It was a celebration of Italian culture, cuisine and Christopher Columbus. For many Italian Americans, Columbus Day is not just a celebration of the explorer, but of Italian culture as a whole. Members of the Italian American Civic Association commemorated the day by raising the Italian flag at its Bellew Avenue building. Watertown’s Miss Italia Samantha Booth raised the flag with help from the senior members of the club.

“We both raised the flag and it’s just super nice to see the older generations mixing with the new ones. It’s just nice to see that the Italian American heritage can come into something bigger,” said Booth. “We’re proud of our heritage. Just like many other groups are proud of their heritage and what they’ve accomplished, so are we as Italians,” said Jim Scordo, Italian American Civic Association president.