The town’s Columbus Day Committee has named lifelong resident James Romeo, Jr. as this year’s Grand Marshal, while Rita Mastroberardino has been named the recipient of the Monsignor Anthony Maltese Humanitarian Award. The David R. DiRubba Community Service Award is going to Elliot and Diane Senderoff this year.
Romeo has been an active member of the community since he graduated from Eastchester High School and attended Iona College in New Rochelle. As the principal manager of Romeo Realty, he has worked alongside HUD in an attempt to make his hometown more affordable. Outside of the office, he is involved in youth sports in the community and is on the board of the Tuckahoe Youth Association Sports Program, where he has organized the TYA Girls Softball League.
A Tuckahoe resident since 1987, Mastroberardino has served as president of three Eastchester PTAs and was formerly on the board of the Parkview Heights Civic Association. She works as an evaluator for the Community Fund and is currently on the boards of the Eastchester Historical Society, the Eastchester Girl Scout Cabin Building Committee and the Bronxville Boy Scouts Eagle Board of Review.
Senderoff, who has lived in Eastchester for more than half a century, is a former president of the Lake Isle Shore Club, where he has raised funds for silt and debris removal. He is a charter member of the League of Civic Association Leaders where he helped recruit volunteers to found the popular “Traffic Expo - Kids Safety Day.”
Festivities will begin with the Columbus Day Festival on Friday, Oct. 7, extending through Monday, Oct. 10 at Lake Isle Country Club.
“This year will mark our festival’s 10th anniversary and will once again be a wonderful fall weekend packed with all things Italian; from music to cuisine to the vendors and beyond,” Stuart Rabin, the Chairman of the Columbus Day Celebration Committee said. “The Committee looks forward to planning this event each year and are proud and honored to have the support of our residents and volunteers that aid us in making Eastchester Columbus Day the premier Columbus Day Celebration throughout Westchester.”
A The annual parade will begin at 3:30 p.m., Sunday in the Immaculate Conception Church parking lot, and will travel up Main Street and through Route 22, ending on the grounds of Lake Isle. The day will conclude with a fireworks display at 9 p.m. The carnival will draw to a close on Monday, running from 1 to 6 p.m.
“The Committee chose exceptional honorees this year,” Town Supervisor Anthony Colavita said in a statement. “We are proud of each of them. Each has contributed a great deal of time and energy to enhance the lives of their fellow residents and are deserving of such a great distinction.”
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