TOWN OF DEWITT — Town of DeWitt Recreation held its first-ever Juneteenth Freedom Day from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19.
The event was held in 90-plus-degree heat in and around the Ryder Park pavilion right by the town hall on Butternut Drive in East Syracuse.
The federal holiday commemorates the abolishing of slavery in the United States and the emancipation of once-enslaved African Americans. The recognized holiday falls on June 19 because that was the date in 1865 that Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger took the word of the Emancipation Proclamation to Texas to make the final enforcement of that executive order, hence the portmanteau “Juneteenth.”
The daylong event was promoted as an opportunity to reflect on “how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go.”
Brie Hall, the recreation aide for the town who led the organizing of the event, said the Juneteenth celebration last week was “great” and “well-attended” despite the scorching heat.
Hall and her two eldest daughters were the ones who raised the Juneteenth flag onto the pole outside the town hall building that afternoon, resulting in what she called a “really nice moment.” The blue and red flag with an outlined white star in the middle has seen growth as a symbol of the holiday nationally since earlier this century.
The Freedom Day was melded with the town’s weekly farmers market held Wednesdays in the same parking lot since Juneteenth happened to be on that day of the week this year.
In addition to regular vendors like Stone Hill Gardens and Riches Apiary, the festival brought out guest vendors like the mother-daughter business Jewel Bizz with items like necklaces, Crafts by Nicole with its tumblers and mugs, Laquinn Kreations with its uplifting cultural earrings, a lemonade stand, and the food truck Fast & Fusion with steak tacos, nachos and veggie dumplings.
There were also dance troupes and singers taking the stage, such as Sherri Kay, who sang the songs “Freedom” and “My Response” a cappella. During the day, a DJ also spun time-honored tracks like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.”
The event featured the reading of town and Onondaga County Legislature proclamations as well as speeches from elected officials.
“It shows how powerful the community is and how important it is to celebrate Juneteenth,” said New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who made an appearance at the event. “It’s great that you have both local electeds and all these local vendors coming together to have a community-based event that brings out not only people’s passions but also their wares and their talents.”
Hall said the Juneteenth event will be held on its own on a Thursday next year, allowing more room for festivities related to the holiday, but she said the layout this year was beneficial in bringing added awareness and visitors to the farmers market.
Crossing her fingers that it won’t be as hot out next time around, Hall said she can’t wait to hold the Juneteenth celebration in 2025 and make it an every-year event going forward.
