[D & I Irish-Italian Heritage Event]
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THANK YOU TO, THIS IS THE BONNEVILLE BRUINS MARCHING BAND.
SO VERY HONORED TO BE WITH YOU HERE TODAY.
I STAND IF YOU SEE EVERYBODY IN AN ORANGE SHIRT.
THIS IS OUR DIVERSITY INCLUSION, UM, BOARD.
WHEN WE CAME IN OFFICE IN 2020, WE, WE SAID, HOW CAN WE NEXT LEVEL THE DNI BOARD? ONE OF THE STATISTICS I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT JEFFERSON PARISH IS THAT WE ARE THE DIVE MOST DIVERSE PARISH OF THE 64 PARISHES IN LOUISIANA.
JEFFERSON IS THE MOST DIVERSE, AND OBVIOUSLY, OUR OWN EMPLOYEES REPRESENT THAT CROSS CULTURE OF THE, THE GREAT CULTURE THAT WE HAVE THROUGH JEFFERSON PARISH.
SO WE WANNA CELEBRATE ALL THE DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT WE, THAT WE ARE HERE IN THIS WONDERFUL PARISH.
AND TODAY WE'RE GONNA CELEBRATE THE IRISH AND ITALIAN HERITAGE, WHICH IS SO VERY STRONG AND PART OF OUR HISTORY.
SO, UH, WE STARTED OFF WITH THE BON BRUINS MARCHING BAND.
UM, WE'RE AT THE KICKOFF OF THE, THE PARADE SEASON IS NOT YET FINISHED.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, THAT WE HAVE.
PATRICK'S DAY IS CELEBRATED ON MARCH 17TH, IN ST.
JOSEPH'S DAY, CELEBRATED ON MARCH 19TH.
THE IRISH PEOPLE AND THE ITALIAN PEOPLE HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO VERY MUCH TO THE ARTS, TO ARCHITECTURE, TO THE MUSIC, TO THE ENTERTAINMENT, TO THE MEDICINE, WHAT I LOVE FOOD, THE FOOD CULTURE THAT WE HAVE.
PATRICK'S DAY, MEY ROAD PARADE THAT HAS BEEN TAKING THE STREETS OF OLD MEY FOR 50 YEARS IS GONNA BE THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 12TH AT NOON.
AND COUNCILWOMAN VAN RANKIN IS HONORED TO BE THE GRAND MARSHAL OF THAT EVENT.
AND THEN THE NEXT WEEK, SHORTLY AFTER THAT, UM, STARTING IN 1983, WAS THE ANNUAL IRISH ITALIAN PARADE, WHICH IS GONNA ROLL THE STREETS ON SUNDAY, MARCH 19TH AT, AT NOON.
AND COUNCILMAN BANANA IS THE GRAND MARSHAL OF THAT.
AND IF YOU LIKE ONE COUNCILMAN BANANA, YOU CAN MAYBE SEE TWO COUNCILMAN BANANA.
WHERE'S THE STICK? THE STICK HEAD? THERE YOU GO.
YOU GET DOUBLE THE, DOUBLE THE BANANAS FOR, FOR ITALIAN.
SO, UM, I'D LIKE NOW TO RECOGNIZE BAND MASTER FRANK FESS LEWIS III IN THE BONNEVILLE BRUINS MARCHING BAND, AS WELL AS THE PRINCIPAL OF ALFRED BONBEL MAGNET ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL, SHARON MEGS HAMILTON, UH, TO COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS.
I'M BOTH HONORED AND, UH, PLEASED TO, UH, BE A PART OF THIS CELEBRATION TODAY.
UH, WHERE'S MR. LEWIS? AS MR. LEWIS DESERVES A LOT OF THE ACCOLADES HERE, I FEEL LIKE OUR, THERE YOU ARE.
MR. LEWIS IS THE, UH, BAND DIRECTOR FOR, UM, UH, THE GRAND, THE BAND MASTER FOR, UH, BON BILL BRUINS BAND.
