By James DeWeese
The theme for this year's daylong, music-filled festival – the 20th since the Elmhurst-based Colombian Civic Center began organizing it – was unity among Colombians and peace for the war-torn South American nation.
In the shadow of New York state's UFO-shaped pavilion from the 1964 World's Fair, Mayor Michael Bloomberg offered the assembled crowd a series of impassioned but flat sounding “Viva Colombias.”
The nearly 100,000-strong Colombian community is growing in New York, Bloomberg said. “Today everyone by mayoral order is a little Colombian,” the mayor said, “so we have 8 million Colombians.”
The mayor, who was joined on stage by the highest-ranking Colombian-born member of his administration, Yolanda Jimenez, was greeted by applause from the assembled crowd, many of whom said the day's festivities represented an opportunity to show their pride in a country which has gotten a bad wrap on the world stage.
“We have a bad image abroad,” said 45-year-old Jackson Heights resident Miguel Rodriguez, who came with his family and their dog. But the festival offers Colombians an opportunity “to show that we're a nation of hard workers, athletes” and more.
Rodriguez' wife, Leda, who said her age was a secret, said the family has not missed the festival even once in the 12 years they have lived here.
Sonia, Rodriguez' sister, who has been in the country three years, agreed with her family that the festival was an important source of pride among native Colombians.
“It's important for us to show the traditions of the country and the food,” she said. “That everyone see that we're celebrating the independence of Colombia.”
Colombia's independence day is officially July 20, the day in 1810 when the country parted ways with Spain.
More than 30 acts – ranging from an open-air mass and traditional dance ensembles to hip-hop and salsa performances – took the stage during the festival that was slated to run until 6 p.m., said Humberto Orjuela, executive director of the Colombian Civic Center, which organized the festival.
Among the performers from Colombia, the Dominican Republic and New York was Valeria Pamela Lopez Mahecha, who as a candidate to represent Colombia at the international Miss Preteen contest scheduled to take place in the Dominican Republic next year introduced the first act and did a traditional Colombian dance.
Lopez Mahecha, who turned 12 the day of the festival, was visiting the United States for the first time and arrived just three days before.
But the queen of the first Children's Carnaval celebration in Colombia said she is already looking forward to returning to visit again.
“It's very beautiful,” she said of Queens.
Maryland Franco, a Colombian immigrant from New Jersey, was one of the thousands of audience members who turned out to see the show.
“I never miss it,” said Franco, who has lived in the United States for 13 years. “I'm proud to be Colombian.”
Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
