PUERTO RICAN PARTY ON THE PARKWAY
Parade welcomes all Latinos
By REGINA MEDINA

THIS IS NOT your parents' Puerto Rican Day parade.

As the city's Latino population diversifies, so too does the annual Puerto Rican Day parade, a Philadelphia tradition celebrating its 42nd year on Sunday.

Besides watching performers play traditional salsa music, paradegoers will hear the guitar rhythms of bachata from the Dominican Republic and banda, modern Mexican music currently popular in the Southwest, say organizers.

"It's a very exciting moment for not only the Puerto Ricans, but for all Latinos," organizer Jose Rivera said about the desfile, or parade. He's deputy director of the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations Inc., better known as Concilio, which organizes the parade as part of the annual Philadelphia Puerto Rican Festival. Maria Del Pilar, the ubiquitous Telemundo personality, will be the parade's Grand Marshal.

"I'm so happy to be the grand marshal because if someone loves Puerto Rico, it's me," she said. "Puerto Rico is the heart of Latin America."

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