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Designating the week of Monday, October 1 through Monday, October 8, 2012 as "Christopher Columbus/Italian American Heritage Week" in the City of Philadelphia. This is done in celebration of the festivities commemorating Columbus' historic voyage to the New World and honoring Frankie Valli as Grand Marshall of the 2012 Philadelphia Columbus Day Parade.
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WHEREAS, Five hundred and twenty years ago, a courageous Italian visionary set out on what would become one of the most momentous journeys in the annals of history. Christopher Columbus and the maps he charted to the "New World" were guiding lights to every ship that came to America; and
WHEREAS, The annual Philadelphia Columbus Day Parade began in South Philadelphia in 1957, and has since become one of the City's premier ethnic celebrations. On October 7, 2012, the 1492 Society will host the annual parade. In addition to the active participation of the Delaware Valley's Italian American Community, the Philadelphia Columbus Day Parade tradition includes the world famous Philadelphia Mummers string bands, outstanding high school and elementary school marching bands, and many other marching groups representing the various ethnic traditions of our great City. The Parade seeks to foster a spirit of multi-culturalism and respect for people of all ethnic backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, The Grand Marshall of the 2012 Columbus Day Parade, Frankie Valli was born May 3, 1934 in Newark, NJ. His singing took off in 1960 when Valli joined Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi, and Bob Gaudio as front man of The Four Seasons. He is well known for his unusually powerful falsetto voice. Valli had 29 Top 40 hits with The Four Seasons including "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Rag Doll" and "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)". As a solo artist, he had nine Top 40 hits and his number one hits included "My Eyes Adored You" and "Grease". The members of The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and ...
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