The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
LITTLE ITALY’S PARADE ATTRACTS THOUSANDS
Annual celebration features over 100 floats, organizations
While Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood teemed with life during the 66th annual Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 8, Val Corbo, of Corbo’s Bakery, couldn’t help but smile at the irony of her family-owned bakery’s hours of operation.
Normally closed on Mondays, the bakery was jammed with attendees who grabbed bags of assorted pastries and drinks to enjoy while waiting for the parade to begin.
Slammed as the bakery was, along with seemingly every other food establishment and business on the small stretch of Mayfield Road, Corbo was undaunted.
“It’s OK to come in a few hours today, especially knowing this event is taking place,” she said. “Being this busy is always good, plus it’s only one Monday. It’s funny, though, this is nothing compared to the Feast (of the Assumption). A big difference being there aren’t a lot of food vendors out on the street (for this event).
“It’s a beautiful day, though. It’s nice to have people come
down. I actually think they should extend this celebration a bit more, because people come to eat, that’s the bottom line. That’s a big part of our culture. Today, we’ve been encouraging everyone to have some cannoli.”
The parade, emceed by 92.3 The Fan personality Anthony Lima, started at Murray Hill and Cornell roads, proceeding north to E. 125th Street and Fairview Avenue, turning north on Fairview and stepping back to Mayfield Road past Holy Rosary Catholic Church, where a mass was held previous to the cavalcade.
The Columbus Day Parade, featuring 100plus floats, organizations and associations, and regional high school marching bands, has been held in Little Italy since 2003. For decades prior, it was held in Downtown Cleveland. Garfield Heights Municipal Judge Deborah Nicastro served as the 2018 Grand Marshall.
Parade Chairman Basil Russo, in a statement, said the day of observation recognizes and celebrates the monumental historical event that began the process of over 500 years of global immigration to the United States by people seeking a better life.
“Columbus Day offers an opportunity for Italian Americans, as well as other ethnic and racial groups, to collectively celebrate their respective cultures, heritages and traditions,” added Russo, who also serves as president of the Order Italian Sons and Daughters of America.
After being asked last year to attend the parade again, music professor Rachel Copeland, who sang “The StarSpangled Banner and “Il Canto degli Italiani,” the Italian national anthem, said she jumped at the opportunity to do so.
“It’s an honor to be here for a second time,” Copeland said. “I teach opera and voice diction at Penn State, but my husband is Italian and he lives here, so appearing here is just part of a great day and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Willoughby resident Venetia Schiavoni, matching Copeland’s enthusiasm, always makes it a tradition to attend the cultural celebration.
“It’s just a great experience,” Schiavoni said. “My grandparents and my dad grew up in this neighborhood, so it’s nice to come back and be a part of that family connection. And I brought the kids today, too, took them out of school, and I’m sure some may think it was for the (Indians) game, but it was definitely for this parade.”