News

Generally Speaking: A grand parade for Bay Ridges Irish

March 28, 2014 Theodore W. General

Photos courtesy of Ted General

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Irish eyes were certainly smiling along Third Avenue this past Sunday, for the 21^st annual Bay Ridge St. Patricks Day Parade. Parade Chairperson Frankie Marra waved from atop a horse-drawn red carriage, as 2014 Parade Grand Marshal NYPD Transit Chief Joe Fox and hisdeputy marshals led thousands of participants down the avenue from Marine Avenue to 67^th Street.

The parade stepped off with a smart-looking NYPD honor guard and then an all-service color guard from Fort Hamilton. Several bagpipe bands played lilting Irish tunes as they stepped along the line of march.

Among the elected officials, New York city Public Advocate Letitia James was the only citywide official to attend the pre-parade breakfast and march; however, local legislators included Congressmember Michael GrimmMarty GoldenAlec Brook-Krasny and Nicole Malliotakis plus New York City Councilmember Vinnie Gentile.

Peter Clavin once again did a stellar job announcing the participating groups from the reviewing stand at 77^th Street. Monsignor Jamie* * *

Our good friend Petros SpanakosNew York Daily News sponsor of the Golden Gloves amateur boxing program for nearly 87 years, has just established a Golden Gloves Hall of Fame and Spanakos — along with his twin brother and fellow FHHS alum Nick, also an accomplished boxing champ — will be inaugural inductees.

The Spanakos brothers, along with boxing greats Sugar Ray Robinson and Floyd Patterson will be formally inducted next month at Brooklyns Barclay Center.

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Lenny ShillerHe and his members frequently participate in local parades and car shows. This past week, Shiller joined with the group Preserve Park Slope over its concern about Methodist Hospitals plans to build a large outpatient building on Eighth Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets, which would require the levelling of several brownstone houses and adjoining residential dwellings.

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Our deepest sympathies to the MakrinosTettonis and Succar families on the recent death of Carrie Tettonis. Her funeral mass was held at the Kimisis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church, with interment at Green-Wood Cemetery.

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The Mens Club of Bay Ridge and their Womens Chapter is holding a fund-raising luncheon and gift auction for the Bay Ridge Center for Older Adults on Sunday, March 30, at 1 p.m., at the Bay Ridge Manor, 476 76^th Street.

The Bay Ridge Center is a nonprofit community based organization providing programs, services and home delivered meals to senior citizens. Alex Conti is the president of the Mens Club. Admission is $45 per person. For tickets, call Linda at 718-510-2465 or Nancy at 917-348-5921.

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It looks like famous radio talk show host John Gambling — who recently left WOR radio — is now following our local radio talk guy Mike Connors to AM 970. Connors does a Saturday evening program, Ask the Lawyer, from 6 to 7 p.m., and now also does a brief segment with Comedian Joe Piscopo on Friday mornings at 7:50 a.m.

Gambling will start his new program on April 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. His executive producer will be Staten Island Frank Morano, who produced the Curtis Sliwa radio show for many years.