Juneteenth celebration June 15

The 67th annual Juneteenth celebration in Georgetown is Saturday, June 15, at the Georgetown Community Center at 445 E. Morrow St. in San Gabriel Park. The Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association hosts the annual public event which is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Juneteenth event schedule

The event starts at 11 a.m. with a special program featuring guest speaker Ebony Rose, Georgetown native and senior learning development consultant for Leadership and Professional Development at Texas Christian University, as well as a special performance by The Groovers Line Dancers.

The event also includes live entertainment by S7EVEN, DJ Tony Stewart, and games for youth and adults, as well as vendors.

GCCMA will also host a Juneteenth kickoff reception Friday June 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at BB’s Home Cooking, 1500 Rivery Blvd.

Juneteenth history

Juneteenth marks the day on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed at Galveston and reported that the Civil War was over and slavery had ended. The Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves had been in effect since January 1, 1863, but word did not reach Texas for more than two years. Juneteenth was declared an official state holiday in Texas in 1980.

Contact information

For more information, please contact Alma Allen-Johnson with the GCCMA at (512) 751-4532 or johnsonalma2000@yahoo.com.