Foto tomada por Charles Eckert para Newsday
Long Island's fast-growing Hispanic population has a Salvadoran flavor these days -- from the tortilla-like pupusas being served at locally owned restaurants to the crowd at Sunday's annual Salvadoran-American Day Festival.
While last year's festival in Hempstead Village drew about 2,000 people, this year's saw as many as 3,000, according to Hempstead Village Police Chief Joseph Wing.
The festival's growth mirrors Long Island's surging Salvadoran population, which last year numbered 99,495, eclipsing Puerto Ricans at 88,514, according to the latest U.S. Census figures.
Salvadorans represent 22.5 percent of all Hispanics on Long Island, up from 15 percent in 2000, according to an analysis by Seth Forman, the Long Island Regional Planning Council chief planner.
Juan Carlos Molina, director of projects for the nonprofit La Red de Communidades Salvadoreños and one of the festival organizers, arrived from Usulutan, El Salvador, about 19 years ago and has seen a strong Salvadoran presence from Far Rockaway in Queens, to Inwood and Uniondale, where he now resides. A growth spike in this Central American population translates to economic growth, he said, but there is one kind of growth Molina said he'd like to see happen.
"All that's missing is political," Molina, 43, said.
At the festival, Salvadorans donned blue and white, the colors of the Salvadoran flag.
The sounds of marimba, a Central American instrument similar to the xylophone, could be heard throughout the area. The smell of grilled beef for carne asada and freshly made pupusas filled the air.
In addition to food, vendors sold blue and white soccer T-shirts, Salvadoran flags, beads and paintings from local artists like Douglas Trego, who participated in the Hempstead Village festival for the first time.
"It's something to be proud of," he said, looking at the crowd. "There are just so many of us. We have our own style for everything, from music to food to art and entertainment."
Another sure sign of growth: A satellite Salvadoran consulate opened in 2000 in Brentwood, where officials expect to process a record 11,000 passport applications this year.
"You can see in the last decade how it's been changing," said Luis Montes, a native Salvadoran who is chief of staff to state Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Central Islip).
The rise in Salvadoran-owned businesses has been most noticeable in Brentwood, where just over a quarter of the population now has ties to El Salvador, census data show.
Teresa Sierra attended Sunday's festival wearing a blue shirt and white shorts; she shielded herself from the sun with a blue and white umbrella. Sierra, 46, of Valley Stream, said Salvadorans arrive with a goal.
"We all come with the same dream. The American dream," Sierra said. "A better life and home ownership." With Victor Manuel Ramos
HISPANICS ON LONG ISLAND
Most populous groups based on country of origin:
Salvadorans -- 22.5 percent in 2010; 15 percent in 2000
Puerto Ricans -- 20 percent in 2010; 26.5 percent in 2000
Dominicans -- 9.5 percent in 2010; 7.5 percent in 2000
Colombians -- 6.1 percent in 2010; 5.2 percent in 2000
Ecuadoreans -- 6.1 percent in 2010; 3.5 percent in 2000
Mexicans -- 5.9 percent in 2010; 4.8 percent in 2000
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau; Seth Forman, Long Island Regional Planning Council; Suffolk County Planning Department
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