(Original Announcement - this event was in Fall of last year):
International Group of Gondoliers Rowing the Hudson River from Albany to Ground Zero to Pay Tribute to FDNY and the Fallen Heroes of 9-11
Gondola Romantica, in conjunction with the Gondola Society of America, the International Columbia Association, New York City Fire Department (FDNY), and Vittorio Orio, a Venetian gondolier who has undertaken many noteworthy rowing expeditions on behalf of charity (the English Channel, the Straits of Messina, and many rivers in Europe), is undertaking a rowing event to pay tribute to FDNY and the fallen heroes of 9-11. The event will take place in late September and early October 2007, culminating in the Columbus Day Parade down 5th Avenue in Manhattan.
A team of three Italians and three Americans has been assembled. The Americans are gondola operators from California (Newport Beach), Minnesota (Minneapolis), and Texas (Dallas). In addition, a complement staff will include a gondola operator with operations in New Jersey and Florida and one with an operation in Virginia Beach.
The route will begin on the Hudson in Albany, NY and end a week later at Ground Zero. The gondola will stop daily along the way, visiting with volunteer fire departments. Expected stops may include Athens, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Cold Spring, and Yonkers. Upon passing under the George Washington Bridge on October 6th, the FDNY fireboat will welcome the expedition with a grand water display, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will provide a police escort. The Consul General of Italy in New York, Francesco Talo, is scheduled to attend the October 6th event. The international team has then been invited to participate in the Columbus Day Parade on October 8th, with the gondola in tow as a float / display in the parade.
In attendance will be the President of the Gondola Society of America, Greg Mohr, the foremost gondola authority in the United States.
A blog with more information is available in English at www.gondolablog.blogspot.com and in Italian at http://gondolasolidale.wordpress.com.