5:15 p. m.: Carmen Intorrie; 6:30 p. m.: Mick Hayes Band; 8:30 p. m.: Beatle Magic

July 19

9:30 a. m.: Italian Bilingual Mass; Noon: Faith Journey Band of North Park Lutheran Church; 2 p. m.: Italian Idol contest; 4 p. m.: Paladino Boys with Joan Paladino; 5:30 p. m.: Colleen Williams and Bobby Jones; 7 p. m.: Bella Buscarino

Cooking demonstrations at Sorrento Cooking Stage on Hertel between Virgil and Homer avenues:

Thursday

8 p. m.: Mike DiPaolo and Sam Pinelli from Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant Next Friday 6 p. m.: Mark Camalleri from the 31 Club; 8 p. m.: Sorrento’s Chef Marco Sciortino from Marco’s Italian Restaurant

July 18

4 p. m.: Noel Morreale from Fiamma Steak; 6 p. m.: Shayna Raichilson-Zadok from the Bohemian Hostess Catering Company; 8 p. m.: J. J. Richert from Torches Restaurant

July 19

2 p. m.: Jack Giardina, HSBC chef, with Marco Sciortino; 4 p. m.: Chris Salvati from Ristorante Lombardo; 6 p. m.: Marco Sciortino and mother Dana

St. Anthony statue for donations to Italy Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund every day at 3:30 starting at Italian Heritage Tent, which also will feature Mount Vesuvius and genealogical library.