Beacon - It was around noon Sunday at Beacon’s Riverfront Park, and anticipation was in the air.
Virginia Vargas was patiently awaiting the arrival of some family members. Her appetite was mounting, but she wasn’t about to meander over to the nearby Puerto Rican cuisine vendor without her mother and daughter to share in the fun. Meanwhile, Jasmine Penfield was relaxing with family members, checking the schedule for the upcoming bands. After all, there was some serious salsa dancing that needed to get done.
As the early afternoon hours surfaced, Vargas could be spotted again approaching the park; this time with relatives in tow. Smiling while picking up her walking pace, the Wappingers Falls resident shouted, "They’re here!" Minutes earlier, Poughkeepsie’s Penfield was getting ready to show off some moves as the first band, Cuboricua began its warm up on the center stage.
Hundreds of others could be detected on the grounds, celebrating the 15th Annual Latin-American Festival. The event was once again made possible by R&M Promotions, under the guidance of its President, Eddie Ramirez. Despite the heavy downpour on the Festival’s original date, Saturday, the "show went on," Sunday. Ramirez was assisted by a bevy of loyal vendors, supplying visitors with ethnic cuisine, music and merchandise. Town of Newburgh’s Lloyd Lee, owner of Nadine’s Dogs, was making a return appearance at the Festival. Offering freshly squeezed lemonade in large, sturdy, recyclable cups, Lee himself was eager to sample some of the nearby vendor’s offerings. Specifically, he had his eyes glued to the fruit smoothies along with some Puerto Rican morsels. He wouldn’t have to travel far; a few spots down Mahopac’s Borinquen blackboard offerings read, "Pernil," "Chuletas," "Maduros," "Pasteles" and "Empanadas." One of its employees, Juan Diaz, was working diligently in the hot afternoon sun, dipping pork chops into flour.
"It gives them that extra kick and crispiness," explained Diaz about the Puerto Rican flair applied to the meat.
Even closer to Lee’s spot was neighboring stand Miz Hattie’s, supplying Southern Soul Food. It’s owner is Beacon’s Hattie Hess, making her inaugural Latin-American Festival appearance at the Beacon site.
"I found out about the festival from one of Eddie’s friends and right away wanted to be here, " said Hess, as she refreshed the quickly diminishing fried chicken tray. "It’s just a lot of fun here with so much positive energy."
That liveliness was further fueled by the front stage appearance of three orchestra bands; Cuboricua, Conjunto Imagen and Doble Fila, the most ever in the festival’s history. Attendees showed their gratitude by dancing on the accompanying grounds into the early evening hours. Penfield, along with her son, uncle and other relatives had the opportunity to show off those salsa skills.
"I just love salsa music," said an excited Penfield. "The drums and singing just make you so happy you can’t sit down; there is absolutely nothing like a live band on a nice, sunny day."
Whether it was listening to some of those lively, catchy Latin tunes, dancing to their rhythmic beat, sampling the eclectic food offerings, including Puerto Rican, Soul and Jamaican, or simply relaxing in the shade and bonding with old or new friends, hundreds of guests found delight while experiencing ethnic culture at the Riverfront Park Sunday. Judging by the looks of the smiling crowd, they appreciated Ramirez’ efforts putting the annual Festival together. The gratitude was two-fold.
"I’m just so happy that all of you came out here today to celebrate the Latin culture," said Ramirez, addressing the crowd. "I want to thank you for being here and celebrating today."
Come out and join Ramirez, along with R&M Productions, for their next Latin-American Festival stop, Sunday, July 25th in Kingston. For further details on this event call (845) 206-5197.
