Page 8 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025 Thinking Out Loud By Sal Giarratani E ast Boston Wants Its Parade Back and Revere Does Too, Right? How long has it been? Five years now or maybe it’s seven years since the last parade marched down Bennington toward Chelsea on its way to Maverick Square. Back as a kid my entire family would take the train over to Maverick Square to watch the Columbus Day Parade right at the bend from Chelsea to Meridian Street. On even-ended years we’d be over in Eastie and on oddending years it was Hanover Street in the North End. It happened over and over again until the Pandemic and woke politics changed everything. Now, our elected officials seem to think Columbus is a four-letter word. They call it Indigenous Day nowadays not to off end anyone, I guess, except members of the Italian American community. We seem not to count anymore and nor are we feared either. The Wokemobile just ran over us, that’s all folks. Except that’s not all folks. There’s a move afl oat to take back our parade. On Monday of this week a group of East Boston community leaders met at Kelley’s Square Pub to resurrect our parade. They think it’s now or never. I am sure those who came before us in previous generations who supported Italian Pride, who supported Columbus Day and who supported our heritage wondered what took us so long to grow a spine. Most of our elected offi cials Stop cleaning-out your gutters this season Get a FREE full gutter inspection and estimate: 1-855-400-0172 1.We Clean 2.We Reinforce 3.We Install Melrose Arts & Crafts’ Annual Craft Fair Y Debris Buildup Stands No Chance With LeafFilter Our patented system keeps out all common debris uPVC Frame Heavy leaves Pinecones Acorns Pine needles EXPIRES: 11/30/2025 Seed pods Storm debris AN ADDITIONAL 15% OFF+ 10% LeafFilter * Discount For Seniors + Military Get a FREE full gutter inspection and estimate: 1-855-400-0172 Promo: 285 Custom Fit To Your New or Existing Gutters Stainless Steel Micromesh ou are cordially invited to join in celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Melrose Arts & Crafts Society — 1905-2025. The event will be on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at First Congregational Church (121 West Foster St., Melrose) from 9:00-1.30. The Society was started in 1903 by Mrs. Sterling, wife of the Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church on West Emerson Street. In 1905 a constitution was drawn up and the “Tudor Rose” was adopted as the Society’s seal. In honor of this anniversary, Cathy Cormier and members designed and hand embroidered squares representing outreach projects, friendship and what the Society means to them. Please come and see all the diff erent exhibit items our members have lovingly made. Visit our sales, past class and raffl e tables, along with the teddy bear and outreach tables. Don’t miss our treasure room, baked goods table and the demonstrations throughout the day. Afterward, please sit and enjoy a complimentary cup of tea, coff ee and goodies. Any questions, please ask any of our members about the Society and membership. We would love to have you drop in and visit us at any of our monthly meetings. All are welcome. We are a nonprofi t organization. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Melrose Cultural Council. need to fi nd their collective spines too. The fi rst step has been taken over at Kelley’s and now the East Boston community must stand up and march together once again. I remember the last parade we held showed East Boston’s diversity marching together. It wasn’t just an Italian parade; it was for the entire community. In recent years more and more members of our growing Latino community started participating in the line of march and enriched it. Then, our weak politicians at City Hall and the State House caved in and started attacking Columbus too. Even those with Italian surnames. I have nothing against Indigenous peoples, American Indians or Native Americans. They can call themselves whatever they wish. However, the last thing that’s needed is pitting two groups against each other. I want this parade back. I really want it called Columbus Day but I can settle on an Italian American Heritage Parade if it gets the marchers marching and bands playing music again. Over 100 years ago the Irish American community over in South Boston got their St. Patrick’s Day Parade but they had to call it Evacuation Day. It’s been that since. However, everyone knows that parade is more about St. Patrick than George Washington. No one over there ever tells anyone Happy Evacuation Day, do they? Listen, while I am all wound up here, perhaps we could even see if East Boston folks could reach out to Revere folks and get both communities together to bring one parade back for both communities going forward. I remember for years both East Boston and Revere had the help of parade organizer Buddy Mangini helping to make both the East Boston and Revere parades come to life. Buddy is gone now but we are still here. returning this to active duty is quite doable. I want the parade back and I think, with the help of folks from Revere joining folks from Eastie, we can make a great parade, even greater than before. Let us hope that this first meeting earlier this week over at Kelley’s Square Pub is just the fi rst step on the road to building up Italian American Pride and marching once again together as a reality. As a side note, I hope that Italian and Latino members of both East Boston and Revere can also join together. Ethnic Pride for all is as American as you can get and so is a good parade. Stick a fork in Wokeness, it’s not going to work anymore if we all just stick together.
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