Happy Italian American Heritage month! It is the perfect time to celebrate all the accomplishments of the Italian American community, not only today, but in years past; and there are many! From the great traditions of food to the beautiful architecture that surrounds us, we have much to be proud of. Times have changed, and it is important to never forget where we came from. Whether we are Sicilian or Calabrese, we are all Italians, and this is our month to shine.
I hope everyone takes the time to head down to the Columbus Day parade on Monday, Oct. 14 in Little Italy. This is a great representation of what we Italians can do when we put our minds to something. The parade kicks off at Noon. You won’t want to miss it!
If you have a passion for writing and are looking to help support our newspaper, please contact Jennifer Spitalieri at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We are especially looking for writers in the Akron, Youngstown, Columbus, and Pittsburgh areas. We know many of our readers would love to see more localized news, so please consider contributing your thoughts!
As always, we would love your input, so please reach out to us with your feedback. We are working on our plans for 2025 and we welcome your ideas. Please enjoy this special article from our late editor Paul Sciria from October 2015.

The dreams of a new life for Italian immigrants in ‘L’Merica’ were mixed in the land discovered by Cristoforo Colombo. In their tightly knit neighborhoods, they had in common: poverty, culinary flavors, culture, and unwavering faith in God. Some of these pockets of Italian Americans came to be recognized as Little Italys.

Early settlers landed near the center of Cleveland in Big Italy and others found their way to the west side’s Fulton, Clark and Detroit Ave. neighborhoods. There were a large share of Italians, well-represented, in the east side’s Collinwood, Blue Rock, E. 110th, and Woodland and Kinsman neighborhoods.

In these communities, Columbus Day was nurtured and celebrated. In 1951, Italian consul Count Gabrio Siegray met with the Hon. Frank Celebrezze, Sam Panzarella, Carl Ferrara, Louie DePaolo, and Rev. Francis Cacciacarro. They agreed on a citywide Columbus Day celebration and, at a later meeting at the Statler Hotel, they elected Frank Catliota of the Alta House as their first chairman and Marie Manfredi as recording secretary. In 2010, she and her husband, Judge Sal Calandra served as co-parade marshal. As the years passed, Nick Focarette, Sam Ferrazza, Gene Zannoni, and Judge Calandra were elected chair persons.

The early parades were downtown evening events followed by daytime celebrations. Each parade was preceded with a mass at St. John’s Cathedral. Church services were rotated later to St. Marian’s, St. Rocco’s and Holy Rosary in Little Italy.

One of the parade’s finest hours came in Oct. 1964 when 20,000 people lined Euclid and Superior Avenues to watch a spectacular procession of more than 1,000 that included dignitaries, floats, colorful carts, and bands marching to Public Square. 

What might have been the darkest hour for the Cleveland Columbus Day holiday and parade developed when city legislator Jay Westbrook introduced a resolution to abolish the Columbus Day holiday in favor of a renamed “Indigenous People Day.” Basil Russo, ISDA Vice President at that time, rallied Italians throughout the community and filled buses and jammed City Hall Council chambers. Local lawmakers were stunned by the overflowing turnout. On the council floor, Russo addressed the name change issue and explained how important Christopher Columbus was to America and Italians. Following a standing ovation, Councilman Westbrook withdrew his resolution.

As years passed, the downtown parade numbers dwindled and Russo and the ISDA replaced the Federation of Italian American Societies and assumed sponsorship. In 2003, the Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation (NOIA) and its chairman, Umberto Fedeli, joined as a co-sponsor and the parade was relocated to Little Italy.

Thousands have lined Murray Hill and Mayfield roads to cheer on as many as 125 units including Color Guards of the Marines and Coast Guard, high school bands, floats, 

marchers, and vehicles crisscrossing the neighborhood. Every year, Columbus Day is truly something to celebrate for Italians and Italophiles.