Jamestown Juneteenth’s annual celebration takes place this coming weekend.
Juneteenth organizer and City Council President Regina Brackman said the festivities will start on Friday, June 19 which is Juneteenth with a flag raising ceremony at 1:00 p.m. at the Robert H. Jackson Center. Friday night will have the “Boogie in the Garden” with the Breeze Band starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Wintergarden Plaza.
Juneteenth recognizes when enslaved people living in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation approximately 2.5 years after the Civil War ended. On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas became free. This was the last state of the Confederacy to learn of the independence, even though President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. President Joe Biden made the day a national holiday in 2021.
Brackman said the festival has its opening ceremony at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 20 at Jackson-Taylor Park. That will be followed by an African Drum workshop, African Dance workshop, Line Dancing, and live music from Universal Phunk.
The festivities on Saturday and Sunday at Jackson-Taylor Park also will include food, kids activities, tables by local agencies, and more.
Sunday will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m., followed by a worship service, the Juneteenth Scholarship Award ceremony at 2:00 p.m., and Gospel Fest at 3:00 p.m.
For more information, visit Jamestown Juneteenth’s page on Facebook. facebook.com/JTownJTeenth
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