Juneteenth celebration this weekend in Vicksburg

This year’s Juneteenth celebration will take place Saturday at Halls Ferry Park in Vicksburg.

Though Juneteenth will not officially arrive until Wednesday, this year’s official celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. with pre-holiday festivities, including live music, storytelling, poetry and vendors.

This year’s theme is “It’s a Family Affair” and will feature entertainment sponsored by the Vicksburg Juneteenth Heritage Festival Committee, the City of Vicksburg, Ameristar Casino and Hotel, Visit Vicksburg and Visit Mississippi.

Halls Ferry Park is located at 130 Halls Ferry Rd. The event is free and organizers recommend bringing lawn chairs.

Vicksburg’s first Juneteenth Heritage Festival, chaired by Tillman Whitley, occurred on June 19, 1993, on Monroe Street. Six years later, on June 19, 1999, and spearheaded by Ezell Matthews McDonald, a local businesswoman who focused on African American culture, history and traditions, the second Juneteenth Celebration was held in Marcus Bottom. Since the 1999 festival, Juneteenth has been celebrated in Vicksburg at various churches and locations.

For more information on this year’s celebration, contact Juneteenth Heritage Festival Committee Co-Founder and President Bobbie Bingham Morrow at 601-630-5847; Chairman Jeremy Johnson at 662-719-2087; or Co-Chair Ola Jones Clark at 601-618-8870.