NJ - Union City: Celia Cruz Plaza
Celia Cruz Park, also known as Celia Cruz Plaza or Kiwanas Plaza, at 31st Street and Bergenline Avenue, was dedicated during the annual Cuban Day Parade on June 4, 2003--nearly a year after the death of Cuban-American salsa singer Celia Cruz. Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (1925-2003), known as the "Queen of Salsa" or "La guarachera de Cuba", was one of the most successful Cuban performers and lived nearby in Fort Lee.
The park features a sidewalk star in Cruz's honor, and an 8' x 10' mural by Union City's Edgardo Davila, a collage of Cruz's career throughout the decades. Stars were later added to the park in honor of Tito Puente, Spanish language television news anchor Rafael Pineda, salsa pioneer and Johnny Pacheco. The park was again refurbished by the Latin American Kiwanis Club of North Hudson in early June 2006. The mural was replaced with a backlit photograph of Cruz, and four more stars were added in honor of merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La India, Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez, and Cuban tenor Beny Moré.
NJ - Union City: Celia Cruz Plaza
Celia Cruz Park, also known as Celia Cruz Plaza or Kiwanas Plaza, at 31st Street and Bergenline Avenue, was dedicated during the annual Cuban Day Parade on June 4, 2003--nearly a year after the death of Cuban-American salsa singer Celia Cruz. Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (1925-2003), known as the "Queen of Salsa" or "La guarachera de Cuba", was one of the most successful Cuban performers and lived nearby in Fort Lee.
The park features a sidewalk star in Cruz's honor, and an 8' x 10' mural by Union City's Edgardo Davila, a collage of Cruz's career throughout the decades. Stars were later added to the park in honor of Tito Puente, Spanish language television news anchor Rafael Pineda, salsa pioneer and Johnny Pacheco. The park was again refurbished by the Latin American Kiwanis Club of North Hudson in early June 2006. The mural was replaced with a backlit photograph of Cruz, and four more stars were added in honor of merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La India, Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez, and Cuban tenor Beny Moré.