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 Yonkers, NY – The Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day Parade & Festival will kick-off this week Westchester County’s largest free outdoor parade and festival celebrating Puerto Rican and Hispanic Culture.
The festival will include typical music, with a cavalcade of stars which will perform and entertain thousands of participants. For the past 29 years, the Yonkers Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival has enabled Westchester Hispanics and other citizens to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture as well as acknowledge and pay tribute to the contributions Puerto Ricans and Hispanic have made to this great City, State and nation.
The Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Parade and Festival Foundation, Inc.’s 2008 events schedule is as follows:
Annual Flag Raising Ceremony Wednesday, June 18, 2008, City Hall, 4PM
Banquet Friday, June 20, 2008, Polish American Center, 7PM
Parade Sunday, June 22, 2008, Mclean Avenue & South Broadway, 1PM
Festival Sunday, June 22, 2008, Chicken Island, 3PM,
(Immediately following parade)
The Foundation will honor professionals in the field of law and law enforcement at its annual banquet. The 2008 honorees are: The Puerto Rican Bar Association and The Westchester Hispanic Law Enforcement Association. The Youth Committee has selected Majority Leader of the NYC Council Joel Rivera to receive, The Leadership: Yes We Can!/Si Se Puede! Award and be its Grand Marshall. He is the youngest member ever elected to the NYC Council at the tender age of 22.
This year the parade has grown and united to include many of the different nationalities of Spanish-speaking resident living in Yonkers and throughout Westchester County. The parade will have representation from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Peru, Spain and Venezuela. This year’s theme, Nuestro Carnaval, celebrates and brings together the colorful, musical, vibrant mixture of beautiful cultures, history and people of the Caribbean, Latin America, South America and Europe.
“I am proud that under my tenure and leadership this parade has grown and united to include many of the different nationalities of Spanish-speaking resident living in Yonkers and throughout Westchester County,–that as a community we have embraced our strengths and have respected our differences to unite in this great celebration of cultures,” said, Carmen Gomez Goldberg, president, Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Day Parade and Festival, Inc.
Parade Grand Marshall: Ray Negron author and member of the NY Yankee Organization
Youth Grand Marshalls: Majority Leader of the NYC Council Joel Rivera
2008 Puerto Rican Parade Queen: Kristine Ruperto
2008 Youth Madrina: Eleana LaGuerre, senior, Yonker s High School.
2008 Youth Padrino: Emanuel De Jesus, Freshman, Nassau Community College
Puerto Rico
Ambassador: Dave Valentin, Renowned Latin jazz flutist
Madrina: Dolly Caraballo, Attorney, Caraballo & Mandell, LLC
Padrino: Anderson Torres, Ph.D., LCSW-R, Regional Director, Visiting Nurse Service of New York
Media Ambassadors:
Joel Santiago “El Intruso”, "El Jukeo," Mega 97.9 FMSBS
Alfredo Galván “Amor Temprano en la Mañana”, WPAT-FM 93.1 Amor.
Padrino de la Salud: Dan Suarez, President, National Hispanic Nurses Association, New York Chapter
Dominican Republic
Ambassador: Reyis Lora, Producer and Host, Amor Temprano en la Mañana con Reyis in 93.1 Amor FM.
Madrina: Luz Tavarez-Salazar, Director, Government Relations, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of NY
Padrino : Neftali Garcia, City of Yonkers, Fire Department Recruitment Center.
Mexico
Ambassador: Martha Lopez, County Executive’s Liaison to the Hispanic community.
Madrina: Zafiro Z. Romero, Teacher, Mexican Fine Arts and Traditional Mexican Performing Arts & Theater.
Padrino: Jesus Aguilar, Co-owner, “Plaza Garibaldi”/founder & president, Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce of Yonkers.
Argentina
Ambassador: Hugo “el Gordo” Cadelgo, AMOR
Chile
Ambassador: Gloria Ramirez Mella, Advisor, HIPPY
Cuba
Ambassador: Elena L. Martos, President, Hispanic Day Parade, (Desfile de la Hispanidad)
Madrina: Alé Frederico, Vice President and Team Leader, Commerce Bank Government Banking
Colombia
Ambassador: James Castro-Blanco, Esq., Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP
Ecuador
Ambassador: Charito Cisneros, Co-founder, General Producer and Host, “Abriendo Brecha International”
Honduras
Ambassador: Miguel A. Blanco, Associate Publisher/Marketing Manager, El Aguila del Hudson Valley. Madrina: Carmen M. Castro Lozano, Co-Founder, Federación de Organizaciones Hondureñas NY, Inc.
Peru
Ambassador: Tatiana Torres, Office Manger, A&E Ledesma Agency
Padrino: Piero Olcese, President, Westchester Hispanic Law Enforcement Association
Spain
Ambassador: Milagros Lecuona, Member, City of White Plains Common Council
Venezuela
Ambassador: Claudia Morales, Co-producer/Co-host “Amor Temprano en la Mañana” 93.1 Amor.
The Festival will begin immediately following the parade at Chicken Island and will feature the following musical entertainment: Kevin Ceballo, David Cedeño, Willie Santana and El Son de Yonkers
The Foundation has dedicated itself to the preservation of Puerto Rican and Hispanic cultural heritage, promoting understanding, and knowledge of its history and the significant contributions Puerto Ricans and Hispanics make to the diversity of our society. Furthermore, the Foundation supports the growth and aspirations of Puerto Rican and other Hispanic youth in the City of Yonkers as well as the County of Westchester. The Foundation maintains a proactive advocacy role with Westchester’s Hispanic children. It grants academic scholarship and mentors Hispanic youth; provides cultural musical and dance lessons to promote the arts and humanities, and fosters understanding and provides opportunities for cultural exchange between diverse ethnic groups in the community.
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