‘It’s Insulting’: Attendees Of Columbus Day Parade Upset With Latest Ruling On Controversial Marconi Plaza Statue
It’s a colorful tradition. The Columbus Day parade made its way down Broad Street Sunday. What’s next for the boxed-up statue of Christopher Columbus loomed large over the crowd. “This is our Italian heritage,” one woman said. A sea of hundreds dressed in red, white, and green marched down Broad Street in celebration of Columbus Day. “It shows that...
The Newark church where an Irish American priest says Mass in Italian
Anyhow, if Many Saints really put you in a nostalgic mood, you may want to visit St. Lucy’s parish in Newark from October 15-17, for its annual festival in celebration of St. Gerard. The festival, now in its 122nd year, inspired the season six Sopranos episode “The Ride,” equal parts hilarious and horrifying, mainly because Tony Sirico’s Paulie Wal...
Axelrod PAC returns with "A Bronx Tale"
The Axelrod Performing Arts Center (APAC) will reopen its doors on Friday, October 29, with the first performance of A Bronx Tale The Musical directed by Broadway veteran Richard H. Blake. Based on Oscar nominee Chazz Palminteri’s play and subsequent film, A Bronx Tale is set in an Italian American neighborhood in the Bronx of the racially charged...
Italian Heritage Celebrated at Columbus Day Event in Westfield Sunday
A standing-room-only audience filled the community room at the municipal building Sunday morning for a celebration of Italian heritage. The event coming one day before Columbus Day drew representatives from Italian American groups in addition to local, county and state officials. “We celebrate today what unites us,” said Councilman Mark LoGrippo, w...
Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano
October 8, 2021 — May 8, 2022. Smithsonian American Art Museum (G Street NW, 8th St NW, Washington, DC). Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano brings to life the Venetian glass revival of the late nineteenth century and the artistic experimentation the city inspired for visiting artists. It is the first com...
South Philly’s Columbus Day parade goes on, sans statue
Everyone was at Sunday’s Columbus Day parade — except the Italian explorer’s likeness. The Christopher Columbus statue at South Philadelphia’s Marconi Plaza, the parade’s endpoint, remained enclosed in plywood, thanks to a last-minute decision by a state appeals court to overturn a local judge’s ruling. A fence surrounding the statue was adorned wi...
Italian Heritage Month Being Celebrated in South Plainfield
Since 1989, the achievements and contributions of Italian immigrants and their descendants living in the United States have been celebrated each October and, at a recent borough council meeting, Mayor Matt Anesh proclaimed October as Italian Heritage Month in South Plainfield. "Italian and Italian American Heritage Month is an appropriate time to...
Scotch Plains Celebrates Columbus Day with Immigrant Stories
With none of the controversy that surrounded the Columbus Day celebration in 2020, the local Italian American community in Scotch Plains celebrated its roots in Montazzoli and other cities in Italy. Speakers included former New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco, a Scotch Plains native who is the descendant of Italian immigrants, Daniela Nizzardo Selli...
Orange/West Orange Chapter of UNICO National Holds Italian Flag Raising
The Orange/West Orange Chapter of UNICO National held an Italian Flag Raising on the steps of West Orange Town Hall on October 7 in celebration of Italian American Heritage Month. Both Mayor Robert Parisi and UNICO Director Frank Gonnella spoke about the importance of the deeply rooted Italian pride that drives their daily lives. Councilwomen Miche...
Columbus Day parade held in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood
Despite the weather and light rain, there was a modest turnout at the Columbus Day Parade that was held on Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. Pittsburgh Steelers great and NFL Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris served as the Grand Marshal. The parade started on Liberty Avenue near West Penn Hospital and continued through Bloomfi...
Baltimore’s Christopher Columbus statue was torn down and thrown in the harbor. Here’s what happened next
As the federal Columbus Day holiday approaches, a group of Italian Americans in Baltimore are continuing to raise money to build a replica of the Christopher Columbus statue that was torn down and thrown into the Inner Harbor last summer. The replica is almost complete and and should be done by the end of October, said Bill Martin, an organizer of...
Essex County commissioners celebrate Italian American Heritage Month
On Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Essex County Board of County Commissioners held its 2021 Italian Heritage Celebration via Zoom. The ceremony, which returned after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, is held to celebrate Italian culture and heritage, highlighting the contributions of Italian Americans in Essex County. Commissioner President Wayne L. Richards...