People often remark to each other “Have a great day.” There is a way to make this outcome a certainty and that would be by participating in the Italian Heritage celebrations that take place annually in the month of October. Some of the best events happen in North Beach.
If you were part of the festivities this year, you had a great day. It is, after all, the City’s oldest civic event and the nation’s oldest Italian-American parade. Thousands of people agreed as they turned out to celebrate the art of being Italian in San Francisco’s Little Italy.
Everything about Sunday’s, Italian Heritage Parade and Bazaar was stellar, there were even angels in the sky above, the Navy’s Blue Angels that is. Everything seemed to shine on a bright sunny San Francisco day.
Little Italy woke up early on October 12th. By mid-morning all the parking spaces on Columbus Avenue were transformed into outdoor dining areas. Tables were reserved months in advance in anticipation of the year’s best dining experience, al fresco style. Every aspect was festive. The sounds of festive voices came from all directions as did the mouth-watering aromas of Italian delicacies.
For 146 years, flocks of folks have crowded into North Beach to enjoy Ferraris, the bazaar and, many more took to the streets of San Francisco lining Columbus Avenue decked out in red, white and green. The 95th Annual North Beach Bazaar provided all the entertainment needed in a family friendly atmosphere, the consummate community experience. The not-to-be missed tradition is hosted by Saints Peter and Paul school and parish. They have hosted the Bazaar in North Beach since 1919.
The first San Francisco Columbus Day Committee was organized by the Salesian Fathers in 1915. Staffed entirely by volunteers, all proceeds benefit the educational and scholarship goals of the Saints Peter and Paul Salesian School. Bazaar events included food and drink; Italian cocktails, beer, wine, Italian ice and sodas, and even cotton candy.
The “sports zone” provided a bouncy slide, salami toss, bocce, batting cage, football toss and more. All ages were represented with kiddie activities like face painting, kiddie crafts, pumpkin decorating and plenty of games. Adults gathered at the sports bar and participated in a wine raffle. To top off the day, there was a special Cioppino dinner in the parish hall.
Across the street in Washington Square were dozens of gleaming, sleek, bright red vehicles seemingly beaming back at their many admirers. These, of course, would be the world’s most prized sports car, the Ferrari.
This year, as in past years, hundreds gathered along the parade route to honor the contributions of Italian-Americans in their communities. Businesses and organizations were well represented and highlights included dozens of handcrafted parade floats featuring businesses, community groups, and Italian organizations; local high school Italian clubs and marching bands; special appearances by “Christopher Columbus” and Queen Isabella and Her Court; festive open-air dining and Italian wine and food specials at North Beach restaurants lining the Parade route; performances by a variety of traditional Italian musicians and performance artists; and special appearances by Bay Area and Italian-American celebrities.
This year, a fire truck representing Italian firemen was quite a hit as was a Dalmatian dog which delighted onlookers. The parade culminated in front of the iconic “Italian Cathedral of the West”, Saints Peter and Paul Church.
If you attended Sunday’s celebrations, you experienced first-hand the art of being Italian. But do you know the little known facts that brought us to this day in history? How did San Francisco’s Little Italy come to be the second largest (second only to New York) and the most enthusiastic Italian-American community in the United States? We could say that it all began with Christopher Columbus and we would be right/correct. But, there is so much more to the story of our fore-fathers and their heroic immigrant lives.
The story evolves through the many twists and turns of Italian immigrant lives. The first Italian to gaze at San Francisco bay, Father Eusebio Chino in 1687 and later with the first recorded Italian resident in San Francisco, Capitano Pietro Benzi in 1840, a shipmaster from Genoa. Many of our ancestors first settled near the water’s edge which at that time was at Montgomery Street.
The annual Columbus Day parade begins around Powell and Beach Streets which is actually the location of the beach that was called the north beach back in the 1800s. At that time bay waters came to what is now North Point and Bay Streets. How special is that! We begin at the beginning!
You can enjoy our Italian history by visiting many of the historic sites and monuments that still exist. Most of us have already visited the statue of Columbus at the base of Coit Tower. But did you know that the bronze statue was placed in front of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill in 1957 and that you can see a historic image of the event at the San Francisco Main Library History Center by viewing the historic photograph collection online at http://sfpl.org/index. php?pg=0200000301. The statue was created by Italian Sculptor, Umberto Cobertaldo, and cost $30,000, donated by the local Italian-American community.
Have you ever seen a photograph of one of San Francisco’s first Columbus Day parades? You can see this historic image for yourself at http://www.jbmonaco.com/north_beach/index.html. This is the website of the J.B. Monaco historical photograph collection.
One of my favorite moments of Sunday’s festivities was while I gazed at the marvel of human engineering, the Ferrari. Seeing my reflection in the shiny exterior I also saw, and definitely heard, the roar of the Blue Angels overhead. That made my day. That’s the art of being Italian!
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