The Columbus Statue 1993, Columbus Park, The Burg

The Columbus Statue 1993, Columbus Park, The Burg
From the local paper:
Great navigator' returns to helm in Columbus Park
Chambersburg native Theresa Naples had a twice-in-a-lifetime
experience yesterday when she attended the rededication
of the Columbus statue.
Naples, who witnessed the original unveiling of the Christopher
Columbus statue in 1959, said she was just as excited yesterday
as she was 34 years ago. Her husband, Samuel A. Naples, was on
the 1956 Italian-American Civic League Statue Fund-Raising
Committee.
''It was a beautiful day and quite a few people turned out
back then just as they did today,'' she said. ''The people of
this community are happy with the honor and recognition the
statue brings to Columbus Park.''
About 100 people attended the rededication ceremony and
unveiling of the newly restored statue, which has been missing
from the park since midsummer.
The program began with a flag-raising ceremony by a color
guard from the New Jersey Army National Guard and was followed
by Sen. Dick LaRossa, R-Ewing, leading the national anthem and
an invocation by the Rev. Joseph Ferrante, pastor of St. Anthony's
Roman Catholic Church and grand marshal of this year's Columbus
Day Parade.
BEFORE THE dedication and unveiling took place, remarks were
made by Peter W. Radice Jr., chairman of the Columbus Observance
Committee; state Sen. Peter Inverso; County Executive Robert D.
Prunetti; LaRossa; Trenton City Council President John Cipriano;
and Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer.
Radice introduced several of the original members of the
1956 fund-raising committee, which included himself. He told the
audience how the committee went door-to-door soliciting funds
to build the statue.
''Thirty-seven years ago it was just a dream and met with a
lot of skepticism,'' he said. ''Our fortitude and hard work paid
off because we got a statue of our great navigator built.''
This was the first time in its 34-year history that the statue
was restored, according to Joseph B. Festa, treasurer of the
Columbus Observance Committee. It was refinished at the
Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture.
''The refinishers didn't just go in and paint over the grime,''
he said. ''They did a thorough job of rebuilding it from the
interior out. And the stone- and brickwork which surrounds the
statue was redone also to give it a polished look.''
WHEN THE big moment arrived and the veil was taken off,
the statue received a standing ovation. Many in the crowd
commented on how ''beautiful'' Columbus looked. Sharing the
unveiling with Columbus was a bronze plaque listing the names
of the 1959 Campaign Fund Committee, the Columbus Observance
Committee and the Quincentennial Committee.
''Johnson Atelier did a beautiful job,'' said Mayor Palmer.
''The committee deserves a lot of credit for their hard work.''
An appreciation luncheon sponsored by the Columbus Observance
Committee followed the ceremony.