Dancing, music and an air of cultural pride filled the streets of downtown Patchogue on Sunday as hundreds lined Main Street to celebrate Patchogue’s first Hispanic Heritage Parade.
Despite the rain that started shortly after the parade began, spirits were high among revelers from various cities and countries, many wearing shirts and waving or wearing the flags of their homelands, from Ecuador to El Salvador, Honduras and other Latin America. nations, as well as Puerto Rico. Attendees watched floats and cars move down Main Street, some with costumed and colorful dancers while others played music ranging from reggaetón to salsa, bachata and more.
As he watched the parade along Main Street in a white and blue shirt that read “El Salvador,” Santos Mendoza, 62, of Patchogue, said he and the friends and family he came with were excited to be there, as were many others on Main Street were.
“People feel good seeing this. It was very exciting because this is the first time an event like this has celebrated Hispanic culture like this in Patchogue,” Mendoza said. “The emotion you saw in the people here today shows how much they value this event and how much it should be supported.”
Joselo Lucero of Bay Shore served as the parade’s grand marshal, chosen for his service in other community functions as well as to commemorate his brother Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant from Patchogue. Marcelo Lucero was stabbed to death on November 8, 2008, near the Long Island Rail Road station in Patchogue by a group of seven teenagers who were looking for Hispanics to attack that night.
Lucero told Newsday that the celebrations were inspiring, as well as important to highlight the positive contributions of the local Hispanic community.
“There are so many people here, and through this, we can show that the Hispanic community is thriving economically and that we also have a political power that will influence a lot in the future. As you can see, this parade is the first of its kind for Hispanics here in Patchogue. We are seeing that Patchogue has a large group of Ecuadorians, but we can also see people from many different countries in Central America and South America. It’s not just one group, it’s many groups, and I think the diversity that we bring to this country is very good and continues to enrich it,” said Lucero.
Lizbeth Carrillo, a Patchogue village trustee of Ecuadorian descent, said that for years, efforts were made in Patchogue to have a parade for the Hispanic community. However, these requests for the village were never realized before this year.
“We’ve looked for it and looked for it, and it was always something, like we were too late or some other excuse. “When I became a trustee, we started working with the village and discussing with my fellow trustees and the mayor how important this is,” Carrillo said. “It’s very important because it’s more about education and being inclusive for everyone. That’s not just something that the Hispanic community wanted, I think a lot of people wanted that. So it’s more about sharing, learning and being inclusive. That was the main purpose of this parade.”
Wearing a Puerto Rican flag as she danced with her husband Geovany Ordonez and a cousin along Main Street, Bruni Mojica of Patchogue said she was “so happy” to see everyone celebrating in the parade, especially after the COVID- 19.
When asked what her favorite part of the parade was, Mojica said, “Seeing all my people enjoy it.”
