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One more day left.  The Columbus Italian Festival runs through 8:00 PM today. The Columbus Italian Festival does not run through Columbus Day, Monday.

The Columbus Italian Festival is at St. John the Baptist Church in Italian Village.  The church address is 720 Hamlet St, Columbus, Ohio.

We went late afternoon Saturday,  great food, great music, great people watching.  The music is not all traditional Italian music or big band music.  We listened to Yumbambé who do “Afro-Cuban Jazz and Salsa” as well as traditional stuff “When the moon hit’s your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore….”

The Columbus Italian parade is 2:00 today and the best local high school band (in the competition)  will be determined.

Experience Columbus Days does run through Monday, Columbus Day.

Experience Columbus Days  - Come Play in our  Backyard

For anyone visiting Columbus Ohio we are a NO Whine Zone on Monday October 13, 2008. Experience Columbus Days runs over the Columbus Day weekend throughout Central Ohio and through Monday.  Visit the Experience Columbus website for more details.  Columbus is a “No Whine Zone” on Columbus Day.

NOTE there is no Columbus Day Parade in Columbus Ohio.

I love a parade as much as the next person but….  No whining “where is the Columbus Day Parade in Columbus Ohio?” on Columbus Day.  Lots of offices in downtown Columus are closed on Columbus Day… If you need a parade to make your Columbus Day weekend complete you are going to have to go to the Columbus Italian Parade on Sunday afternoon!

There is a traditional Columbus Day Wreath Laying Ceremony in downtown Columbus on Monday, if you must have something traditional in downtown Columbus on Columbus Day.  Experience Columbus Days runs through Monday…. visit the Santa Maria….

A comment on my blog about Columbus Day 2007 :

“I am here from NYC and there there is a huge parade this is the largest city in America named for Columbus where’s the beef!?  no celebration? no festivities ? nothing in the Dispatch?”

The Columbus Italian Festival starts this Friday.  The Columbus Italian Festival runs through Sunday… Monday is Columbus Day.

St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church sponsors the Columbus Italian Festival yearly.  2008 is the 29th annual Columbus Italian Festival.  The event was moved in 2007 to coincide with the Columbus Day Weekend, which is celebrated as Experience Columbus Days in Columbus Ohio.

Simply Italian is the theme for 2008

• live entertainment
• open-air markets
• Italian dancing
• children’s area (zona bambini)
• Italian food
• pizza cook-off
• cooking demonstrations
• American-Italian Idol vocal contest
• bocce ball tournaments
• big screen TVs for sporting events (OSU etc.) bring your couch potato
• historical display on Christopher Columbus
• Columbus Italian Parade - Sunday, October 12th, 2008 @ 2pm <—-  PARADE
• Conversational Italian Instruction FREE

and more….

St. John the Baptist Church is located at  720 Hamlet St, Columbus, Ohio, in the Italian Village neighborhood. Italian Village is a nice place to visit for me.

The best place in Columbus for sausage this weekend depends on whether you want a brat or an Italian sausage.

September 30th, October 1st and 2nd, 2005 is the  26th annual Columbus Italian Festival, presented by Saint John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church.  The Columbus Italian Festival celebrates Italian-American culture (and food.) Admission is only $5.00

There will be live entertainment including the second annual American-Italian Idol competition!  There are also open-air markets, Italian dancing, children’s area and plenty of fabulous foods including: .

Wedding soup, meatball subs, chicken parmesan,  pizza, subs, panzeroti, calzones, Italian sausage,  rotisserie chicken,  stromboli rolls, Italian coffees, Italian ices, pastries,  cookies,  desserts, calamari, veal parmesan,  Italian breads and rolls, pasta e fagioli,  stuffed pasta,  funnel cakes, elephant ears, candy apples, etc.

Are you hungry?

If German is more your style visit the German Village Oktoberfest

General Admission:
$5 in advance (a 38% savings!)
$8 at the door / seniors $5

Family fun including puppets, magicians, clowns, musicians, and dancing  including polka lessons! Also don’t miss the ”Oktoberfest Idol” Karaoke Championship

Homemade apple, cherry, and cheese strudel, pretzels, strudel puffs, potatoe pancakes, cabbage and noodles, roasted corn on the cob, fried fish, onion rings, bloomin’ onion,  ice cream, desserts, pastries, bratwurst, rueben sandwiches, pierogies, veal schnitzel, jumbo hot dogs, funnel cakes, feather fries, fresh strawberry shortcake, hot apple dumpling a la mode, milkshakes, cheesecake on a stick, chocolate covered bananas, sauerkraut balls, fried bologna, German bologna, hamburgers, pizza burgers, French fries,  mozzarella cheese sticks, deep fried fcheesecake, sweet potato fries, southern iced tea, chicken wings, pulled pork, curly fries, corn dogs, nachos, gourmet pizzas, homemade fudge and homemade candies, cotton candy, candy apples,  kettle corn, Bahama Mama’s, German potato salad, sauerkraut and cream puffs and more!

Or if you can’t decide whether to go German or Italian this weekend purchase a “Passport ticket”  good for The Columbus Italian Festival and the Oktoberfest for $10,  valid for the weekend at both festivals. You can purchase your passport from the Oktoberfest or at Cafe del Mondo, 659 N 4th Street, 614.294.5000.

Originally published on the first Columbus Best Blog.