Dear Visitor,

MORE COLORADO HISTORY

The photo above is another from the Sons of Italy history collection. The small caption at the bottom reads: “Mayor, Richard Batterton, Columbus Day Celebration, Oct. 1961.” It may have been a long time since we have had a Denver Mayor attend our Columbus Day Celebration but the large picture of Columbus, in front of Mayor Batterton, attends every one. Columbus, donated to the Sons of Italy over fifty years ago by Peter Pasquale Ciancio, late husband of our dear Ann Ciancio, not only attends the festivities in October, but presides over the annual Columbus Bocce tournament in August as well.

Colorado has a rich Italian American history and has the unique distinction of leading the Nation in honoring Columbus, beginning in Pueblo 1905. Recently, Tirolesi Trentini President, George Falagrady, submitted the following article from the Weekly Register-Call, in Gilpin County, dated June 24, 1892. George is wondering if this could possibly be the first Columbus Parade in the United States, predating previous claims.
    "The Christopher Columbus Mutual Society, which is composed chiefly of Austrian and Italian miners of this county, turned out last Saturday afternoon and preceded by the Black Hawk Silver Cornet Band, marched through the principal streets of Central and Black Hawk. In the evening a dance was given at Turner Hall, the net proceeds amounting to nearly $200, were handed over to the treasurer of the Society, which is a beneficial one" (Note: $200 in 1892 is worth about $5000 today).

 

MAY’S MEETING AT MICKEY’S

At our May meeting at Mickey’s, thank you to Mike & Stacy, we voted to raise the raffle prizes to $300, $500, and are back to $1,000 for the grand prize. We also finalized arrangements for our dignitary selection advertising with Jenna Capra and Andiamo!, details below. Presidents Jim Vecchiarelli, Mount Carmel Men’s Club, Susan Gurule and John DiPentino, Dante Alighieri Society, Mike Abruzzi, Fiori di Italia, George Falagrady, Tirolesi Trentini, Italians of America members Tony Frazzini and Karen Roatcap, Sons of Italy members Terry Cervi, Edith Falasco, and Carlo Amato, along with veteran committee members Andy Smith and Annette Dubner were in attendance. Sons of Italy President Fred Marzano, Italian American Business Association President, Bill Lucatuorto, and Italians of America President Rich DiManna, while not able to attend this meeting, are also an active part of Columbus Parade planning.

Parade floats and the float contest was another topic of discussion. The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, plan to again sail together, thanks to the Mt. Carmel Men’s Club, Fiori di Italia, and Columbus Committee, respectively. The Trentini float needs some repair but if all goes well they will enter and the IOA will of course have at least one entry. The Italian America Business Association and Dante Alighieri are planning entries, while perennial Parade singer/entertainer Russ Canino, and the Sons of Italy, are talking about some improvements to their float. There were also some good ideas and discussion about enhancing the float contest through a sponsorship/donation program. Stay tuned for more details about this next month.

 

2013 DIGNITARY SELECTION & ANDIAMO!

Beginning with the June issue of Andiamo!, and every issue through October, we will be announcing all the details of dignitary selection for 2013. From June 1-15, we will be accepting dignitary nominations on our website, www.columbusdayparade.org. There will again be four categories; Parade Starter, Grand Marshal, Italian of the Year, King and Queen. For all categories, you the nominator must have contacted your nominee(s), and have their acceptance of your nomination. You can nominate someone in all four categories if you like but you must submit four separate nomination ballots. We will also need contact info for you the nominator, and for your nominee(s). The Italian of the Year category has some additional criteria; nominees must be of Italian descent, and you the nominator, must submit a short, or long, paragraph with details of why this person should receive this honor. If you have any questions or difficulties, please contact any committee member, and we will help all we can.

From July 1st to August 15th will be the voting, also on the website, and then we will announce the results in the September issue of Andiamo! and at the Prima Domenica reception at Mt. Carmel, hosted by the Columbus Parade Committee, on September 1st. Of course all the details will be in the upcoming Columbus newsletters as well. Thank you in advance for your enthusiasm, participation, and support, as we are excited for this opportunity to enhance our Historic Columbus Day Parade.

 

WEBSITE

Updates to our website should now be complete as we prepare for our upcoming events. Please let us know if you have any problems with accessibility or see any errors we may have overlooked. Thank you again to Mike Filbin for his hard work and diligence. Our website has photos from the 2012 Parade along with archived photos from years past. You can also check our updated calendar of events and sign up to receive our monthly newsletter via email at www.columbusdayparade.org.

 

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

The Columbus Day Parade Planning Committee is hosting our second annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser on Saturday, July 13^th, from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. In conjunction with the Applebee’s restaurant on 8292 S. University, committee members will be personally serving the community an all you can eat sausage and pancake breakfast with your choice of coffee, juices, and sodas. Tickets are $10.00 a piece. Come out and have a good time, a good breakfast, and help support the 2013 Columbus Day Parade. Please contact Maria, 303/224-9927, italyconsulcolo@msn.com, or any committee member for tickets.

 

COLUMBUS BOCCE

Make plans now to be in our 5^th Annual Columbus Bocce tournament scheduled for August 3^rd at the Sons of Italy Lodge in Wheat Ridge. Contact Fred Marzano for more details.

 

PRIMA DOMENICA

The Columbus Day Parade Planning Committee is hosting the Prima Domenica reception breakfast at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church for the month of September on Sunday September 1, 2013. Please make plans to attend, and if you are able, please volunteer to help us serve the breakfast.

 

ATTEND A COMMITTEE MEETING

Everyone is welcome to attend our next committee meeting on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, 7pm at Big Bill’s New York Pizza, 8243 S. Holly, Centennial, 80122. Big Bill’s is our most southern meeting location so far. We apologize for any inconvenience for our northern members as we try to, not only patronize the businesses that support the Columbus Parade, but also ease the driving burden for our southern members. The July meeting will be at Three Sons in Arvada.

 

COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION

 

• President- Rich SaBell, 720/323-4260, email- president@columbusdayparade.org
• Vice President Frank Allen, 303/596-6114, email- frankallen1@live.com
• 2^nd Vice President- Fred Marzano, 720/635-1195, email- marzano711@aol.com
• Recording Secretary- Maria Allen, 303/525-1779, email- italyconsulcolo@msn.com
• Treasurer- Rose Mary Puma, 720/535-6370, email-treasurer@columbusdayparade.org
• Website- www.columbusdayparade.org
• Columbus Day Parade Committee Address- P.O. Box 140816, Edgewater, CO 80214

 

Copyright © 2013, Denver Columbus Day Parade Committee. All rights reserved.