The fourth annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Clarke County Ruritan Fairgrounds (890 W. Main St., Berryville) is a FREE day of entertainment, presentations, and family fun. Enjoy arts, crafts, and food vendors, too. Gates open at 11 a.m.
This year’s “Juneteenth Celebration” theme is freedom, hope, and respect for all cultures.
Emcees are once again Allison Seymour – an Emmy award-winning news anchor from WUSA9 TV in Washington, D.C. – and her husband Marc Clarke, a radio legend in Baltimore.
Guest speaker is Dr. Miles Davis, dean emeritus of the Shenandoah University School of Business. His presentation is titled “Lincoln did not free the enslaved.”
The day also includes performances by the KanKouran West African Dance Troupe of Washington, D.C., and local vocalists Diane Newman, Jeffrey Walker, Sandy Reynolds and Charles Bailey. A Motown performance is planned, and local students will present dramatic readings. The WestBand, a rhythm and blues group from Washington, D.C., is the featured band with Maryland-based Donnie Young serving as deejay.
The event is hosted by the Josephine School Community Museum, Josephine Improvement Association, and the Clarke County Training School & Johnson-Williams High School Reunion Association.
For more information, call (703) 283-0348 or (540) 664-7277.
What is Juneteenth?
The Emancipation Proclamation – which promised freedom for all enslaved people – went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863; however, it wasn’t until the defeat of the Confederate States army in April 1865 that allowed enforcement of the proclamation to begin.
Texas was the most remote of the slave states, and enforcement there was slow and inconsistent until June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the war was over and enslaved people were free.
Early celebrations by Blacks in Texas date to June 19, 1866. These celebrations spread across the South among newly freed slaves and their descendants. The name “Juneteenth” was first used in the 1890s.
Officially, “Juneteenth” was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when the 117th U.S. Congress enacted and President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. It was the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.
You may also like the following events from Josephine School Community Museum:
Also check out other
Entertainment events in Berryville,
Workshops in Berryville.
