Neighborhood Chatter: Full sail ahead with Columbus week activities

By Bill Gelman

The Frank Rizzo statue debate will be put on ice tomorrow night (Oct. 5) as the 1492 Society presents A Night in Italy 2017 with Jerry Blavat dedicated to former Mayor Frank L. Rizzo. Judge Matthew Carrafiello and officer Juan “Ace” Delgado are the special honorees. The event is taking place at Galdo’s Caterers, 20th Street and Moyamensing Avenue, from 6:30–10:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include a buffet dinner, top shelf open bar and dancing. This is a benefit for the 2017 Columbus Day Parade. For more information, visit the 1492 Society Facebook page. …

South Philadelphia is, of course, home to the annual Columbus Day Parade, which is taking place on Sunday (Oct. 8) starting at 12:30 p.m. The route begins at Broad and Morris streets and continues down to Marconi Plaza at Broad and Oregon. This Italian-American multi-cultural parade will feature floats and string bands. Erica Gagliardi Bupp, who is a member of The Business and has been the subject of numerous profiles in SPR, will sing the Italian Anthem and Connie Francis will serve as grand marshal. The parade is free to attend…

The non-profit organization TechGirlz, dedicated to empowering middle school girls to pursue diverse technology careers, is joining forces with the Free Library of Philadelphia to expand education. The first workshop, which is taking place today (Oct. 4, 4–6 p.m.) at the South Philadelphia Library, 1700 S. Broad St., will teach students how to make a website using WordPress. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis for up to 20 participants, with any unfilled spaces available for walk-ins. Additional scheduled workshops at the South Philadelphia Library include Designing Mobile Apps on Oct. 21, Program with Kudo on Nov. 15, and tentatively Infographics on Nov. 18. The sessions will be led by Temple University students.

“TechGirlz workshops were designed to be led by anyone, anywhere — even if they are not career technologists,” Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO of TechGirlz, said. “The Free Library of Philadelphia is well-equipped to inspire Philadelphia’s young women, and we are excited to join them in getting this program off the ground.”

Call 215–685–1866…

The 25th Annual Alfonso Cavaliere Memorial Concert is taking place Sunday, Oct. 22, 5 p.m., at South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St. It will be a night of musical comedy, operatic favorites, Neapolitan songs along with special tributes to Madame Marianne Casiello, founder of the Bel Canto Lyric Opera Co., the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein and the 10th anniversary of the passing of tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for students. Free parking will be available in the school parking lot. For more information, call 215–626–7053. …

Capitola Playground, 9th and Federal streets (across from Pat’s and Geno’s), is holding its fall flea market on Saturday, Oct. 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (rain date is Oct. 21). Besides lots of vendors, the live music will create a party-like vibe. Want a table? It’s $25 per spot or two for $45. For more information, visit capitolofleamarket.com. …

Speaking of events, there will be plenty of them included in the Oct. 11 edition, better known as our Fall Guide. We are talking expanded concert, theater and special event (including Halloween) listings. Hungry for some new restaurants around the neighborhood? There will be a rundown of who’s opening where and when. Until next week …