WATCH: Vineland's Puerto Rican festival week kicks off

VINELAND – Nine-month-old Aiden Albizu marked a milestone this week attending his first Puerto Rican Festival of New Jersey Inc. celebration.

His mom, Glenda Albizu, sipped a pina colada smoothie, aptly accessorized with a colorful umbrella, at festive block party along Montrose Street.

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Just 24-hours prior, Albizu was in San Juan introducing her son to his Puerto Rican relatives.

On Sunday, she was back home celebrating Puerto Rican culture with her extended Vineland family.

Just after 1 p.m., the Puerto Rican Festival Committee of New Jersey heralded the kickoff of their annual festival with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall.

“Preserving and promoting our values and Puerto Rican cultural heritage is, and has been, the goal proposed by the Puerto Rican Festival since its inception,” festival committee president Leonides Negron addressed the crowd. “Since then, more than four decades have passed.

"This year marks the 49th celebration of “our Boricua roots, not only in Vineland, but the county of Cumberland,” Negron said, noting there would be similar flag raisings in Bridgeton and Millville.

The steamy conditions prompted the crowd to seek shade under nearby trees. Organizers handed out bottled water.

Negron introduced this year’s award winners including Millville Mayor Michael Santiago, who was awarded the highest honor, the Guanin.

Citizen of the Year, Ernesto Perez Jr., 26, is a Vineland High School 2009 graduate and served four years in the Army. Now he divides his time between boxing and serving the community through various organizations including Code Blue, Main Street Vineland and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Taking the podium, Perez said, at times it seems people care for “shoes, cars and phones more than we do our brothers and sisters.”

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“I’m asking the  community, as a whole, to better ourselves, we can all be better than we are right now,” he said, urging the everyone to come together at the festival.

There’s free Zumba on Wednesday and a dunk tank on Thursday, he said, nodding toward the dignitaries wondering “which of these political leaders will have the courage to get in there.”

Perez issued a challenge to the crowd.

“When you leave here and go home, knock on your neighbor’s door no matter their nationality or race and invite them to the Puerto Rican Festival,” he said.

The festival, held in Landis Park, runs through Sunday.

Along with speeches, the ceremony featured music and dance.

The festival princesses, with red roses tucked into their hair, performed traditional dances in a beautiful blur of white lace and ruffles.

Carmen Pereira-Oldknow brought out her guitar. She performed a melody of “Presiosa,” “Bello Amanecer” and En Mi Viejo San Juan.” Several in the crowd joined in singing and hand-clapping.

“I hope to see you soon and be able to greet you in person during the Puerto Rican Festival Week where we will have a multitude of activities and entertainment for young and old,” Negron said.

Mayor Ruben Bermudez proclaimed this week as Puerto Rican Festival Week, hoping it would be “a great week filled with much joy.”

After raising the American and Puerto Rican flags, the crowd moved over to Montrose Street for a block party bash with bounce houses, food and drinks. Everyone was invited.

Brothers-in-law Antonio Sosa and Gustavo Castillo enjoyed the party. Both are from the Dominican Republic but said the Puerto Rican Festival is a time for everyone to come together.

Yadira Acre and her husband, Juan Martinez, turned the party into a family outing.

The couple married 21 years ago in Utuado, Puerto Rico.  After visiting family members, who had come to Vineland, they choose to make it their home too.

Their oldest daughter, Sayra Martinez, 20, explained her parents loved everything about this area. But they did want to keep their culture and encouraged their three children to learn Spanish, which they did.

Puerto Rican culture is also about coming together, said Sayra Martinez, who now resides in Atlantic City.

That’s what Glenda Albizu wants her young son to learn.

“It’s about family,” she said.

Deborah M. Marko: (856) 563-5256; dmarko@gannettnj.com