After seven years without an event, the City of Lorain reinstated its annual Puerto Rican Day celebration in 2023. Both the festival and parade were again a great success, and participation was just as high in 2024.
The annual event was held again on August 17th at Oakwood Park in Lorain, including a parade down East 31st Street in South Lorain. Organized by Lorain Ward 6 City Councilman Antonio Baez, the parade celebrated Latino and Hispanic culture throughout the International City.
“South Lorain is the heart of the Puerto Rican community here in Lorain County,” Baez said. “We have the largest percentage of Puerto Ricans and Hispanics in this area… It’s very important to us to highlight our culture. We had a seven-year hiatus, revived it last year (and) it’s been great.”
Even after Oakwood Park was hit hard by the infamous storm on Aug. 6, the parade went on without a hitch, Baez said. On Aug. 17, it rained just long enough for the parade to finish, and it stopped before the real festivities began.
“Here in the park, the last storm really took a toll on us,” Baez said. “But as you can see, it didn’t stop the culture and the people from coming out and representing their culture. It’s very important … to highlight that, to bring it back.”
Both Baez and his predecessor in the Sixth Ward, Lorain Safety and Services Director Rey Carrion, played a major role in bringing the festival back after its long hiatus. Baez stressed the importance of preserving the rich culture and history of Latino heritage in south Lorain.
“(Carrion) left big shoes to fill and my job is to fill those and make them bigger, as he would say,” Baez said. “I couldn’t care less about the politics. I really care about the vibe and the lifestyle… He did such a good job of bringing our community together. I just want to highlight that by doing the same or even more.”
This year’s parade also featured several local political candidates. With city, state and federal elections coming up in November, Baez encouraged people to go to the parades and make their voices heard.
“I just hope you vote this year,” Baez told the congregation. “I don’t care who you vote for, left, right or center. Go out and voice your concerns, do your research and vote for whoever you think is right. If it’s me, I’ll be here for the next two years. If not, I’ll be gone. But God bless you all.”
Baez thanked the local community for its continued support of the Puerto Rican community. He said he looks forward to resuming the parade in 2025 and beyond.
“Keeping that culture alive is everything,” he said. “You never let that history die. You just let it grow and improve so that when we’re gone, our children have something to live for. (They) have that blood, that color in them.”
