Columbus Day fete facing ax?
Loss of state funding threatens tradition that began in 1957
The city's annual Columbus Day celebration, including the parade and festival in South Philly's Marconi Plaza, might be canceled because organizers no longer have state funding.
The Oct. 12 celebration, which first paraded down South Broad Street in 1957, is usually funded by a $40,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
DCED shot down the money request this year.
Gary Tuma, a spokesman for state Sen. Vince Fumo, said that the Columbus Day Committee usually submits its request for funding through Fumo's office. But the group left Fumo out of the loop.
"We don't know why," Tuma said. "We simply didn't hear from them this year."
City Council President Anna Verna's office handles parade details, leaving the fundraising to the committee. Verna's husband, Severino, has been the parade's marshal since its inception.
Kathleen Murray, a senior advisor to Verna, said that the committee's request for money was rejected this year by DCED because it failed to file reports on how the last grant was spent.
"This would not be the first time this happened," said Murray, explaining that a hiccup in funding two years ago meant that several Mummers string bands waited a year to be paid for their parade performances.
Verna will start contacting the 10 Mummers string bands scheduled for this year's parade tomorrow to advise them to look for other gigs if the committee doesn't come up with funding.
Greg Ciminera, executive director of the Order Sons of Italy in America, Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, said his group has so far come up with about $15,000 in private donations for the event.
Ciminera put out an e-mail on Friday pleading for donations to keep the parade alive.
The event would span three days, starting with a proclamation in City Council on Oct. 7 and then a Saturday night Center City banquet on Oct. 11. A memorial mass on Sunday, Oct. 12, would be followed by the parade down South Broad Street from Federal Street to Oregon Avenue, where a cultural festival is hosted in Marconi Plaza.
Murray said that she was optimistic that private donors will save the parade.
"I don't think there's any stomach at this point to allow a cancellation," Murray said. "Frankly, I think it would be an embarrassment to the Italian-American community."
Lisa Scottoline, a novelist and Inquirer columnist, was the parade's grand marshal last year.
"I just think it's an important day," Scottoline said. "It's a shame we're not going to celebrate it in Philadelphia style. Hopefully, something can be done to turn it around." *
