BUFFALO, N.Y. — The area around the Olivencia Community Center will be alive with music, dancing, and live entertainment for the 49th annual Grease Pole Festival.
The event is an annual celebration of Puerto Rican community in Western New York and its culture. It begins Friday at 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday.
The highlight of the event comes Sunday evening when teams attempt to scale a tall, greasy pole. Those who get to the top the fastest will win $1500. The tradition is one that the original festival organizers saw in Puerto Rico and wanted to bring to the mainland.
Organizers say this year's festival hold extra meaning as they welcome those displaced last year by Hurricane Maria.
"Coming to a new city where they maybe know one or two people is probably the most difficult thing that anyone...to overcome. But to have a community that is opening up their arms, and saying 'hey if you need help, we are here to help you,' and we're here to provide the culture you saw on the island, here in the City of Buffalo, this is what we want to do," said Wilmer Olivencia, festival board president.
More than 1,600 families have relocated to Western New York.