One clear October day three small ships came into the presence of a tropical Carribean island. As a result, five hundred years later, the city of Philadelphia is bracing itself for what promises to be one of the city's most elaborate celebrations in years. And for once it won't involve that cherished Liberty Bell. This time, the quincentennial anniversary of Christopher Columbus sailing to the Americas is Philadelphia's excuse to party. Highlights of "Land Ho! Philadelphia Columbus Day Weekend" celebration include the nation's largest parade, which will take place this Monday, a two-day International festival, a new addition to Philadelphia's skyline, and a choreographed fireworks show unlike any that the city has ever seen. "It's an unusual parade and an unusual celebration," said Philadelphia Mayor Edward Rendell. "The eyes of the nation will be on Philadelphia." To produce the quincentennial parade the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor's Bureau commissioned Eventures, the same company which produced the successful Operation Welcome Home parade in New York City. The company set up their offices in Philadelphia on September 25, but they have been planning the parade with the city's Columbus 500 committee for over a year and a half. "We chose an extraordinary producer and an extraordinary company," said City Council member Anna Verna, who has been chairman of the parade since 1975. She promised the parade would be, "absolutely spectacular." "Philadelphia's leadership made possible the biggest celebration and parade in America," said Barnett Lipton, the president of Eventures. The parade was designed as a tribute to 500 years of exploration, transportation, and travel. More than 300 modes of transportation will be displayed, including the unicycle, blimp, submarine, and roller skate. But it is the parade's design which may prove to be the most interesting. "Most parades are very linear," said Meryl Levitz, Vice President of Tourism Development and Vice President and Project Manager for the Columbus 500 Committee. "We wanted to take care of all our innocent bystanders." In order to be more economic, practical, and visually exciting, the parade will utilize both sides of the Ben Franklin parkway. Unlike previous years, this year's parade will make the round trip from City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and back. "The parkway is one of the most beautiful areas in Philadelphia, so we wanted to use it as much as possible," Levitz said. In addition, many museums and restaurants along the parkway have joined together to distribute "Neighbors on the Parkway" buttons. A button entitles its wearer to $1 off admission to any partcipating museum and a 10 percent discount on food and beverages at participating restaurants. "It will be a visually exciting parade with more movement," according to Levitz. Some floats were designed especially for the original format. One of the world's most famous Italians, opera star Luciano Pavorotti, will be the parade's Grand Marshall. He will ride in a replica of the Santa Maria at the head of the parade. "I know Luciano is looking forward to coming to Philadelphia to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus," said Robert Driver, the Director of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. "He has come to consider Philadelphia as his second home." "Pavorotti is wonderful for Philadelphia," Levitz said. Pavorotti's parade appearance also sets the tone for his fourth annual international voice competiton which will be held in the city this month. However, one popular attraction commissioned for last year's parade will not be present this year. Peterhoff, an entertainment strategist based in Philadelphia, was commissioned last year to build three walking floats of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. The custom-made floats are designed so clowns on stilts can become living replicas of the ships. This allows Peterhoff and his troupe, Pro-Clowns of Philadelphia, to walk around and interact with their audience. The ships were popular at last year's parade and they have appeared at many events related to the quincentennial over the past year. This year it was decided that the ships would be better utilized at the Columbus Day festival to be held at Penn's Landing Saturday and Sunday. Peterhoff's stilt-walkers entertain by squirting water, posing for pictures, and joking with both kids and adults. Peterhoff feels that it it is important for people to connect with an event. "When people decide to go to an event they've made the commitment to have fun, but it still requires a little push to make the event seem worth it," Peterhoff said. He added that the grand spectacle of a parade can be appreciated, but the little moments are what really "create bonding with the event." "People love the little moments. Those little indirect moments are what can really make the importance of an event," Peterhoff said. "[People] appreciate the interactive quality of posing for photos and making jokes. "The public events at Penn's Landing are truly populist events. You end up getting people from all strata of life," Peterhoff said. The Columbus Day Festival will provide that opportunity, as well as the opportunity to celebrate all cultures at the International Crafts Marketplace and Food Festival. Two stages for entertainment will also be provided. Penn's Landing will also be the site of the weekend's grand finale. The illumination of the newest addition to the Philadelphia skyline, the Columbus Monument designed by Robert Venturi, will be unveiled, illuminated, and dedicated at 7 p.m. Sunday. An array of fireworks will immediately follow the monument's illumination. "Penn's Landing is proud to be the site of the largest landmark in America dedicated to celebrating the Columbus Quincentennial," according to Dominic Sabatini, President of Penn's Landing Corportion. The monument rises to a height of 125 feet and is the only sculpture in Philadelphia designed by world renowned architect Venturi. The monument is designed as a celebration of American immigration. Large slabs of stainless steel are suspended from a steel pillar creating deep shadows in the light of day. At night the monument will be illuminated by beams of light that are projected between the steel slabs and the center structure, creating a brilliant flame of light projecting fifteen stories high into the Philadelphia skyline. The design firm of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates was commissioned to design the monument in 1989 by the America 500 Corporation, which has sponsored the project. Construction began in June. The fireworks display planned for Sunday night will consist of European-style showers never seen before in Philadelphia. The pyrotechnics, which will be choreographed to music, will be launched from along the Delaware River from Lombard to Market streets. · The Columbus 500 Committee was aware of the public controversy surrounding the celebration of Columbus' voyage. Increasing numbers of people have said that Columbus is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of Native Americans and for the rise of the slave trade. "Corporations were more hesitant endorsing Columbus Day activities than the "We the People" celebration [held to commerate the Constitution's bicentennial]," Levitz said. However, the events are primarily publicly funded, and organizers planned yearlong events designed to accomodate all ethnic groups, not just the European perspective. "We encountered some [opposition] but not as much as in other places because of our theme," said Levitz. The events were designed to "celebrate all people." "The weekend is not just a celebration of Columbus' discovery," said Rendell. Events are designed to "celebrate that all of us came here to this country." "We hope everyone in the city can come out and celebrate our heritage," Rendell said. · The Quincentenial Weekend is the grand finale of Philadelphia's year-long "Neighbors in a New World" celebration. The celebration has been a yearlong economic initiative to stimulate tourism and positive national press. Since last year's Columbus Day parade there has been about one "Neighbors in a New World" event per month. All of these events were designed to be multicultural. An example is the "Do Your Own Heritage" project, which has become a permanent feature of the Philadelphia's Visitors Center. "Do Your Own Heritage" premeired last Columbus Day weekend. Interactive computer kiosks allow visitors to explore their own heritage through any of 19 self-guided tours of Philadelphia attractions, museums and sites. Like many of the "Neighbor's in a New World" events, "Do Your Own Heritage" was designed so that visitors could discover and celebrate cultural differences and ethnic diversity.
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