LIMA — Juneteenth Lima is set to return to Town Square this Saturday.
Chairperson Marc Wright said that the festival, which celebrates the June 19, 1865 emancipation of the enslaved in the state of Texas and ultimately the entire United States, will be bigger and better than ever this year.
“It is six hours from noon to 6 p.m. with live music, local talent and poetry,” he said. “The emphasis is obviously local, but we want everyone that can come out to come and enjoy some networking, meeting new people and learning a little bit about why we celebrate this event. We want to spread the word of what Juneteenth means and how it came about in the interest of fellowship and our community.”
The event, which will block off Main Street between Market and High streets, will also see up to 45 local small Black-owned businesses marketing products, food trucks and kids activities taking over the space.
Wright thinks that the event has already come a long way since he took over running it last year.
“It’s been around for a long time, but to see this embraced by the city and parks and recreation is huge growth from any prior celebration,” he said. “It’s been amazing to be a part of it and without a great committee of folks, it just wouldn’t be possible. There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes and as we get closer, it just comes together like a puzzle.”
Wright is keeping track of the social media buzz ahead of the event and said that he thinks families will be able to get a lot out of the atmosphere despite its potentially serious theme.
“We want to keep this a positive event despite the history of slavery, but it’s a top that depending on where you’re from, it may be something that you talk about or don’t,” he said. “But that’s not the focus of this event. It’s a celebration of freedom and of all kinds of folks who have been freed throughout our history and we all just need to come and celebrate together, no matter what, no matter where you come from.”
He added that everyone is welcome to Juneteenth, even if you might not know what it is about.
“It’s about sharing and fellowship, as well as having fun and great food and maybe learning a little bit and connecting with folks that you have not ever met in your life,” he said. “I always tell folks that I equate it to nothing different than the Irish Parade or the Italian festivals that are just celebrations of different ethnicities and where they came from. And this is for everyone to enjoy.”
Wright thinks that the event can keep growing.
“We’re going to have a capital campaign to start collaborating with other folks to grow and have some community initiatives to take the proceeds from the fundraising,” he said. “We’re still in the early stages of that but we have a lot of interest in partners who would like to work with us and promote things through the community.”
For anybody interested in finding out more about the festival or partnering with it, they can visit the Juneteenth Lima website.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
