South Philly Review

To the Editor:

In Antonina Bellesorte's letter ("Questionable actions," Oct. 29), she demands an explanation of why and who cancelled the Columbus Day Parade.

The parade was cancelled at the point when we, the Columbus Day Committee, could wait no more and the final $30,000 to put on at least an adequate parade was just not there. A lot of maybes and promises were not enough to tell Channel 6 not to cancel programming or 20 marching bands to wait and see. Each band receives only barely enough money for transportation, most of which is needed to hire at least two buses.

For the past 50 years, the City did not charge for services. Last year it did. There was barely enough to put on the parade last year and there is still a balance owed to the City. The Sons of Italy Times also tried to lay blame on the committee, but in fact, the former Columbus Day Committee put all of its monies into the hands of the Sons of Italy's Grand Lodge. Unfortunately, their past administration did not file the proper reports for four years and therefore all grants are on hold until they do.

What most people do not know is all of the permits, streets closings, park set-up and logistics were all done by the office of City Council President Anna Verna year after year, without a hitch. Do you think for one moment Mrs. Verna would allow the cancelation unless there was no money? Do you think the Columbus Day Committee wanted it cancelled? The Columbus Day Committee is the liaison with Mrs. Verna's people and the participants, such as the vendors, the entertainment and all the Italian organizations. We are all Italian-Americans who volunteer our time!

Now, let's stop for a moment and see who is really to blame. Is it the City? I do not believe an event that brings people into the city should pay, but that is only a small part of it. Perhaps it is us, Italian-Americans, who never want to get involved, but have an awful lot to say after the fact. There was plenty of opportunity to organize and come up with the $30,000 by the private sector from both the letters and the news of the cancellation. That did not happen.

Ms. Bellesorte tells us about how she came from Italy and saw a parade on the Parkway. I understand the pride she felt. We second- and third-generation Italians also feel it, as we know of the suffering the immigrants endured when they were forced by starvation to leave Italy and come over in steerage with people they did not know. They worked to make better lives for their children and grandchildren and the immigrants who came after them. There were no parades honoring Italians at the turn of the century, but look how far we came with their help and endurance.

Ms. Bellesorte is the cultural director of Filitalia. Filitalia has never once come to a meeting of the Columbus Day Committee this year nor have they responded to the letter sent to them and 200 other Italian organizations and businesses seeking private sponsorship of the parade.

In addition, the Italian Consulate was notified by our committee co-chair the parade was cancelled.

I am proud to be an Italian-American. I am proud of Christopher Columbus and what he did for us. I am proud of the Italians who landed on our shores over 100 years ago to make a better life for us and I love anything Italian. But, I am saddened we cannot bond together like other ethnic groups. I am saddened instead of saying what can we do to make it better, Ms. Bellesorte and the Sons of Italy found time to criticize not having the parade instead of finding a solution. I am sadder than anyone we did not have the parade.

Thank you to all who tried to save it. Thank you to those who came to the beautiful festival at Marconi Plaza. Thank you to Council President Verna and her late husband, Sevy, who made sure we did have a parade for over 50 years.

I call on all Italian-Americans to bond together to make sure next year there is a parade and it should be the best one we ever had.

Eternal life

To the Editor:

Thank you very much for the excellent article by Amanda L. Snyder on Al Martino ("Losing a class act," Oct. 22). Another great Philadelphia voice is gone and I am saddened by the loss of such a fine entertainer.