BUFFALO, N.Y. — The 51st annual Grease Pole Festival took place this weekend on Swan Street near the Agustin Olivencia Community Center.
The weekend festival offered live music, a car show, and Puerto Rican food. The big event happened Sunday evening, when teams attempted to climb the grease pole for a $1,000 prize.
"The first Hispanics that came to Buffalo came to this neighborhood, and they never forgot," Wilmer Olivencia Jr., the festival chair, told 2 On Your Side on Saturday. "So they might have moved to other parts of the city or county or even out of state.
"But for this festival, they look forward to making their family vacations and reunions because they know that they're going to see: the people they grew up with."
The celebration of Puerto Rican culture is the longest-running festival within Buffalo's city limits.