The annual Columbus Day Parade marched up Fifth Ave. on Monday under rainy skies and a cloud of controversy. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

Even on a rainy day, the Columbus Day Parade drew New Yorkers and tourists looking to soak up Italian culture and heritage.

"I like the music, the bands, the floats, the Italian people who come here from Italy to be with us for the parade," said attendee Jen Marino. "I enjoy that."

It was the 73rd Columbus Day Parade, taking over Fifth Ave. with color and pageantry. The grand marshal, Barnes and Noble Chairman and Founder Leonard Riggio, was followed by a float celebrating Italian-American authors.

But there was a shadow over this year's festivities. Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered a commission to review monuments that some people consider offensive — a process that could lead to the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from Columbus Circle.

"One thing that's happened I can assure you, is that what the mayor has done, he has galvanized the Italian-American community not only here in New York City and state, but across the country," said Angelo Vivolo, the president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation. "Everyone is in favor of Christopher Columbus in our community. That's what it's all about."

But there are others who connect Columbus to colonialism and the genocide of people indigenous to the Americas at the time of his explorations.

Folks we spoke with who were along the parade route were supportive of efforts to keep the Columbus statue, and applauded efforts to keep it as is.

"I think it's ridiculous. It's been there forever," said attendee Jeff Dershem. "I mean, it's part of the history of this country."

"I think that they are just making a big deal about nothing, and, you know, you have your people who have to protest things — that's their function," said another attendee Maria Dershem. "So I'm happy within having Columbus's statue there, and I hope the Italian-Americans keep fighting to keep it there too."

So the band played on as the Columbus Day Parade made its way up Fifth Ave. Its destination was certain, but the future of the Columbus statue remains unexplored territory for now.