HE'S, UH, DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB AT OUR SCHOOL, UM, NOT ONLY FOR THE BAND, BUT HELPING OUR STUDENTS THRIVE ACADEMICALLY.
I HAVE A SCRIPT BECAUSE I, I CAN, UM, TALK A LOT AND I DON'T WANNA
AND, UH, AND THE JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.
UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS SHARON MAX HAMILTON.
I AM THE PRINCIPAL AT BONNEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO SHARE THIS, UH, DAY WITH THE, UH, IRISH ITALIAN COMMUNITY.
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UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE.WE ARE, UH, LOCATED ON BRUIN DRIVE RIGHT AT THE BORDER OF MEY AND KENNER.
UM, IT IS, I'M, I'M SURE A LOT OF YOU ALL EITHER HAVE CHILDREN OR YOU MIGHT EVEN BE ALUMNI.
BUT I'M, I'M, I'M SURE OF THAT BECAUSE THE SCHOOL HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR, UH, QUITE A LONG TIME.
BUT WE ARE, AGAIN, VERY PROUD TO, UH, BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY AS A SCHOOL.
WE WANNA CONTINUE, UM, UM, WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE JEFFERSON COUNCIL, THE GOVERNMENT, AND ALL TO ENSURE THAT OUR PARISH, WHICH IS A LEADING PARISH IN OUR STATE, CONTINUES TO BE THAT.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE.
HEY, I, I, I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN DOMINIC AND, AND PASTA WAS ALSO HERE.
AND I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE FROM, UM, KEN, OUR COUNCILWOMAN D DUNN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US AS WELL, COUNCILWOMAN.
UM, SO JUST, UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, ALSO THIS, THIS BAND HAS ALSO BEEN IN ROSE BOWL PARADES, THE MACY DAY PARADES, AS WELL AS MANY MARDI GRAS PARADES THAT YOU KNOW, AND THEY ALSO REPRESENT THE SCHOOL, UH, YEAR IN, IN DISTRICT HONOR CONCERT IN JANS ENSEMBLES, LOYOLA WIND ENSEMBLE, AND THE BOURGEOIS HONOR BAND, SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY CONCERT HONOR BAND, J S O BAND OF EXCELLENCE.
AND THEN MANY DISTRICT CONCERT COMPETITIONS AND THE TROMBONE SHORTY FOUNDATION, IN WHICH THREE HONORABLE STUDENTS WERE CHOSEN TO TRAVEL AND PERFORM IN CUBA THIS PAST JANUARY.
SO THAT IS A REMARKABLE UNDERTAKING.
SO WITH THAT, LET'S HAVE THE BAND PERFORM AGAIN.
OKAY, NEXT I'M GONNA INVITE EILEEN BERNARD, WHO IS THE HEAD OF OUR DIVERSITY INCLUSION BOARD.
ON BEHALF OF THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOARD, I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE THAT IS HERE TODAY TO CELEBRATE THE IRISH AND ITALIAN HERITAGE.
THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOARD WAS ESTABLISHED BY JEFFERSON PARISH GOVERNMENT TO FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE IS A DELIBERATE FOCUS UPON ACCEPTANCE, EDUCATION, INCLUSION OF DIVERSITY WITHIN ALL OF JEFFERSON PARISH.
THE DIVERSITY BOARD WORKS TO ENSURE THAT ALL PARISH EMPLOYEES AND THOSE SERVE BY THE PARISH ARE AFFORDED EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN ALL AREAS OF EMPLOYMENT AND EQUAL ACCESS TO ALL PROGRAMS SERVICES PROVIDED BY JEFFERSON PARISH.
THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOARD SERVES AS AN ADVISORY BODY ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ISSUES, AND ACTS AS A COMMUNICATION LEAK BETWEEN PARISH LEADERSHIP AND PARISH EMPLOYEES.
ALL OF US, THE BOARD WILL CHAMPION THE BENEFITS OF THE DIVERSITY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND THE SUPPORT OF ACTIVITIES THAT HONOR THE UNIQUE
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ABILITIES AND ADDRESSES THE COMMON CONCERNS OF EMPLOYEES.AGAIN, THANK YOU EVERYONE THAT ARE HERE TODAY.
THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS FOR EVERYTHING EACH OF YOU DO.
AND THANK YOU TO THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HELP ALL OF THIS HAPPEN.
SO WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE IN JEFFERSON PARISH TO HAVE SO MANY CREWS AND SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT GIVE US OUR, OUR INCREDIBLE PARADES, WHICH WE KNOW AS WE ALL GREW UP AND IS PART OF OUR FAMILY LIFE.
UM, FIRST UP, AND I KNOW THEY'RE GEARING UP FOR THIS WEEKEND, IT'S GONNA BE A BIG WEEKEND.
I'M GONNA INVITE, UM, FROM THE ST.
PATRICK'S DAY PARADE, UH, MR. DAN VELO.
HE HAS MANY MEMBERS TO INTRODUCE.
THANK YOU MADAME PRESIDENT, AND THANK YOU TOO, DONNA RUSSO.
THIS IS A NICE FUNCTION TODAY.
YOU KNOW, EACH YEAR WHEN WE PICK OUR GRAND MARSHA, WE TRY TO PICK SOMEBODY THAT, THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE PARISH.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THEM.
WE, THE COMMITTEE SUBMITS NAMES AND IT'S A DEBATE, AND THEN WE VOTE ON THEM.
THERE WAS NO DEBATE WHEN I OPENED EACH PAPER.
IT WAS UNANIMOUS, A UNANIMOUS DECISION, WHICH WAS, UH, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PHENOMENAL.
BUT THE PERSON THAT IS OUR GRAND MARSHALL THIS YEAR CERTAINLY DOESN'T NEED EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO SHE IS.
THE HONORABLE JENNIFER VAN RANKEN.
WITH THAT, I'M GONNA HAVE, UH, UH, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT AND HISTORIAN COME UP HERE AND JUST TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR, OUR HISTORY OF THIS GROUP.
UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW A LITTLE HISTORY BEHIND THE ST.
WE USED TO PARADE WITH THE, UH, ACTUALLY IT CAME FROM A MARCHING CLUB THAT WAS THE TURNBULL SOCIAL AND CARNIVAL CLUB.
WE WENT DOWN TO THE IRISH CHANNEL AND PARADE WITH THEM EVERY YEAR.
AND THEN WHEN WE GOT BACK TO FOCO AFTER THE PARADE IN 1970, THEY DECIDED IT WAS TIME FOR US TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE OF JEFFERSON PARISH.
SO AT THAT POINT, WE DECIDED TO FORM A, UH, COMMITTEE OF 13 MEMBERS.
THERE WAS JOHN MARCHESE, JOE FOCO, FOLCO, TURKEY, WOODRUFF, GORDON MOORE, TOMMY NARO, BUCK THE WIRE, HELIO, JULES TREADWAY, BILLY BURT, AND MY FATHER, JAMES KERRIGAN.
WELL, MY FATHER, UH, PASSED AWAY IN 1999, BUT, UH, I'VE BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE FOR 39 YEARS.
AND OUT OF THE 39 YEARS, I'M HONORED TO BE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE AND CARRY THAT LEGACY THAT OUR FOUNDERS STARTED FOR US.
AND, UH, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A 15 MEMBER COMMITTEE.
THE COMMITTEE IS DANSLO, OUR CAPTAIN AND PRESIDENT, MA MCKINLEY CANTRELL, OUR AND VICE PRESIDENT, MYSELF, JOBBY WEBER, OUR TREASURER MIKE WARREN, OUR SECRETARY, CARL WILL, OUR SERGEANT AT ARMS. CARL FINLEY, OUR PARADE COORDINATOR.
FRANK RENDON IS THE COMMITTEEMAN.
JOHN MARCHI IS A COMMITTEEMAN.
ALSO RALPH MARCHI, ERIC CUSANO, KELLY CARRIGAN JR.
MY SON, MY BROTHER JAMES D CARRIGAN, MARK DAY, AND BRIAN ABEER.
