Bluefield hosts Mercer County Juneteenth Celebration

BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS) – The Juneteenth celebration in Bluefield brought people from all walks of life together to remember their history and to celebrate their hopes for their futures.

The Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Celebration brought in all kinds of visitors who use the day for remembrance and for education.

Vendors, public services, and food trucks filled the streets of Bluefield during the festivities.

The owner of The Mobile Smokes explained what Juneteenth means to him and what he believes it means to Mercer County as a whole.

“It’s remembrance and thought. Everything in the past that has happened. It makes us reminiscence on things we don’t want to go back to but that we can remember to move our country forward to a better era,” said Shawn Merrill, owner of The Mobile Smokes.

The celebration even had a very special visitor from Charleston. Dwedee Kobbah is the current crown and titleholder of Miss Black West Virginia.

During this event, she spoke on the importance of remembering where she came from not only as a person of color, but as a woman of color representing the state.

“I am the first Miss Black West Virginia that the state has had, ever. So, it’s important to represent ourselves as black women across the state, because some people forget that West Virginia even exists,” said Kobbah.

This celebration helps Bluefield connect with multiple communities in an innovative way by bringing people together.

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