Juneteenth

Several City of Ames departments will participate in the annual Juneteenth Celebration planned for 12:30 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, at Bandshell Park, located at the corner of Sixth St. and Duff Ave. The Juneteenth celebration is sponsored by the Ames Branch of the NAACP and the Ames Public Library.

Juneteenth is the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States and is observed by celebrating African-American culture. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and publicly read the Emancipation Proclamation, marking the final Confederate state in which the Emancipation Proclamation was announced and enforced.

This summer celebration of African-American culture will include family activities, arts and crafts activities by The Workspace, games, live entertainment, food vendors, and more. Disney’s “The Lion King” will be shown at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Auditorium, 520 Sixth St. The movie is free to attend.

Learn more at www.amesianaacp.org