Pocono News Section

Columbus Day Celebration in Scranton

Columbus Day Celebration in Scranton - Monday, October 12, 2009 at 11:15AM EST

Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Monday, Oct 12, 2009 @ 11:15am EDT

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- Members of the Columbus Day Association of Lackawanna County gathered to honor Christopher Columbus with a wreath-laying ceremony at a statue of Columbus in the city.

"He was the great Italian explorer who founded the Americas and opened up the western hemisphere to discovery," said Charlie Spano, past president of the association who doubles as a history teacher. "He was a daring man of vision. In his time, many people believed the world was flat. He knew from his research the world was round, and he was trying to find a shorter route to obtain spices from Asia by traveling westward."

It was that trip back in 1492 that landed Columbus in the Americas. In 1909, the association laid its first wreath at this statue.

"It's something that's a tradition we've been carrying on for years," said Nick Trunzo, a 43-year member. He says 425 people attended the Columbus Day banquet Sunday, including leaders from other ethnic groups. "Friends of St. Patrick, Friends of Poland, the German-American society."

They say the ceremony also honors their ancestors who took the major step to immigrate to America for a better life.

"We're honoring and keeping alive the spirit of discovery and courage that was Christopher Columbus," said Spano. "I think there's always a knew frontier."

A Lackawanna County man, the late Neal Trauma of West Scranton, was said to be instrumental in making Columbus Day a federal holiday and getting it fixed to the second Monday in October back in 1971.