Juneteenth Celebration Is Saturday In Downtown Newberry
All are welcome to learn the history, share the stories, taste the food, hear the music and see the talent of the community at this year’s Newberry Juneteenth event. The event will take place on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
According to History.com, Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
The city’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department has been working with a committee of 10 local citizens to assist in coming up with a vision for this year’s event.
Committee members include Jackie Holmes, Carlton Kinard, Barbara Chapman, Michael Raiford, Tomekia Means, Sheila Brown, Margo Whitener, Wes Palmore, Linda Hare and Denise Graham.
This year’s event will once again have a dedicated space to explain what Juneteenth is. There will be a Juneteenth history and artifacts exhibit this year in the Edward Kyzer Newberry Firehouse Conference Center, open to the public throughout the event.
The artifact exhibit features a timeline-oriented booklet discussing events in Black history that lead to the events of Juneteenth Freedom Day in 1865 and beyond, a large-scale canvas mural, videos celebrating the holiday and artifacts highlighting Newberry’s Black history.
First Steps Newberry County has once again updated their downtown StoryWalk program to feature a storybook downtown for the community to enjoy. The book, Juneteenth by Van G. Garrett and illustrated by Reginal C. Adams and Samson Bimbo Adenugba will be featured downtown. The book will begin at the kiosk in front of the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce.
Event Details
While the day’s events are spread around downtown Newberry, Devan Moore, tourism and events coordinator said they will be centered in Memorial Park around the main stage. The event officially begins at 10 a.m. However, those interested in showing their support are invited to participate in a march at approximately 9:30 a.m. beginning at Bethlehem Baptist Church and ending at the event stage in Memorial Park.
At 10 a.m., the opening ceremony will include a singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This hymn is commonly referred to as “The Black National Anthem,” and was originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900.
The stage will then open for Zumba until 10:45 a.m., followed by Make a Difference Youth Choir at 11:30 a.m.
At 11:45 a.m. the Bethlehem Baptist Church Praise Dancers will perform, followed by a transition into the event’s fashion show.
From 1-2 p.m. a DJ will enter the stage and provide a variety of music, followed by Chris Hopkins and The Soul Experience until the event’s end at 4 p.m.
Surrounding Memorial Park and Community Hall downtown will be the event’s food court. Foods featured will vary from barbecue to Caribbean, to soul food and more.
Business vendors will be placed along downtown’s Main Street. Businesses include handmade jewelry, clothiers, wreaths, crocheted items, Black history items, custom items and more.
Children’s activities will include inflatables, a video game truck and arts and crafts hosted by the Newberry Arts Center located at 1200 Main Street, giving young artists a chance to express themselves about what Juneteenth means to them.
Aja Gaulden, local artist will be displaying her work at the arts center as well and available to discuss it with the community. Gaulden was recently featured in the March/April edition of The Newberry Magazine.
Main Street will be closed to traffic beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 from Nance to Caldwell Streets.
Parking for the Juneteenth event is free and on a first come, first served basis. A map of public parking areas can be found on the city’s website, www.cityofnewberry.com. For any questions, please contact the City of Newberry’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Office at 803-321-1015 prior to the event.
A map of the event space and more detailed event information can be found online at www.newberryjuneteenth.com.
All are welcome to learn the history, share the stories, taste the food, hear the music and see the talent of the community at this year’s Newberry Juneteenth event. The event will take place on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
According to History.com, Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
The city’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department has been working with a committee of 10 local citizens to assist in coming up with a vision for this year’s event.
Committee members include Jackie Holmes, Carlton Kinard, Barbara Chapman, Michael Raiford, Tomekia Means, Sheila Brown, Margo Whitener, Wes Palmore, Linda Hare and Denise Graham.
This year’s event will once again have a dedicated space to explain what Juneteenth is. There will be a Juneteenth history and artifacts exhibit this year in the Edward Kyzer Newberry Firehouse Conference Center, open to the public throughout the event.
The artifact exhibit features a timeline-oriented booklet discussing events in Black history that lead to the events of Juneteenth Freedom Day in 1865 and beyond, a large-scale canvas mural, videos celebrating the holiday and artifacts highlighting Newberry’s Black history.
First Steps Newberry County has once again updated their downtown StoryWalk program to feature a storybook downtown for the community to enjoy. The book, Juneteenth by Van G. Garrett and illustrated by Reginal C. Adams and Samson Bimbo Adenugba will be featured downtown. The book will begin at the kiosk in front of the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce.
Event Details
While the day’s events are spread around downtown Newberry, Devan Moore, tourism and events coordinator said they will be centered in Memorial Park around the main stage. The event officially begins at 10 a.m. However, those interested in showing their support are invited to participate in a march at approximately 9:30 a.m. beginning at Bethlehem Baptist Church and ending at the event stage in Memorial Park.
At 10 a.m., the opening ceremony will include a singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This hymn is commonly referred to as “The Black National Anthem,” and was originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900.
The stage will then open for Zumba until 10:45 a.m., followed by Make a Difference Youth Choir at 11:30 a.m.
At 11:45 a.m. the Bethlehem Baptist Church Praise Dancers will perform, followed by a transition into the event’s fashion show.
From 1-2 p.m. a DJ will enter the stage and provide a variety of music, followed by Chris Hopkins and The Soul Experience until the event’s end at 4 p.m.
Surrounding Memorial Park and Community Hall downtown will be the event’s food court. Foods featured will vary from barbecue to Caribbean, to soul food and more.
Business vendors will be placed along downtown’s Main Street. Businesses include handmade jewelry, clothiers, wreaths, crocheted items, Black history items, custom items and more.
Children’s activities will include inflatables, a video game truck and arts and crafts hosted by the Newberry Arts Center located at 1200 Main Street, giving young artists a chance to express themselves about what Juneteenth means to them.
Aja Gaulden, local artist will be displaying her work at the arts center as well and available to discuss it with the community. Gaulden was recently featured in the March/April edition of The Newberry Magazine.
Main Street will be closed to traffic beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 from Nance to Caldwell Streets.
Parking for the Juneteenth event is free and on a first come, first served basis. A map of public parking areas can be found on the city’s website, www.cityofnewberry.com. For any questions, please contact the City of Newberry’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Office at 803-321-1015 prior to the event.
A map of the event space and more detailed event information can be found online at www.newberryjuneteenth.com.
