Target Free First Sunday: Italian Family Festival and Columbus Celebration

 Italian Family Festival & Columbus Celebration
Sponsored by The Nicholas Endowment & Presented by the Bowers Museum and the Italian Cultural Arts Council
Margaret and Cleo Key Courtyard
11 AM – 4 PM
Santa Ana, Calif. — In an effort to sustain Italian heritage and culture, the Orange County American Italian Renaissance Foundation is dedicated to preserving the heritage of all American Italians in Orange County and annually conducts a Columbus Celebration at the Bowers Museum. The Columbus Celebration will be held in conjunction with the Italian and Mediterranean Family Festival on Target Free First Sunday, October 5, 2014.
This year, the Italian Cultural Arts Council invites you to celebrate Italian Heritage Month with two honorees A.J. Tony Coco and Bernadine Liuzzi Neil. Tony is a Commissioned Intelligence Officer, Naval Reserve [Fleet Intelligence Center, Hawaii]. He is now retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander from the Navy. Tony has been an active member of the Sons of Italy over 40 years having been recruited by the founder of the Tustin Orange Lodge Vincent Licata. He is currently serving as the Orator of the Renaissance Lodge No. 2259 and has the distinct honor of having been a founder of the Orange County American Italian Renaissance Foundation. Bernadine has been an active member of Order Sons of Italy in America for over 10 years. She has been part of the organization through her grandfather since 1945, is an active member of the Orange County American Italian Renaissance Foundation and the Italian Arts Council, an affiliate of Bowers Museum, and is currently Recording Secretary of Renaissance Lodge No. 2259. We are honored to have Tony and Bernadine join us at the Bowers Museum.
The Columbus Celebration event will begin at 10 a.m. featuring color guard, anthems, wreath ceremony at the Christopher Columbus Monument, special Italian treats and guest speakers, including Joseph Ferrucci, Esq, President, Orange County Italian Lawyers and other Italian dignitaries. The afternoon celebration will continue with live musical performances of romantic and uplifting traditional songs from Italy and modern tunes from around the world. Dance and sing along in the historic mission-style Key Courtyard beginning at noon. There will be a special marionette puppet show in the Norma Kershaw Auditorium beginning at 1 p.m. for children's entertainment.
Free admission to special exhibition Heavenly Hourses: Two Thousand Years of Chinese and Japanese Equine Art is offered on a first come, first served basis.
Free admission is also included to Bowers Museum permanent exhibitions, Kidseum and limited engagement exhibitions including: Sacred Realms: Temple Murals by Shashi Dhoj Tulachand; Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands; California Legacies: Missions and Ranchos; Vision of the Shaman, Song of the Priest; California: The Golden Years; Ancient Arts of China.