Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto
Fred Bilotto has only been mayor of Blue Island since April, but his involvement in public service began when he began volunteering at the Feast of St. Donatus at St. Donatus Church. Both he and his wife, Stephanie, were born in the city, and both graduated from nearby St. Xavier University. They and their three children are now involved in the fea...
Two removed Christopher Columbus statues still in hiding as officials consider their future
Sixty-six years ago, Landa Masdea Brunetto's father and grandfather hurriedly worked through the night in the family's machine shop to fabricate specialty bolts and washers unexpectedly needed by the next day to erect the newly arrived statue of Christopher Columbus outside Columbus City Hall. "My dad and grandfather literally stayed up all night,"...
Northbrook (IL) Celebrates Columbus Day
Often considered one of the most inconsistently celebrated and controversial U.S. holidays, the second Monday in October marks Columbus Day — or Indigenous Peoples Day to some — in Northbrook. Columbus Day, a national holiday since 1937, commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. Before it became a national holiday, i...
DSO's new director is a maestro on a mission. Live audiences are about to experience it
Detroit — Audiences might have gotten a glimpse of Jader Bignamini, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's ebullient new music director, when he conducted digital concerts last season, but consider that his warm-up. His real introduction starts Thursday — with live audiences. Bignamini, 45, will lead the orchestra as it kicks off its new classical season...
Columbus Day celebration in Mishawaka
A Columbus Day celebration will be held at Central Park in Mishawaka on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. The day-long event recognizes Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the new world, and will also be celebrating Italian heritage month. The celebration starts near the Columbus statue in Central Park. Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood is attending the event. There will...
Festival-goers say Christopher Columbus part of their heritage
Arguably the most popular people inside the 2021 Columbus Italian Festival on a sun-soaked Saturday afternoon were the two nice ladies sitting just inside the entrance. And it wasn’t only because Mary Bova and Patty Verrilli were the ones selling tickets to get alcohol. With Frank Sinatra tunes playing in the background, the women greeted old frien...
Italian American Veterans plan Festa Italiana Oct. 9
The Italian American Veterans Post 1 will have its annual Festa Italiana from noon to 8 p.m., Oct. 9, at its post, 4567 Oberlin Ave. The day includes performances by the Al Battistelli Band in the afternoon and the Avanti Band from 4 to 6 p.m. At 3 p.m., post members will honor brothers Pete and Joe DelMonico, who have operated their barbershops in...
Columbus Day Parade returns to Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood
The Columbus Day Parade is returning to the streets of Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood on Monday, Oct. 11. The parade is coming back after a 2020 hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will feature elaborate floats, marching bands, local artifacts and city leaders. It will be held along Mayfield and Murray Hill roads. After the parade, at...
ABC7 to celebrate Italian American Heritage Month with Chicago Columbus Day Parade 2021
ABC7, Chicago's most-watched television station, is celebrating the city's vibrant Italian American community with the broadcast of the 69th annual Columbus Day Parade. The hourlong event is hosted by ABC7 Windy City Weekend anchors Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini. They will be joined in the broadcast booth by Anthony Rago, Italian American Human Re...
Two Italian Americans Honored as Cleveland's Past Masters
An Italian American author and a famed Italian American performer are to be recognized as two of Cleveland’s notable “Past Masters” in a year-long, citywide celebration organized by Cleveland Arts Prize in collaboration with the Cleveland History Center. Acclaimed novelist Michael DeCapite and singer/actress and comedienne Kaye Ballard (born Cather...
Food, bocce, music - and more food — among highlights of Italian Festival
The Columbus Italian Festival at St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church is back this year, with a few tweaks but most of the familiar favorites. Among the changes festival-goers can expect: Rather than the usual marching band parade, the festival has switched to a drumline competition this year. “With COVID, and so many students close togeth...
Cook County commissioners delay vote on replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day
The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to defer a resolution that would change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, the second time a vote on the issue was delayed this year. The resolution was viewed as a step toward reconciliation and healing for Native American communities, but it faced pushback on Tuesday from members of the county’s...