For those friends wondering about family roots, my daughter Tina recently shared her thoughts when being honored as the Grand Marshal of the 2022 Nutley-Belleville Columbus Day Parade. I guess she took notes over the years, not forgetting from whence she came. May all of our family members today be happy and healthy, and those remembered by Tina who have left, ... rest in peace.
GRAND MARSHAL 2022
Buona sera.
CONGRA-TU-LAZIONI A TUTTI i pre-miati stasera.
È MIO ON-ORE ESSERE IL Gran Mare-scialla di Nutley-BELLEVILLE patrimonio italiano e PARATA DEL GIORNO DI COLUMBUS. E sono molto grato,
PERCHÉ (per-kay) ONORA LA MIA FAMIGLIA.
Good evening.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL the honorees tonight.
IT IS MY HONOR TO BE THE Grand Marshal of THE Nutley-BELLEVILLE Italian heritage and COLUMBUS DAY PARADE. And I am very grateful, BECAUSE IT HONORS MY FAMILY.
AND WHAT A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE LONG TRADITION OF ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES FROM NUTLEY AND BELLEVILLE ----- IN THE PEOPLE YOU SEE BEING HONORED HERE TONIGHT.
BELLEVILLE MAN OF THE YEAR, DR. JIM CORINO, IS MY MOTHER’S FIRST COUSIN … ON BOTH SIDES, BECAUSE TWO SISTERS MARRIED TWO BROTHERS – AND THEY GREW UP TOGETHER AS NEIGHBORS, SO THEY ARE ALMOST LIKE SIBLINGS.
AND NUTLEY MAN OF THE YEAR – JASON ZINNA – I BASICALLY GREW UP IN HIS HOUSE, AS HIS BROTHER MICHAEL WAS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IN HIGH SCHOOL … OUR PARENTS ALL WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER IN BELLEVILLE AND WE HAD CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE ZINNAS, FOR YEARS! FRIENDS BECOME FAMILY IN NUTLEY AND BELLEVILLE.
MY OWN FATHER, JOSEPH CERVASIO, WAS THE GRAND MARSHAL IN 2011. BEFORE THAT, BOTH MY YOUNGER SISTER CORRINE, AND MYSELF WERE THE BELLA SIGNORINA’S OF THE PARADE WHEN WE WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL. WITH THAT HONOR IS NOW EVOLVED INTO THE RENAISSANCE MAN AND RENAISSANCE WOMAN.
AND MY UNCLE JOE ZARRA – WHO IS MY AUNT AND GOD MOTHER, DONNA CERVASIO ZARRA’S HUSBAND, UNCLE JOE WAS THE LIFETIME ACHIEVMENT AWARD WINNER FOR 2020, WITH THE PARADE BEING HELD LAST YEAR ……. AND ALL I HEARD ABOUT FROM MY PARENTS AND AUNT DONNA --WAS HOW MUCH FUN THEY HAD … AND IT WAS POURING!
AND THAT’S BECAUSE … THIS PARADE IS ALL ABOUT CELEBRATING!! CELEBRATING YOUR ITALIAN HERITIAGE, FAMILY –NO MATTER WHAT YOUR FAMILY UNIT LOOKS LIKE ---AND KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE.
NO ONE IS MORE PROUD OR HAPPIER -- THAT I’M HERE, THAN MY OWN PARENTS … MARIA AND JOSEPH --- WHO RAISED ME AND MY SISTER IN A HOUSE WHERE THEY TRIED THEIR HARDEST TO KEEP ALIVE THE TRADITIONS OF THEIR PARENTS, FIRST GENERATION ITALIAN AMERICANS
MY MOTHER’S FATHER, ANGELO CORINO – MY POP POP, HIS FAMILY WAS FROM ACRI IN THE PROVENCE OF COSENZA, IN THE CALABRIA REGION. MY MOTHER’S MOM, MY NANNY, SANTINA GIARDINA CORINO – HER PARENTS WERE FROM MESSINA, SICILY – NANNY ALWAYS TOLD ME TO TELL PEOPLE I’M A QUARTER SICILIAN AND 3/QUARTERS ITALIAN!
MY FATHER’S PARENTS, ROCCO CERVASIO –GRANDPA ROCKY- … AND MARIETTA FRASSO CERVASIO, WHO PASSED BEFORE I WAS BORN, … THEIR ANCESTRAL ROOTS GO BACK TO THE PROVENCE OF AVELLINO AND IN NAPLES, IN THE REGION OF CAMPANIA.
GROWING UP --- WE ATE DINNER AS A FAMILY EVERY NIGHT TOGETHER – UNTIL CHEERLEADING OR TRACK AND FIELD PRACTICE OR DANCE CLASSES STARTED TO GET IN THE WAY and then me watching college football or college basketball – REALLY got in the way. BUT SUNDAY DINNER AFTER CHURCH WAS A MUST --- MOM SERVING MACARONI AND MEATBALLS, WITH UNLIMITED FRESH BREAD FROM VITIELLOS. ALL THE HOLIDAYS HAD SEVEN COURSES-- FISH, LASAGNA, BEFORE THE MAIN COURSE … HOMEMADE COOKIES BY MY NANNY, BLENDING RECEIPES FROM SOUTHERN ITALY AND SICILY. THAT WAS OUR LIFE … THAT’S WHAT WE DID. I KNEW NOTHING DIFFERENT. … BUT AS MY ADULT LIFE WOULD BE MUCH DIFFERENT … HOWEVER … IN ADULTHOOD, I FINALLY *UNDERSTOOD*.
