Hermitage Juneteenth Celebration Festival honors enslaved ancestors spirits
The Juneteenth Celebration Festival in Hermitage titled "Dancing and Celebrating through the Second Line: Releasing Enslaved Spirits to Freedom" is an all-day event honoring the spirits of Black people.
Juneteenth, a federal holiday, celebrates June 19, 1865, the day when the last enslaved people in America were freed in Texas two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
In addition to the central theme, the celebration will also observe and reflect on "when death was one of the ways our ancestors were free from slavery, Jim Crow laws, lynching, the Reconstruction Era, Black Codes and segregation," according to the press release.
The event began with Overseer Cameron T. Bowman Sr. of St. John Missionary Baptist Church giving a service at 11 a.m.
Following the service, available activities include hair cuts, Madden tournaments, local performers, games, face painting, raffles, giveaways, various vendors and food trucks.
Free transportation, provided by 724 Curbside Convenience, will be available to and from the event from Southwest Gardens Playground in Farrell, Little League Baseball Field in Farrell, Unity Market in Sharon, the old Reyers building in downtown Sharon and Daffins Candy Store on East State Street in Sharon.
Pick up times begin at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and drop off times begin at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to a
.The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Shelter 2 of Buhl Park which is located at 715 Hazen Road in Hermitage.