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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 229-03
August 12, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG HOSTS RECEPTION AT GRACIE MANSION IN CELEBRATION OF THE 36th ANNUAL WEST INDIAN CARNIVAL AND PARADE

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today hosted a reception at Gracie Mansion to celebrate the 36th Annual West Indian Carnival and Parade.  The carnival will take place on Labor Day, Monday, September 1st along Eastern Parkway from Utica Avenue to the Flatbush Avenue Extension through the Flatbush and Crown Heights sections of Brooklyn.  Among those attending the reception were Deputy Mayor for Policy Dennis Walcott, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Finance Commissioner Martha Stark, Human Resources Administration Commissioner Verna Eggleston, Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Sayu Bhojwani, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin, Aging Commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago, and West Indian American Day Carnival Association President Yolanda Lezama-Clark.  Guests were treated to traditional West Indian food and entertainment from the Brooklyn Jumbies stilt walkers as well as the music of “Liquid.”
 
“The West Indian American Carnival and Parade showcases the diversity and energy of New York’s West Indian and Caribbean communities as well as the approximately 2 million Caribbean-Americans in this City,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Every Labor Day, all New Yorkers look forward to the pulsating rhythms of the steel drums, colorful costumes of the carnival, and the pure excitement of the islands that are the trademarks of the United States largest single-day event.”  

At the reception, Mayor Bloomberg and the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) also presented awards to five recipients in recognition of their tireless support of the organization and the parade.  Two awards were given to corporate sponsors for their generosity and support, and three awards were given to community costume and music experts, whose efforts are invaluable to the success of the carnival and parade.  The award winners were as follows:

Neville Martin, a master designer/costume maker, was honored for a lifetime of costume making and design in Caribbean carnival arts.

Sandra Miller, manager of a Bedford-Stuyvesant Citibank branch, accepted on behalf of Citibank in recognition of their long-standing sponsorship of WIADCA. 

Roy Pierre, a Caribbean folk arts designer, was presented with an award in honor of his work in the field of Caribbean folklore arts.

Andrew Rowe, American Airlines’ manager of account development in the Brooklyn and Queens region, accepted on behalf of American Airlines, in recognition of their support of WIADCA.

Austin Wallace, a steel drum refiner, was honored for his work and expertise in over 40 years of steel drum tuning.

The carnival and parade, also known as the “Labor Day Parade,” is an annual tradition that celebrates the richness, diversity, and culture of the Caribbean.  The parade includes more than 80 floats and thousands of colorful masqueraders.  The Carnival and the celebrations that take place from August 28th through September 1st are sponsored and produced by WIADCA, whose main focus is to develop, teach and promote Caribbean arts and culture in the New York Metropolitan Area.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Ed Skyler / Lark-Marie Antón   (212) 788-2958




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