Howard Beach to Celebrate Columbus Day

The Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation will host its 6th Annual Columbus Day Parade on September 26th starting at noon. The parade route will begin at 157th Avenue and proceed south on Crossbay Boulevard to 164th Avenue.

Foundation president, Mario Faulisi, says the parade is something the community is really looking forward to, especially with two longtime Howard Beach residents among this year’s honorees. “We are very proud of the accomplishments of all our honorees. Each of them has done much to preserve the Italian culture.”

Tracy Catapano-Fox

This year’s female grand marshal is lifelong Howard Beach resident Tracy Catapano-Fox. Ms. Catapano-Fox is the president of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association and currently works as the Chief Law Clerk to the Administrative Supreme Court Justice Jeremy Weinstein. She shares her Howard Beach home with husband Charles Fox and their sons, Benjamin and Ethan.

Joseph Sciame

Joseph Sciame, this year’s male grand marshal, is the vice-president for community relations at St. John’s University and President/Chair of the Board of Directors of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, Inc. of New York. Mr. Sciame he also has been recognized by the Holy Father as a papal Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre with the Grand Cross.

Joseph Evola, owner of Gino’s Ristorante and Pizzeria, is being honored as the Italian
American Businessman of 2010. Mr. Evola immigrated to the United States in 1967, at age
seventeen from Palermo, Sicily. Seven years later he became a part owner in a small pizza shop and has worked tirelessly to achieve the American dream. He and his wife of 35 years, Fara, have two children, Jack and Margaret.

The HBCDF was founded in 2005 to foster and promote the preservation of the Italian language and culture. Its annual Columbus Day Parade has quickly grown to be the second largest of its kind in New York State.

Three years ago, the Foundation developed the Italian Language Study Program. The program offers free instruction of the Italian language to local residents and students and has already seen more than 200 community residents complete their course of study.

All are welcome to attend the parade and watch the floats arrive at the traditional red carpet show featuring CBSFM’s Joe Causi along with DJ’s Jack of Satisfaction Guaranteed and Nicky Guida of 2 PLUS 2 Entertainment with special appearances by surprise guests. A mini-feast with food and novelty vendors will be set up at the end of the parade route.

The Foundation has continued to raise funds for many charitable causes including the American Cancer Society and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In addition, it has developed scholarship award programs for local students of Italian-American descent who excel in the arts, academics and athletics.

To request further information contact the Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation at 718.641.3469