Celebrate Columbus Day In Ocean County

Earlier this month, officials made the decision to cancel the annual Ocean County Columbus Day Parade and Italian Festival in Seaside Heights. It was blamed on fundraising, as the pandemic restrictions resulted in the Parade Committee being unable to hold most of their big events during the summer.

Regardless of the reason, it was crappy news, and a lot of people were disappointed.

Now, it looks like there will be a way for Italians to celebrate!

On Saturday October 10th, there will be "A Celebration Of Our Italian Heritage and Culture" taking place through Berkeley, Toms River, Brick, and Seaside Heights.

Soooo, that is basically a parade and a festival, right? I guess if you are not technically closing down the streets of Seaside Heights and bringing in marching bands and floats and Miss New Jersey in the back of a convertible, you can get away with saying "it's not a parade - it's just a procession!" And I guess if you are just inviting people to gather for a ceremony with the Knights of Columbus and a few musical acts, it's not a full-blown festival.

Frankly, I'm down with all of that. Can't have a parade? Have a "procession". Can't have a festival? Have a "gathering". Obviously it won't be the same as previous years, but it's still a chance for the Columbus Day Committee to celebrate their culture and heritage.