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Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Saturday, May 23, at 1 PM Marked Official Opening of Mulberry Street Pedestrian Mall
The 2009 Summer in Little Italy festival, presented by the Little Italy Merchants Association (LIMA), will begin on Saturday, May 23, 2009, at 1 PM – the start of Memorial Day Weekend (May 23/24/25) with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony marking the Opening of the Mulberry Street Pedestrian Mall and a free concert featuring Tre Bella and The Red Mike Festival Band, Little Italy’s renowned traditional Italian brass band. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was attended by Ralph Tramontana, President of LIMA), several LIMA officers, NYC Councilman Tony Avela, Zella Jones, a member of Manhattan’s Community Board 2, John Fratta, President of the Little Italy Restoration Organization, and other community leaders.
The Ribbon Cutting and Outdoor concert was held near the corner of Mulberry and Canal Streets, in front of the Most Precious Blood Church Rectory. The Red Mike Festival Band has been performing in Little Italy every year since 1928.
On Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), Father Fabian Grifone, pastor of Most Precious Blood Church, conducted an Outdoor Mass at 12 Noon in the patio of the church during which members of Tre Bella performed secular songs. This was followed by the singing of the National Anthem by noted tenor John Carelli, and a ceremony in which the names of Italian American veterans and war heroes from conflicts in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the two Gulf Wars with roots in Little Italy were read aloud by community leaders, including John Fratta, Emily DePalo, Kenneth Marino and Ernest Magliato.
The ceremony concluded with an annual wreath laying ceremony with a United States Marine Color Guard in remembrance of US Marine Corps PFC Frank Vallone, who died in combat in Vietnam on September 11, 1968. Frank’s mother, Marie Vallone, a long-time resident of Little Italy, took part in the ceremony that has been held in Little Italy since 2002.
The 2009 Summer in Little Italy weekends will feature a wide variety of free activities and events, including Family Festival Weekends with family friendly entertainers, including Face Painters, Balloon Artists, Stilt Walkers, Magicians and Puppeteers positioned along Mulberry Street on Saturdays from 12 noon to 5 PM.
Special events include the 7th Annual Pasta Eating Contest on Saturday, July 4, at 3 PM in front of S.P.Q.R. Restaurant at 133 Mulberry Street (between Hester and Grand Streets); the 6th Annual Mario Lanza Tenor Vocal Competition on Saturday, July 18, at 3 PM; and the 4th Annual Little Italy Sopranos Vocal Competition on Saturday, August 15, at 3 PM.
Presented by the Little Italy Merchants Association (LIMA), an organization representing restaurants, cafes and other businesses in Little Italy, this popular event, which attracts more than one-million visitors annually, began in 2002. It is held every Friday (6 PM – 11 PM), Saturday (11 AM to 11 PM) and Sunday (11 AM to 9 PM) along Mulberry Street between Canal and Broome Streets and on Hester Street between Mott and Mulberry Streets. During these weekend hours, Mulberry Street is closed to vehicular traffic creating a Pedestrian Mall as well as New York City’s most exciting al fresco dining area. Most of the area’s more than 35 restaurant and cafes obtain permits to operate sidewalk cafes during Mall hours where visitors can have a leisurely lunch or dinner, cappuccino and desserts, while watching people from all over the world stroll through this historic neighborhood.
Sponsors of 2008 Summer in Little Italy include Bolla Wines, Peroni Beer, Bindi Desserts, Italian Tribune and Pepsi Cola/Schweppes/Seven Up, the official soft drinks of Little Italy.
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