Residents Gather to Celebrate at Juneteenth Festival

Residents gathered to celebrate Juneteenth at a festival held this past Saturday at Sand Beach Lake in Bolivar. Families enjoyed food trucks, vendors, entertainment and activities. A candidate forum was held for candidates wishing to address those in attendance ahead of the August 4 election. The full forum may be viewed below.

According to history.com “Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.”