Rain Doesn't Put Damper On Dominican Day Parade
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Hundreds of spectators from lining up Sixth Avenue to show off their Dominican pride at the 30th annual Dominican Day Parade.
From marching bands to politicians, relentless rain didn't damper spirits, even though participants were soaked.
Jennifer Delarosa from Brooklyn said the rain may have kept the crowd away from the parade, but all that meant was that they had to sing and scream a lot louder to make up for their absence.
"The people are yelling a lot. There's more emotion. Even though it's raining, there's more emotion to it," she said.
The parade was originally scheduled to begin 11 a.m., but the inclement weather delayed it until 1 p.m. It ran along 6th Avenue from 36th Street to 52nd Street.
Brianna Hernandez and her friends, who came in on the train from Trenton for the parade, told WCBS 880 why they were willing to make the trek despite the weather.
"You have all your people here," she said. "It's not like we're always together and we don't do a lot of parades. It's really a small town, so it's good to come out here."
Ulsa, a paradegoer from Rhode Island, says she's disappointed with the day's bad weather but hopes it won't ruin the fun.
"This is my first time and I decided to bring my kids to see a little bit of my culture," she said. "I hope the raining will stop just a little bit."
After the parade, the party moves uptown to Washington Heights. The NYPD is enforcing a "zero-tolerance policy" for the celebration.
Last year a pregnant teenager was stabbed in the head and drunken revelers took over 10 blocks in Washington Heights with out of control street parties.
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