HALF OF THE COMMITTEE IS COMPROMISED OF A COMPOSED OF, UH, ACTUALLY, UH, SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION PEOPLE WHO STARTED THIS PARADE.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, ALL OUR CHARTER MEMBERS ARE DECEASED AT THIS POINT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO PUT ON THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE BEST FAMILY PARADE WE CAN FOR JEFFERSON PARISH.
SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, OUR 52ND PARADE.
COVID CONNA GAVE US A LITTLE SETBACK, BUT WE BOUNCED BACK LAST YEAR AND CAME BACK AS STRONG AS ELLA.
I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY WE HAVE AT THIS POINT 110 UNITS, WHICH IS COMPOSED OF 46 FLOATS, 46 TRUCKS, 12 MARCHING CLUBS, NOVELTY UNITS, BANDS LIKE MARCHING BANDS FROM GRACE KING AND THE, UH, SHERIFF'S, UH, OFFICE BAND OF EXCELLENCE.
AND, UH, WE HAVE THE SHUNS THAT ARE
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GOING TO LEAD US THIS YEAR FOR OUR FIRST TIME.THEY'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND LEAD US IN THIS PARADE.
SO, UH, WE GOT THE SHUNS AND FOREHEAD GROTTO.
WE GOT A LOT OF CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS THAT PITCH IN AND GIVE US THEIR TIME TO HELP US OUT.
SO AT THIS POINT, UH, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A BEAUTIFUL DAY ON SUNDAY.
WE JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY.
THE PARTY'S JUST STARTING TODAY.
TOMORROW WE WILL HAVE OUR, UH, ANNUAL KICKOFF.
IT'S GONNA START AT FIVE 19 NORTH TURNBOW DRIVE.
UH, FROM ABOUT TWO 30 TO AROUND FIVE O'CLOCK WE WILL BE AT FOLCO.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE MOVE THE PARTY TO JANE'S.
AND AT THAT POINT, WE WILL, UH, ALSO INTRODUCE OUR GRAND MARSHALL AND, AND AWARD HER WITH ALL THE, THE, UH, THINGS THAT WE DO FOR THE GRAND MARSHAL, SUCH AS GIVE HER HER CANE AND HER CHAEL.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, WE TRY TO MAKE SURE IT'S A, A BIG DEAL.
AND JENNIFER, IT'S WELL DESERVED.
SHE'S BEEN A COUNCIL PERSON FOR DISTRICT FIVE FOR A, A LONG TIME NOW IN HER SECOND TERM.
AND, UH, WE JUST WANT TO SAY HOW THANKFUL WE ARE FOR EVERYTHING THAT JENNIFER'S DONE FOR US.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER.
I HAVE TO SAY, I LOVE SEEING ALL THE GREEN COATS OF THE COMMITTEEMEN.
I GREW UP, MY FAVORITE COLOR HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREEN.
MY CAMPAIGN COLORS ARE GREEN, MY CAR IS GREEN.
I KNOW MY STAFF KNOWS ANYTHING WE ACQUIRE, IT'S GREEN.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE I GREW UP WITH A DAD WHO, UM, GREW UP IN THE IRISH CHANNEL.
AND REALLY THE, YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM MY EARLIEST TIME, OBVIOUSLY TO NOW, UM, HAVE HAD AN APPRECIATION OF THE IRISH HERITAGE AND THE HARD WORK OF THE IRISH WHO BUILT, UM, SO MUCH OF OUR CITY, SO MUCH OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, UH, I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT.
UM, WHEN, UH, THEY FIRST ASKED ME, WOULD YOU, UM, CONSIDER BEING GRAND MARSHALL? I SAID, I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD BECAUSE THERE HADN'T BEEN A WOMAN GRAND MARSHALL, UH, BEFORE THAT.
SO NOW IN WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, UM, IN MARCH, I THINK IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO CELEBRATE ALL THE, UH, THE IRISH WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL.
UM, AS CYNTHIA WAS SAYING, I THINK THE STRENGTH OF OUR PARISH IS ITS DIVERSITY.
