Tuckahoe to Host Annual Columbus Day Festival

In celebration of the Italian-American heretage that is certainly alive and well in Tuckahoe and surrounding towns in Westchester, the Village will be holding their annual Columbus Day - St. Pio Festival on Sept. 21 - 23 in Depot Square.

The event has been organized by the Columbus Day Committee of Eastchester-Tuckahoe and will pay special tribute to St. Pio of Pietrelcina, in recognition of the 125th anniversary of his birth and the 10th anniversary of his canonization.

The festival will begin with a mass in Italian at the Assumption Church on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m., followed by the procession of St. Pio to Depot Square.

The closing procession will take place on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. when the faithful will process back to Assumption Church for prayers and benediction.

Festival hours are Sept. 21 and 22 are from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m, and Sept. 23 from noon to 8 p.m. The festival will feature food, vendors and music celebrating the Italian American culture.

Along with the traditional Italian mass and procession of St. Pio through the streets of Tuckahoe, this year’s feast will also encompass the St. Pio exhibit that is being hosted by the Westchester Italian Cultural Center at the Generoso Pope Foundation building in Tuckahoe.

The exhibit, “Il Cammino di Padre Pio” documents the life of Padre Pio through the photographs of Elia Stelluto, an altar boy who later became Padre Pio’s personal photographer. His photographs immortalized the various moments of Padre Pio’s daily life from moments of joy and happiness to capturing his unique expression during liturgies and Eucharistic celebrations.

The Committee is also honoring two families whose roots in the community and service to its residents have spanned generations. The Man of the Year award will be presented to attorneys John J. Pappalardo and his son, John D. Pappalardo. The DiPippo family, whose sixth generation still lives in Eastchester, has been awarded the organization’s Family Legacy tribute.

The Family Legacy Award recognizes the DiPippo family’s strong strength of family that can be traced back to 1902 when Alfonso DiPippo left Italy for New York City. Their strong sense of family, sacrifice and determination embodies the essence of the culture of generations of Italian-Americans in the United States.

“Italian-Americans have made so many contributions to our nation,” said David Anthony Pope, president and CEO of The Generoso Pope Foundation, which along with the Giuseppe Garibaldi Lodge and the Eastchester Italian-American Citizens Club sponsor the Columbus Day festival in Tuckahoe.

“The Committee and I find it fitting to honor on a local level these two families who have contributed so much to our community,” he continued.

Also being honored is Jessica Gulotta, a senior at Eastchester High School who has been named Miss Columbus 2012 by the Columbus Day Committee of Eastchester-Tuckahoe. She will be awarded a $10,000 college scholarship from the Generoso Pope Foundation.

The scholarship honors Jessica for her commitment to the Italian culture and language as well recognizing her outstanding academic and extra-curricular accomplishments.

Follow Bronxville-Eastchester Patch on Facebook and Twitter today.