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Tuckahoe, N.Y. -- Headliners Bonnie Pointer of the Pointer Sisters, disco diva France Jolie and Tavares had everyone dancing in Depot Square Saturday night at the Padre Pio Feast.
But it was 15 year old AJ Pope who stole the show with his awe inspiring, jaw dropping light show.
A year in the making, the light show turned the 100-year-old Generoso Pope building into an ocean with the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria sailing across.
The Pope building also morphed into American Flags, and birthday candles and light shards thrown out toward the audience 3D style.
Just when the hushed audience of hundreds could no longer believe their eyes, fireworks started shooting from the top of the Pope Building.
"I really like the music, but this was aaaammmmaaaazing," said 8 year old Coo Lee.
Tuckahoe Senior Jennie Angelo agreed.
"I never saw anything like this in my life," she said. "It was beautiful."
Before the light show young and old enjoyed Italian favorites like zepoles, sausage and peppers and Italian ices.
The crowd danced the traditional Tarantela along with a little bit of hip-hop thrown in by the kids.
Throughout the festivities which had a rainy start on Friday night, in a place of honor, rested the statue of St. Padro Pio. Padre Pio was an Italian monk known for almost a lifetime of bleeding from his hands and feet. Legend has it that Padre Pio heard confessions from 5 am to 8 pm every day, and prayed from 8 pm to 5 am every night. He died in 1968 and was made a saint in 2002.
The feast was sponsored by the Tuckahoe Eastchester Columbus Day Committee, the Assumption Church, which celebrated its 100th anniversary and the Pope Foundation which celebrated the 100th anniversary of their building.
The feast, which ended Sunday with a procession to return Padre Pio's statue back to Assumption Church, is just the beginning of the celebrations during the month of October in Tuckahoe and Eastchester in honor of Christopher Columbus.
On Oct. 2 Depot Square will be the site of Concorso d'Eleganza which will feature over 100 classic cars, many of them Ferraris and Maseratis. That event is sponsored by the Westchester Italian Cultural Center.
Beginning on October 7, the party moves to Eastchester with an Italian Carnival at Lake Isle. The carnival will be capped off by the Eastchester Tuckahoe Columbus Day Parade.
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