International Festival highlights Lorain’s Puerto Rican Community

The 2009 Lorain International Festival will be spotlighting the Puerto Rican Community—the city of Lorain is over 20 percent Puerto Rican.

The Puerto Rican Cultural Committee will be kicking its celebration of the Puerto Rican culture with its breakfast on June 22, 2009, at 8:00 AM at DeLuca’s Place in the Park, located at 6075 Middle Ridge Rd Lorain.

The featured speakers will be Gene Rivera, Lorain native and publisher of the Lorain Puerto Rican Experience, and José Feliciano, founder of the Hispanic Round Table and a partner at one of the largest law firms in Ohio, Baker & Hostetler, LLP.

Gene Rivera

The theme will be “then and now,” tracing the Puerto Rican migration in the 1940s until present day.

An evening to celebrate the Puerto Rican Culture is planned on June 24, 2009, from 6:00 PM - Midnight. Lydia Esparra will be the MC for the event, with local artists such as Raices Latinas, Sammy DeLeón, Los Tres Sonidos, El Centrol Bejigantes, and Island Del Encanto.

Among the VIPs attending the event will be Rondalla de Nino’s, Cuatros Orchestra de Puerto Rico, Izzy Sanabria, and Salsa Magazine NYC. For more information, contact PRCC Chair at (440) 320-0295 or e-mail: [email protected].

There will be many opportunities to experience the Puerto Rican Culture throughout the entire week, which culminates the weekend of June 26-28, 2009. The schedule can be found on www.loraininternational.com.

José Feliciano

The PRCC in order to raise money for this event has available Puerto Rican Cuatros and the State Quarters for sale. Those interested may call Antonio Barrios at (440) 320-0295.