Italian-Americans in the Bronx celebrated their heritage Sunday during the 41st annual Columbus Day Parade in Morris Park.

Despite dreary weather, crowds came out for the event, with cheerleaders, bands and organizations marching in the parade.

The parade came with some controversy, with organizers denying Mayor Bill de Blasio an invitation after his decision to consider removing Christopher Columbus statues from New York City property.

"This commission is nonsense," says Sen. Jeffrey Klein. "You don't have a commission to tear down statues. You educate people about the reason why those statues are there."