DALLAS – Keeping Italian-American tradition, history and cultural heritage alive in Texas and United States of America: this is the goal of the Italian Festival and the Columbus Day Parade which will be held in Dallas (Texas) on next October 13th, starting at 11am.  

This is the tenth edition of an event which also received recognition from the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott: after having proclaimed October “Italian Heritage Month in the State of Texas” (read our article here), Governor Abbott will personally participate in the Italian Festival on 13 October. In addition to him, there will be the military and civil authorities (including the Consul General of Italy in Houston, Mauro Lorenzini), the Texas Park horses, the “Skyline” school band and the renowned Emerald City Band orchestra with Pino Marelli for musical entertainment, an exhibition of Italian sports cars and the presence of Italian restaurateurs and products, as well as associations that aim to promote Italianness in its many facets.

The master of ceremony will be Jay Lombardo, the soprano Gabriella Fresquez will sing the national anthems and Vincenzo Arcobelli of the CGIE, the General Council of Italians Abroad, will do the opening remarks. “This event – explains Arcobelli, who is also the chairman of the initiative – represents continuity in the direction of the promotion of our history, traditions, culture and Italian heritage. We must safeguard Columbus Day, demonstrating to the entire community that sharing convivial, cultural and social moments can be an example of openness and inclusion, in mutual respect, with other ethnic groups”. 

This year, the Grand Marshal 2024 – the personality to whom the parade is dedicated – will be Oscar Renda, a successful entrepreneur proud of his Calabrian origins: having arrived in the United States in 1956 from Calabria (in the south of Italy) at the age of 8, Oscar did the most humble jobs (parking attendant, dishwasher) while learning the carpenter trade and continuing his studies; at 14 he started working in the construction sector and already at 17 he was leading a team of pipe installers, while also continuing to study so that at a certain point, after graduating, he had to choose between a career as a teacher and as a self-employed entrepreneur. With great courage, he chose the latter, more arduous and full of unexpected events: he took a loan of $13,000, bought a “John Deere” excavator and founded Oscar Renda Contracting, in 1973 (and the following year his brother Rudy joined him). Today, Oscar Renda is one of the largest contractors in the USA for works such as highways and tunnels, owns three banks and, as a hobby, a Calabrian restaurant.

“Oscar Renda deserves this significant recognition, for the great contribution given to the world of construction and to the community” declares chairman Arcobelli, who is also the President of the Tricolor Committee for Italians in the World. “We are proud that Oscar Renda is the Grand Marshal of the 2024 edition of our Columbus Day Parade – comments master of ceremonies Lombardo -: he is among the most important personalities of the Italian-American community”.

In the pics above, from the left: the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, and Vincenzo Arcobelli of the CGIE; alongside, the proclamation of Italian Heritage Month signed by the Governor; on the right Oscar Renda, Grand Marshal 2024; here below, the flyers for the event