The parade alone is expected to draw more than 2,000 spectators, including local and state dignitaries, according to Angel Lombert, a member of Hamilton Community Council and president of the Dominican Association.
The event is expected to draw not only Dominicans, but the region’s growing Hispanic and Latino population, which more than doubled from 2000 to 2010 in the Cincinnati region, as well as other cultures, Lombert said. In Butler County alone, the number of people identifying as being of Hispanic or Latino origin increased from 1.4 percent in 2010 to 4 percent in 2010, an increase of more than 207 percent.
Mayor Pat Moeller said the event offers a chance for area residents to learn about Dominican culture and Dominican music, he said.
“It is a unique event,” Moeller said. “There’s a lot of positives to it. We need to celebrate our diversity. Diversity makes us stronger.”
Dominicans celebrate independence twice yearly: on Dominican Republic Independence Day and on Dominican Republic Independence Restoration Day, which marks the start of the War of the Restoration in 1863.
The parade will start at 2 p.m. Aug. 17 at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and High Street and continue east under the train tracks, then make a left onto Seventh Street and continue to the North End Softball Complex, 700 Joe Nuxhall Blvd.
There, people can take part in a softball tournament and other planned activities until 10 p.m. Activities include inflatables for children, a mechanical bull, games and vendors selling Dominican food, according to Lombert.
The parade will include bands, dancers and floats paying tribute to Dominican culture and folklore to celebrate the holiday, Lombert said.
Preceding that celebration will be a softball tournament from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16 featuring 10 teams from different states, according to Pedro Batista, logistics manager for the event.
The tournament will be followed from 6:30 to 10 p.m. with an open-to-the-public party at RiversEdge Amphitheater featuring Cincinnati-band Sentimiento and Connecticut-based Juan Carlos and Rompe Tarima, as well as deejay music.
Partygoers will be able learn traditional Dominican dancing while enjoying the sounds of bachata, merengue and salsa music, Lombert said.
“I think that (this) will be a great event and good for the (city of Hamilton),” Lombert said. “It’s very important. We’ve been promoting the city of Hamilton all over the world. People will come from different cities to visit Hamilton and they can stay with us and look at what the city offers.”
For more information about the event, including how to participate or be a vendor, call 513-319-5497.
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