By: Edwin Martinez

On Tuesday, October 27, 2015. The board of directors of the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade met at Los Tainos community center with members of the Buffalo community to discuss ongoing concerns of having the parade and events in September in light of cold and damp weather over the last few years, which have cause delays or cancelations of events due to inclement weather. During the meeting several community members asked the board to consider moving the parade and other events to the month of August in hope of having better weather condition and allowing more people to attend since many folks from the community are still on vacation and schools are not in session.

Yolanda Martinez-Rodriguez, president of the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade asked those in attendance to recommend dates they felt would best work to increase attendance, limit possibility of inclement weather and would not conflict with other events in Buffalo, Rochester and Western New York. After discussions and recommendation, it was agreed unanimously that August 19, 20 and 21^st would work best and that the flag raising ceremony would be moved to August 11, 2016.  

In closing, Yolanda Martinez-Rodriguez thanked those that were present and said “ I want the community to known that we are listening to their concerns and welcome their participation in the process, Likewise, The Association continues to sponsor events that are intended to be a celebration inclusive of all Hispanics, and to encourage pride in our Hispanic Heritage. We are extremely proud to say that the parade itself is one of the largest attended events in Western New York with thousands of participants and spectators from Rochester, Buffalo, Dunkirk, Jamestown, and points beyond. We have seen this parade grow into a yearly tradition, with families, friends and neighbors coming together to show the pride of the Puerto Rican and Hispanic community’".