Juneteenth celebration set for Saturday at Bacon Park

“It is from daylight to dark, going to be an action-packed day,” said RT McCain of the upcoming Juneteenth celebration he and his committee have coordinated. “One of the best things about this celebration is it gets people young and old out, moving around and socializing.”

This year marks the third annual Juneteenth celebration, which will start at 9 a.m. Saturday at Bacon Park and go well into the night.

Juneteenth is a day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, and celebrates Black culture. This day in history pays tribute to the effective end of slavery in the United States.

When asked what he felt the celebration was about, McCain replied, “We are celebrating Black excellence! We love to celebrate other cultures and we hope people will come down here and celebrate ours with us.”

Originating in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth has traditionally been celebrated on June 19 since 1865. This year, the celebration will be held on Saturday, June 18, due to the conflicting observation of Father’s Day.

The day will begin with morning prayer at 9 a.m., followed by music with Dee Williams and Ashley Matlock. There will be karaoke, a kickball tournament, spades tournament, talent show, sack races and fireworks.

There will be a barbecue cookout, as well as an opportunity to talk with firefighters about fire safety and prevention.

“The fire department will be pulling in about 1 (p.m.). They will set up the prevention smokehouse and have their equipment to show the kids,” said McCain. “Then, at 4 (p.m.), we have our 3-on-3 basketball tournament. It’s a big deal. Middle school, junior high and high school will take part in that.”

Around 7 p.m., live music will begin featuring, Yung Zues, Jay Muney, Steezo Lit and Niko Baby.

Along with the entertainment and many activities that are planned for the event, there will also be vendors selling various food and merchandise items.

The committee responsible for organizing this event along with McCain are Jason Matlock, Tony Webb, Harvey Heard, Nicki Johnson and Karen McCain.

“We want to say thank you to many contributors, but we would like to mention Brown Town Development, Elite Vision, Studio 7, PB Kings and The Women’s Coalition,” said McCain.

McCain, Webb and Matlock also shared they currently have big plans in the works that will be great for the youth in this area.

“We want to start an outreach program for youth, so we are getting that underway,” said McCain.

The Juneteenth celebration is just a small piece of what this group is taking on to help youth in the area.

“We want to provide a safe space for kids and mentors to come do their thing,” said McCain. “We don’t know exactly where that space is going to be just yet, but we are working on it.”