The 20th annual Morrison Avenue Festival returned with gusto to the Soundview section of The Bronx on Saturday, June 12, having been cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

District 18 City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., along with H.O.G.A.R., (Housing Options and Geriatric Association Resources, Inc.) Bronx County Expo Association, and Freddy Perez Jr. of FPJ Amusements and Entertainment Services Inc. hosted the popular event which, though well attended, saw smaller crowds than the original 5,000 expected for a joy-filled day of music, dancing, fun, as well as a bit of political rallying thrown in for good measure.

 

Bronx County Fairs & Expo Association Inc is headquartered in Soundview and according to public information, is a grassroots nonprofit organization founded in 2015 which works on parks and recreation issues.

Located between Westchester and Watson Avenues in Soundview, the music festival began at noon and lasted until around 7 p.m. The annual event has been a free day of music, fun, games, and entertainment for children and families for the past 20 years and some staunch supporters of the festival spoke of their disappointment when the regular fixture on the neighborhood’s social calendar was cancelled last year, like so many other events, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Among the musical groups invited to perform this year were “La Sonora Ponceña” who came all the way from Puerto Rico, and Frankie Vazquez and his mini orchestra.

In addition to the party revelers, musicians, guests of honor and dignitaries were elected officials and some political candidates, including Brooklyn borough president and presumed Democratic mayoral nominee, Eric Adams, who, among others, got the opportunity to address those gathered before the primary election, held on June 22, in a bid to win more votes.

 

Raising his voice to be heard above the enthusiastic crowd, Adams urged those present to vote for him, saying, “If you come out [to vote], you win,” he said. “If you come out, finally our city will have one of your own going to City Hall, a blue dollar, hardworking, everyday person that’s going to fight for you right beside my partner, Ruben Diaz Jr.” He added, “Let’s win this race. Thank you!”

As reported, though the election results have yet to be ratified by the New York City Board of Elections (BOE), Adams secured enough absentee votes after the second tabulation of ranked choice votes, released on July 6, to win the Democratic nomination to become mayor of New York City.

 

He secured 50.5 percent (403,333 votes) of the vote share after the July 6 tabulation, beating his nearest opponent, former NYC sanitation commissioner and food czar, Kathryn Garcia, by a slim margin of 1 percent (which has since reduced to half a percent following the latest tabulation). The July 6 report showed Garcia finishing with 49.5 percent (394,907 votes) after Round 8, indicating that Adams had won the race.

Among the elected officials, in addition to Adams and Diaz Sr., was the latter’s son, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., as well as District 14 City Councilman and candidate for Bronx borough president, Fernando Cabrera (who has since conceded the borough president race to District 16 City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, as reported), and District 17 City Councilman Rafael Salamanca.

 

Speaking on the day in both English and Spanish, Diaz Jr. said that as incumbent borough president he had to remain neutral in terms of his support of any one candidate in the Bronx borough president race, but mentioned that present at the festival was the borough’s “west side candidate.”

 

He then introduced Cabrera, offering him the opportunity to address the crowd and joked that if Cabrera were to win, there would be, at least, some assurances that salsa would continue in The Bronx.

“I know all of them [borough president candidates]. I’m staying neutral but he’s from the west side of the Bronx, Councilman Fernando Cabrera,” Diaz Jr. said. Cabrera then made his own pitch for votes to the crowd as a candidate in the primary election.

 

On Saturday, July 3, even though the absentee ballots had not yet been counted, Cabrera issued a statement, conceding the race to Gibson, as reported, writing, “First, I want to take a moment to thank every single one of those who supported me in this borough president race.”

He added, “The love and friendships I experienced during this campaign touched me deeply. The absentee ballots are still out, but it is clear Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson is the winner and will be our next Bronx Borough President.” He added, “I truly wish her the best in her new leadership role. I will be praying and consulting with my family and friends considering my next steps.”

 

In the meantime, as also reported, following the publication, on July 6, by the BOE of the second, updated preliminary unofficial report of the ranked choice vote (RCV) tabulation in the borough president Democratic primary election, it showed Gibson had won 53.5 percent (49,392 votes) of the vote share, indicating she was the likely Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president.

The report showed Cabrera finishing with 46.5 percent (42,953 votes) after Round 3, and first runner up. It was a historic achievement for Gibson, and sets the councilwoman up to become the first Black Bronx borough president and the first female Bronx borough president if she wins the general election in November.