MY FIRST TRIP TO ITALY – HAD TO COME WITH SOME “FORCING” BY MY MOTHER, BECAUSE I WAS WAITING TO HEAR BACK ON A JOB IN TELEVISION … I WAS JUST A FEW YEARS OUT OF COLLEGE, MY SISTER HAD RECENTLY GRADUATED AND HAD SPENT A SEMESTER IN FLORENCE. (I STUDIED IN MADRID) WHEN I TOOK THIS TRIP WITH MY SISTER AND HER BEST FRIENDS, THE FLORIE SISTERS FROM NUTLEY … IT HIT ME QUICKLY: SO, THIS IS WHO I AM. AND WHY I AM. EVERYONE WOULD ONLY SPEAK ITALIAN TO ME. EVERTHING – MY MIND, BODY AND SOUL CHANGED OVER THOSE TEN DAYS. THERE WAS A MAGNETISM IN THE COUNTRY – I COULD TOUCH THE “PASSION AND FIRE” IN THE ITALIAN PEOPLE … I FINALLY RESONATED WITH SOMETHING – THAT FEELING IN *MY* BLOOD. I SAW MEN WALKING THE STREETS AND RIDING MOTOR BIKES THAT LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE MY **UNCLE ANG CORINO** … I SAW WOMEN IN DRESSES, STILETTOS, WITH BIG GUUCI GLASSES, A SILK SCARF, THEIR LONG BRUNETTE HAIR BLOWING HAIR AS THEY SPED AROUND ON THEIR VESPAS … WITH A SMALL DOG PEEKING OUT OF THEIR PRADA BAG AT THEIR FEET --- AND I SAW MYSELF.
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I’D MARRY A MAN ABOUT 98 PERCENT IRISH AND 2 PERCENT GERMAN! KEVIN MCKEARNY – BUT *I* NEVER THOUGHT – AND IT DID TAKE ABOUT SIX YEARS TO FIND OUT … HE WOULD FALL IN LOVE … WITH THE COUNTRY OF ITALY. IN THE TWO TIMES WE TRAVELED TOGETHER FOR VACATIONS THAT WOULD TAKE US FROM HIS NOW *FAVORITE CITY IN THE WORLD* VENICE, TO LAKE COMO, CINQUE TERRE, OF COURSE ROME AND FLORENCE THROUGH TUSCANY – SAN GIMINANO, THEN INTO THE SOUTH TO SORRENTO VISITIING POMPEII- --- AND WHILE IN ITALY … MY HUSBAND WOULD TRANSFORM – *LITERALLY* MORPH … INTO AN ITALIAN MAN … EATING *EVERYTHING* SERVED INCLUDING VEGTABLES, FISH. DRINKING PITCHERS OF RED WINE WITH DINNER … GOING FOR LONG WALKS … AND STOLLING ALONG THE WAY WITH HIS HANDS BEHIND HIS BACK --- IN A POSTURE AND STRIDE … STRIKINGLY SIMLIAR TO MY POP POP. IF ITALY COULD CHANGE MY HUSBAND … THE COUNTRY IS PURE MAGIC!
WHILE MY LIFE TODAY HAS ME WORKIG 12 HOURS EVERY SUNDAY … INSTEAD OF MACARONI AND MEATBALLS WITH MY FAMILY … WE STILL FIND WAYS TO CRAM IN ALL THE TRADITIONS, HOLIDAYS, WE STILL CELEBRATE EVERYONE'S BIRTHDAY FROM 5 YEARS OLD TO 75. SOMETIMES 3 TIMES THAT MONTH. GOD HAS BLESSED MY SISTER WITH THE GIFT OF RE-CREATING MY GRANDMOTHER’S EASTER BREADS … AND SOME COOKIES … EVEN THOUGH NANNY NEVER WROTE THE MEASUREMENTS DOWN ON ANY OF HER HAND WRITTEN RECIEPIES …
MY SISTER’S CHILDREN … BOTH MY GOD CHILDREN, JOSETTA AND CALEB … INSIST ON HAVING PARTIES FOR EVERTHING... WITH EVERY MEMBER OF THE EXTENDED FAMILY … JOSETTA GETS SO UPSET IF I MISS A FEW DAYS ON OUR FAMILY VACATIONS AT THE JERSEY SHORE BECAUSE OF MY JOB … AND LETS ME KNOW! … MY MOTHER TOLD ME AFTER A RECENT BASEBALL GAME CALEB STARTED INVITED ALL HIS TEAMMATES TO HIS HOUSE … “TO HAVE PIZZA AND GET TOGETHER” … WITHOUT MY SISTER KNOWING. IT’S IN THEIR BLOOD. AGAIN … THE MAGNETIC, PASSIONATE ITALIAN BLOOD THAT WANTS PEOPLE TO BE TOGETHER … TO CELEBRATE … TO BE FAMILY.
WHICH IS WHAT THIS PARADE IS ALL ABOUT. …. THANK YOU TO THE NUTLEY-BELLEVILLE ITALIAN HERITAGE, COLUMBUS DAY PARADE COMMITTEE FOR HONORING ME ---
GRAZIE MILLE.