Mayor John Vieau reads the proclamation to the crowd during the Italian Heritage Month flag raising event.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — In its tradition of recognizing and honoring the different cultures that make up Chicopee and Massachusetts, Chicopee hosted a flag raising ceremony on Oct. 28 to celebrate Italian Heritage Month.
Residents, city councilors and local and state officials gathered at City Hall Plaza to recognize and celebrate the event.
Mayor John Vieau said he always likes to host each flag raising to recognize each culture that makes up Chicopee.
He said, “It’s also Italian American Month and we wanted to recognize that here. Today, especially will be Italian Heritage Day for us here in Chicopee. I know that many Italian Americans call this country home and when you have Italian Americans who have settled areas of the city, they also bring a lot of amazing cuisine and art and culture and other things and today we want to celebrate that.”
Vieau presented a proclamation to city employee Carla Grace who talked about how proud she is to be an Italian American.
She said, “I’m proud to be an Italian American coming from a background who came over here, worked hard. They lived in the city of Chicopee; some have even worked in the mills. With that being said, I’m proud to have the background I did and have the upbringing I did with them and learned a lot from them.”
The proclamation officially recognized Oct. 28 as Italian Heritage Day in Chicopee and honored Italian Heritage Month.
Part of the proclamation that Vieau read said, “Italian Americans have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the history, culture and progress of our nation bringing with them rich traditions, a deep commitment to family and a passion for hard work. Italian Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage, achievements and enduring legacy of Italian Americans whose influence touches every aspect of our society.”
State Rep. Shirley Arriaga (D-Chicopee) also talked about the Italian culture and the impact many Italians have had in the history of this country.
She said, “I wanted to congratulate the Italian community for all the contributions not only here in Chicopee but across our nation. Our Italian community are the fifth largest group across our nation and if nothing else, please take the time today and this month to learn a little bit more about the culture and their beliefs. As we all know, we’re very proud of that diversity we have here in Chicopee and we are just very proud to have you here and raise this flag today.”
