Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor gloom of night
Ain't that the Postal Oath?
Nooo! That's a Puerto Rican Parade in Palm Bay Florida. Not even rain stopped these resilient Boricuas to go out in parade and do the wet mambo!

3,000 line up for yearly event... Occasional heavy rains didn't stop the music or the spirit of the thousands who turned out for the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade Thru the streets of Palm Bay, FL on Sunday.

"That was a good one," said 43-year-old Frankie Williams, a parade-goer drenched by an afternoon burst of rain. "This is my first time coming but after the rain I'm going to walk around and try the food."

Williams was one of more than 3,000 people who lined Malabar Road to watch the colorful parade celebrating Puerto Rican culture despite a lingering controversy between parade organizers and city officials over the levying of event fees.

United Third Bridge Inc., the parade's sponsor, argued unsuccessfully in federal court last week that the city should continue its past practice of waiving more than $1,000 in fees for stage setup and security.

Dancers in traditional clothes, part of a local organization that promotes Panamanian culture, make their way through the rain Sunday during the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The parade's theme was tolerance and diversity.

On Friday, U.S. Judge John Antoon II ruled the city -- bowing to budgetary pressures -- could charge United Third Bridge the fees.

"They spent more than that in hiring outside attorneys," UTB President Sam Lopez said of the city's efforts to charge parade organizers.

"They could have used that money to fix the roads. We will be asking the U.S. Department of Justice to look into our treatment here. It's a continuous harassment."

Lopez also reported that someone stole a set of bleachers on loan from Brevard Community College.

The bleachers were set up in front of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church on Friday but disappeared Saturday afternoon, police said. A city worker saw men loading the bleachers onto a white flatbed tow truck, police said.

Police blocked off traffic on a half-mile stretch of Malabar Road for about five hours, said Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Police Department.

No other problems were reported.

Spectators seemed oblivious to the controversy as they waved the red, white and blue Puerto Rican flags, shouting "Viva Puerto Rico!" and cheering as the floats slowly made their way down Malabar Road onto the City Hall grounds.

Many pulled out umbrellas or walked toward the vendor tents but the parade -- featuring everyone from high school students to the Brevard County Corrections Academy recruits -- continued.

"An singin' in da' rain... mah har has no mo' pain!"

A few yards away, smoke from several grills greeted people standing in line to try island favorites like plantains, arroz con pollo, and smoked, skewered chicken.

"That's our most popular item," Rosana Rivera, 26, a server at the El Coqui food stand, said of the chicken.

Lawmakers and other Puerto Rican officials from all over the country attended, including from California and New York.

"It's a wonderful display of our culture," said state Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, the parade's grand marshal. "While there has been controversy, I'd like to think that the parade has overcome those issues."

That's the Spirit!

Peace and Prosperity,
Don Jíbaro "Whodatman" Barbanegra
www.jibaros.com
www.whodatman.net
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"The wicked run when no one is chasing them,
but the honest are as brave as lions." —Book of Proverbs 28:1
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“Live in such a way that no one blames the rest of us  
nor finds fault with our work.” --(2 Corinthians 6:3)

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