AND SO WHEN WE HAVE AN IRISH PARADE, WHEN WE'RE CELEBRATING, UM, OUR IRISH HERITAGE, BUT WE ALSO OF COURSE ARE AT FULL COS AND JANEIRO CELEBRATING THAT, THAT ITALIAN TOUCH.
SO MANY OF OUR IRISH AND ITALIAN, OF COURSE, UM, YOU KNOW, CHOSE TO TO MARRY AND, AND RAISE FAMILIES HERE.
AND CYNTHIA PARTICIPATES IN THE PARADE AND SHE'S THROWING FORTUNE COOKIES,
AND SO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYBODY TOMORROW, UM, AT FOLCO, AT JANES.
AND THEN, UH, ON THE PARADE RIDE ALONG MEY ROAD ON SUNDAY.
THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN, AND CONGRATULATIONS.
NEXT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LOUISIANA IRISH ITALIAN ASSOCIATION, MR. ANGELO SCRO.
AND MR. SCRO, JUST SO YOU KNOW, OUR LIBRARY HAS BEEN CELEBRATING THE ITALIAN HERITAGE THE PAST TWO WEDNESDAYS.
WE'VE BEEN TEACHING EVERYBODY HOW TO COOK CCI, ITALIAN FIG COOKIES.
SO, UH, WHICH ARE MY FAVORITE.
AND I MAKE A PRETTY MEAN BATCH MYSELF.
THANK YOU EVERYONE THAT WORKS FOR JEFFERSON PARIS FOR MAKING THIS DAY POSSIBLE.
I'M VICE PRESIDENT OF LOUISIANA, IRISH ITALIAN ASSOCIATION.
UM, WE HAVE ONE REMAINING, UH, CHARTER MEMBER, WHICH IS EDDIE RENTON JR.
HIS FATHER BACK IN 1983, WAS PART OF THE MEADOWY ROAD PARADE AS A ZEUS MARCHING CLUB.
THE ZEUS MARCHING CLUB GOT SO BIG THAT THEY JUST COULDN'T FIT 'EM ANYMORE.
SO THEY PRETTY MUCH WAS ACT WELL, WE EITHER CUT, EITHER CUT THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, OR WE CAN'T HAVE YOUR BACK.
SO MR. EDDIE WENT TO JOE YI, WHICH WAS THE PARISH, UH, UH, OF KENNER MAYOR AT THE TIME AND SUBMITTED TO HIM THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BRING TOGETHER THE IRISH AND THE ITALIANS.
JOE YENI JUMPED ON IT WITH NO HESITATION.
THE PARADES STARTED BACK IN 1983 IN KENNER.
WE'RE A VERY STRONG ORGANIZATION.
JUST AS THE ME ROAD ORGANIZATION, WERE PROBABLY THE LAST TWO BIGGEST ORGANIZATIONS, MAYBE IN A METROPOLITAN AREA, I CALCULATED BETWEEN BOTH PARADES.
ON AVERAGE, WE HAVE AN AVERAGE OF 4,500 TO OVER 5,000 PARTICIPANTS.
THAT'S NOT INCLUDING THE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS.
WE'VE HAD GRAND MARSHALLS AS MR. JOE YNY, DOMINIC
BUT MY FAVORITE GRAND MARSHALL OF ALL WAS WE MADE HARRY LEE AN IRISHMAN FOR THE DAY.
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WAS JUST A LITTLE GIRL AT THE TIME, AND I STILL REMEMBER WE HAVE SOME OF THE PICTURES OF HER WITH HER DADDY.WE AS AN ORGANIZATION CONTINUE THE IRISH AND ITALIAN, GET ALONG AS EVERYONE ELSE IS DIVERSITY.
WE WANT THE WORLD TO GET ALONG.
WE WANT EVERYONE TO GET OUT ON THE STREET AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.
BRING YOUR BAGS ON SUNDAY, THIS SUNDAY.
BRING YOUR BAGS NEXT SUNDAY BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE ENOUGH PRODUCE TO PROBABLY OPEN UP YOUR OWN PRODUCE STAND WHEN THE PARADE'S OVER.
