We want to give a much-deserved “Thank You” to general chairman Albert “Buddy” Mangini, civic chairman Joseph L. Ruggiero, parade coordinator William “Bill” Chisholm, secretary Rosalie Petralia and the entire Columbus Day Celebration committee who organized the parade and all the events in conjunction with the observance of this holiday marking Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America in 1492.
Sunday’s parade was an extraordinary event held in fine weather and we welcomed the enthusiastic participation of gubernatorial candidates Martha Coakley, Charlie Baker, Evan Falchuk, and Jeff McCormick, U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, State Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, State Rep. Carlo Basile, Sheriff Steve Tomkins, and of course, our esteemed Mayor of the City of Boston, Martin J. Walsh.
Mayor Walsh launched the festivities in grand fashion with his appearance at the Columbus Day Banquet Friday night at Spinelli’s in Day Square. To say Walsh was well received would be an understatement as guests enveloped the mayor, requesting photos with the popular and charismatic chief executive who obliged his constituents’ requests. The Mayor also joined with Sen. Petruccelli, Rep. Carlo Basile, City Councilor Sal LaMattina and members of the parade committee in the impressive ceremony recognizing George Gambale, recipient of the Veteran of the Year Award, and Francisco A. Urena, commissioner of veterans services for the City of Boston, for his high honor of being the chief marshall for the parade. We thank veterans Gambale and Urena for their service to our country and their ongoing efforts on behalf of veterans.
The Columbus Day Parade has become a great tradition in the communities of East Boston and Revere and we’re happy to say that as a result of the excellent leadership of Buddy Mangini and his hard-working committee, our observance of this holiday will continue to be a special happening in our community in years to come.