The Bayonne (NJ) Italian Heritage Parade kicked off on 56th Street and Avenue C on Sept. 20, marking the first parade in 15 years honoring the contributions of the Italian American community. Council President Gary La Pelusa, who was named Grand Marshall, led a group of distinguished Italian Americans, pausing at St. Vincent's Church for a Padre Pio blessing before continuing the march. 

The grand marshal also celebrated the fact that the Italian Heritage Parade marked the first on held in uptown Bayonne, with others, such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Memorial Day Parade, starting in the Bergen Point section of the city near 5th Street, and concluding near the border of the Third Ward.