Pete Ciarrocchi, the man behind Philadelphia's iconic restaurants, Chickie's & Pete's, is pleased to announce that he will be co-hosting the city's annual Columbus Day parade and festival this Sunday, October 9th. Action News' Alicia Vitarelli and Michael DiPilla, the high-profile computer engineer and Italian-American cultural advocate, will co-host alongside Pete Ciarrocchi, and actor Danny Aiello will serve as Grand Marshall.

The parade will begin in South Philadelphia at Broad and Morris, and it will proceed south on Broad St. to Marconi Plaza at Broad and Oregon. The festival will take place from Noon to 6 pm in Marconi Plaza, where the parade ends in South Philly. The festival will have Italian music, vendors and local restaurants serving their finest Italian delicacies. The festival will be filled with the tastes, sounds and smells of South Philly. "You will think you were in a piazza in Italy", said Pete Ciarrocchi . Admission is free, and Pete Ciarrocchi encourages Philadelphians of any heritage and cultural background to attend.

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Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/