[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 14, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1586-E1587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO THE 2010 FERRAGOSTO FESTIVAL ON BELMONT AVENUE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of the most 
special places for culture and cuisine not only in the Bronx, but all 
of New York, the Ferragosto Festival on Belmont Avenue. This is a 
celebration that grows in size and fame with each successive year. 
People now travel from across the nation to sample the delicious tastes 
and wonderful atmosphere on display in the Bronx's own Little Italy.
  Ferragosto is powered by small businesses, many family-owned, and has 
built a reputation for generosity to its patrons and authenticity to 
its cultural source. The Festival is made possible with the support of 
many people and institutions, perhaps none more so however than the 
Belmont Business Improvement District, which deserves special 
recognition for its efforts.
  One of the landmark attractions of the Festival, and indeed a 
cultural touchstone for the entire city, is the Arthur Avenue Retail 
Market, known popularly as simply ``The Market.'' Owned by the City of 
New York and located in the Belmont Community of the Bronx, The Market 
has a history and symbolism that is distinctly New York. Back in the 
1940s, through the efforts of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, pushcart 
venders, who were largely immigrants, were taken off the streets and 
relocated into buildings and shelters throughout the five boroughs. The 
Arthur Avenue Retail Market in the Bronx was one such creation, with 
purveyors of Italian food, craft and specialty items. It retains today 
the cooperative vendor model and ``old world feel'' from so many years 
ago, endearing it to all who visit.
  Importantly, The Market is currently undergoing important renovations 
that will ensure its stairways, halls and storage spaces will stand up 
to merchant demands in the new century. The goal of the project is to 
comprehensively renovate and modernize The Market, while maintaining 
the atmosphere which has made it so well-known and well-loved.
  Madam Speaker, one of our most distinguishing qualities as a nation 
is the passion with which we celebrate our cultural diversity. At the 
most basic level, festivals like Ferragosto and institutions like the 
Arthur Avenue Retail Market are expressions of pride and honor. They 
are part of an exchange of

[[Page E1587]]

history and ideas and values that link past and future generations 
together. I will always be a participant and supporter of such 
festivals and such markets, as I view them as a reminder that no matter 
where we come from as New Yorkers, we are all here now, together. I ask 
that my colleagues join me paying tribute to Ferragosto 2010, in 
Belmont's Little Italy of the Bronx.

                          ____________________