USUALLY ON COLUMBUS Day weekend, the prospect of wearing costumes from Abruzzo or Calabria regions of Italy is reason enough to get three generations of Americans out onto Broad and Wharton to walk ten blocks for a day of festive pride.
But this year, without enough state funding to support the traditional parade - not to mention the Eagles game taking away a chunk of fans mid-afternoon - attendance was visibly down.
Still, on a breezy afternoon, festival-goers filled Marconi Plaza on Broad and Oregon for a Columbus Day parade where there seemed hardly a deficiency of spirit.
The event started at 11 a.m. with mass at St. Monica, where the Rev. Joseph Kelley gave a sermon centered on Christopher Columbus, before people relocated to the Plaza, and young couples sang along to "That's Amore," kids got their faces painted and there seemed enough cannolis and porchetta to fill the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. A "Brass from Brass" ensemble from Abruzzo, Italy, gave a 90-minute performance, part of a daylong arsenal of Italian-themed songs.
"I'm so glad they still decided to hold the festival," said Jackie Demayo, a lifelong South Philly resident, referring to this year's parade-funding woes. "I just love coming here."
Standing in front of a food tent to sample fare with her granddaughter Nadia, Demayo added, "The stuffed artichokes are great. It made me wish my grandmother was here."
North of the plaza, ladies rumbaed to "Torna a Sorriento" or slow-danced with spouses, an essential part of the festival that was not scrapped.
"I come here every year," said Norma D'Amato, clad in a white sequined dress. "It's always the music. We're all disappointed about the parade, but the dancing's here, and that's my thing."
Yet, some took a stronger stance. Joseph Montone, who stood beneath a statue of the Blessed Mother, handing out rosaries and prayer cards, inviting anyone who wanted a prayer for a moment of solemnity, said, "This is the 22nd festival we've been to, and the first time the parade was cancelled. We usually have three statues - the Holy Family - but two of them are gone because the festival got smaller.
"Everyone in America comes from some place else," Montone said. "My grandfather came from Naples in 1903. To cancel a parade like this, a tradition, is a big statement."
With a $30,000 shortfall in funds this year, it may take more action to ensure 2010's parade, and the Columbus Day Committee has planned a meeting as soon as next week.
"We hope to have a great parade for next year," Columbus Day Festival chairwoman Jody Della Barba said. "We're going to gather the Italian community and put our heads together to think more concretely about private fundraising."
Until then, there will be a wreath-laying today at two locations: the obelisk at Penn's Landing (10:30 a.m.) and the Columbus Statue on Oregon Avenue (11:15 a.m.).
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