ALL WE CAN ASK IS THAT YOU PRAY FOR GOOD WEATHER AND GOD'S BEEN GOOD TO US, JUST AS AS PARISH HAS.
AND WE WANT TO THANK ONCE AGAIN PARISH PRESIDENT FOR HELPING US WITH THIS.
UH, YVETTE, I DO WANT TO INTRODUCE THE ONE GRAND MARSHALLESE HERE BEFORE I INTRODUCE HIM.
HIM I OTHER GRAND MARSHALL, I IRISH, GRAND MARSHALL LUCI IS A BUSINESSMAN, WHICH IS MR. JOHN BLANCHER OF ROCKET BOWL.
MR. JOHN'S BEEN ON OUR LONG LIST OF SHORT LISTS FOR A LONG TIME, AND WHEN WE ASKED MR. JOHN IF HE WANTED TO BE, NOT A HESITATION, LET'S DO IT.
OUR ITALIAN GRAND MARSHALL IS COUNCILMAN DINO BANANA.
I HAVE KNOWN DINO BANANA FOR WELL OVER 30 YEARS, WATCHED EVERY ONE OF HIS CHILDREN GROW, AND WE HAVE REALLY BEEN REALLY, REALLY GOOD FRIENDS.
BUT I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT EVERYTHING THAT DINO BRINGS IS A HUNDRED PERCENT.
AND I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE DINO BANANA, OUR ITALIAN GRAM MARSHALL.
FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO THANK BOMB HIGH SCHOOL AND THEIR BAND FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE TODAY.
AND EILEEN, IN OUR OWN DIVERSION DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOARD FOR PUTTING ON TODAY'S EVENT.
I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT AN HONOR IT IS, BE CHOSEN AS THE ITALIAN GRAND AL FOR THIS YEAR'S PARADE.
MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS MOVED HERE FROM SICILY, AND I STILL REMEMBER AS A CHILD GOING DOWN TO THAT GROCERY STORE IN NEW ORLEANS.
AND I'M SURE BOTH MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS AND MY GRANDPARENTS ARE SMILING DOWN PROUDLY TODAY THAT I'VE BEEN SELECTED TO REPRESENT THE BANANA FAMILY IN THIS YEAR'S AS THIS YEAR'S ITALIAN GRAND MARSHALL IN THE IRISH ITALIAN PARADE.
IT'S AN HONOR AND, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO PARADE ON THAT DAY.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD FOR A GREAT PARADE, HOPEFULLY GREAT WEATHER.
JEFFERSON PARISH IS PROUD TO HAVE TWO PARADES IN A ROW THAT BRING OUT HUGE FAMILY CROWDS AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME OUT WITH THEIR FAMILIES ON BOTH THE ME ROAD IRISH PARADE ON THE 12TH AND THE LOUISIANA IRISH ITALIAN PARADE ON VETERANS ON MARCH 19TH.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS HONOR, AND I WISH TO SEE, HOPE TO SEE ALL OF Y'ALL ON THE PARADE ROUTE.
THANK, THANK YOU, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU AGAIN FOR, UM, YOUR ROLES.
UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT, UM, EVENTS THAT ALENE SAYS, IF YOU, IF THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE, YOU'RE JOINING US FOR A DNI EVENT, WE CELEBRATE ALL CULTURES THAT WE HAVE.
SO I THINK IN MAY WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA CELEBRATE THE CARIBBEAN HERITAGE AFTER THAT.
SO THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE MANY PROGRAMS THAT WE DO TODAY, AND WE DO, UM, PRINCIPAL HAMILTON, WE JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THIS CERTIFICATE FOR THE BAND FOR, UM, PARTICIPATING TODAY.
AND I KNOW YOU GUYS LIKE NOT BEING IN SCHOOL AND PERFORMING OUT HERE, RIGHT
SO WE'RE GONNA LET YOU CLOSE US OUT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR DIVERSITY INCLUSION IN, UH, IN CELEBRATION OF OUR RICH IRISH AND ITALIAN HERITAGE.
AND WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU THE BONDABLE MARCHING BAND.