The Columbus Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. and will assemble at approximately 9:30 a.m. The parade route will be in Mt. Clemens and begin at Main and Church and end at Main and Market. We will have an afterglow at Fern Hill Golf Club on Clinton River Rd. in Clinton Twp.
2018 Columbus Day Parade Set
Make plans now to attend the 2018 Columbus Day Parade to be held Saturday, Oct. 7 in Mt. Clemens.
The Columbus Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. and will assemble at approximately 9:30 a.m. The parade route will be in Mt. Clemens and begin at Main and Church and end at Main and Market. There will be an afterglow at the Italian American Cultural Center on Romeo Plank south of Hall Road in Clinton Twp. Mark Garagiola, parade chairman, says he is still seeking entrants for the parade. If your Italian club, group, organization or business would like to be a part of this event, call Garagiola at (248) 770-6823.
Mark Garagiola's involvement in the Columbus Day Celebration Committee spans four decades. He began in the mid-1970s assisting his father Reno Garagiola with his duties as Columbus Day Parade Chairman. He ultimately took over as parade chairperson in the early 1990s and has held that position to this day. He also served two terms as president of the Columus Day Celebration Committee.
Active in the Italian community, he serves on the Italian American Cultural Society (IACS) Board of Directors and served three terms as the IACS Executive Board secretary. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce of Michigan, in addition to serving as president of the Buon Amici Lodge of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America.
Professionally Garagiola is a practicing registered architect who has specialized in community and custom residential design for over 35 years. After a 13-year affiliation with Dominick Tringali Architects, he is now with TR Design Group in Bloomfield Hills, serving as a project architect and member of the "Design Team." In his career, he has been involved in home designs for many high profile figures: Bob Seger, Uncle Kracker, Tom Izzo and Joe Dumars.
A resident of West Bloomfield, he has been happily married to his wife Linda for 33 years. They have raised three children: Lindsay, a zoology grad from MSU who works at the Greensboro, NC, zoo; Jordan, who works for Apple; and Kendall, who is a sophomore at Grand Valley State working toward a nursing degree.
This year's Parade Marshal is Elio Ripari,