Columbus Day Parade in Cleveland

 The Columbus Day Parade, sponsored by Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), took place in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood on Monday, Oct. 10 along Mayfield and Murray Hill roads. Hundreds of units marched - elaborate floats, marching bands, local artifacts, and city leaders - to celebrate Northeast Ohio's deeply rooted Italian American culture.

After Mass at Holy Rosary Church, 92.3's Anthony Lima served as MC of the Parade.

He introduced ISDA National President and Greater Cleveland Columbus Day chairman Basil M. Russo who gave a few brief remarks.

Basil has said, "On Columbus Day, Italian Americans pay tribute to our ancestors, and to all walks of life, who arrived in Northeast Ohio and built better lives for their families. Many aren't aware of this, but Columbus' parades and statues were used by early Italian Americans to fuel assimilation and fight discrimination during a decades-long period of oppression. In fact, the first national Columbus Day celebration honoring Italian Americans was held in 1892 as a way to ease tensions after 11 innocent Italian immigrants were murdered in New Orleans, in front of the largest lynch mob ever to assemble on U.S. soil."

Watch a video of the opening before the Parade stepped off. 

Watch a video of highlights of the Columbus Day Parade. (As usual we did not include any of the many politicians who marched.)

 

See more pictures and video form the Columbus Day parade in Cleveland

Feast of the Assumption Procession in Cleveland 2022

 While there are 4 days of music, food and partying each year the highlight of the annual Feast of the Assumption is the Mass on August 15th, the actual feast day, followed by a prayerful procession through the streets of Little Italy. 

 After the Mass at Holy Rosary Church in Cleveland’s Little Italy, parishioners and others march through the streets of the neighborhood saying the Rosary.  This year Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic marched with them. Here is some of the Feast of the Assumption parade in Cleveland, 2022.

Italians in Cleveland

Italian Heritage in Cleveland

 Italian Heritage in Cleveland

Italian immigrants and Italian Americans have played an important part in the history and growth of Cleveland. This is on display at the Italian Museum of Cleveland located in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland.

In this video, Pamela Dorazio Dean, Director of the museum, led Dan Hanson on a quick tour of some of the Museum's displays and told the story of the Italians coming to Cleveland and helping build it and make it grow. The first wave of immigrants settled in what was called Big Italy but later moved to several neighborhoods in both the west and east sides including, of course, Little Italy.

Pamela told how many of the immigrants were skilled stone carvers and how they played an important role in the creation of the huge Guardians statues which became the inspiration for the Cleveland baseball team's name change from Indians to Guardians. The Feast of the Assumption and Columbus Day Parade were discussed and Pamela shared the history of how Columbus Day came to be celebrated. It resulted from the largest lynching in US history when 11 Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans in 1891. Pamela stressed that Columbus Day is mostly a celebration of Italian heritage.

The museum is free to visit.

See more of Italians in Cleveland

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Top 5 groups

It's always interesting to see which of the 100+ ethnic groups will attract the most visitors in a month.

October's results were fairly predictable though that is not always the case.

The Top 5 groups with the most visitors in October 2017 on ClevelandPeople.Com were: Italian, Indian, Irish, Polish and Slovak.

Lithuanian was a close #6

Why Columbus Day is important.to Italians

The official opening of a month-long celebration of the Italian-American Community in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio was held on Monday October 2, 2017 in the Rotunda of Cleveland City Hall.

Basil Russo, the president of the National Italian Sons and Daughters of America, told why Columbus Day is important.

See more from the Italian Heritage kick off

Basil Russo inducted into Cleveland International Hall of Fame

The 2017 Cleveland International Hall of Fame inductions continued with Dan Hanson introducing Basil Russo’s daughter Gabriella Russo Rosalina and son-in-law Joseph Rosalina to induct Basil Russo.

Basil Russo spoke of the Italian community as well as the contributions that all immigrants have made to the US.

Italians in Cleveland

Cleveland International Hall of Fame

Basil Russo to be inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame

Basil Russo will be inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame next Tuesday April 18. 

Not only has Basil been a great leader in Cleveland and NEO’s Italian community he is now serving as national leader of 3 Italian organizations including as the National President of the Order Italian Sons and Daughters of America. 

Columbus Day, the Italian Film Festival, the Italian Cultural Garden and much more – Basil has led the charge.

 Read more about Basil Russo 

The true meaning of Columbus Day

Basil M. Russo is the National President of the Order Italian Sons and Daughters of America. 

Russo spoke at the celebration of the beginning of Italian Heritage Month in the rotunda of Cleveland’s City Hall.  He told of the importance of Columbus Day and how some groups mischaracterize the meaning of Columbus Day for their own personal agenda. 

He said that Columbus Day represents the beginning of the historic process of immigration to America and should be celebrated by all ethnic groups.  

More about Italians in Cleveland

Roll out the Barrel by the Italian Band of Cleveland

The Italian Band of Cleveland marched in the Parade of Flags at One World Day 2016 in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.  This was the 71st annual One World Day and the Centennial of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

Here they played the polka classic Roll out the Barrel before the Parade of Flags began.


See more of the Italian community of Cleveland