Food and fun always attract a crowd. And while she's got them assembled, Danielle Woods hopes to offer some education, too.
The 17th annual Northwest Arkansas Juneteenth celebration returns on Saturday with an afternoon celebration at Murphy Park in Springdale. The event offers free food, games and entertainment from the likes of the band Funk Factory and Jeron Marshall. A praise team and a step show will also be featured during the afternoon.
FAQ
Juneteenth
WHEN — 3-7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE — Murphy Park in Springdale
COST — Free
INFO — nwajuneteenth.org
This year's emphasis will be on health, and the event carries the theme "Black Is Beautiful, Black Is Healthy." Organizers this year will team up with the Northwest Arkansas branch of the NAACP and the Community Clinic to offer a free health fair. Woods, chairwoman of this year's celebration, hopes to help make health a greater priority in the local African American community.
There will also be representatives for the University of Arkansas' Mullins Library, who will present information on black history in Arkansas and the nation.
Juneteenth is an celebration that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Its draws its name from a combination of the words "June" and "19th," which was the day in 1865 that residents of Galveston, Texas, first celebrated what was then called African American Emancipation Day.
Woods says the local Juneteenth celebration has recently drawn between 700 and 1,000 guests, "and we're hoping to see close to that this year," she says.
-- Kevin Kinder
NAN What's Up on 06/13/2014