The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Juneteenth
open at Center Theater (located on DeKalb Street between Lafayette and Main streets) there will be free admission all day.
Norristown Special Events Coordinator Tracie Henry told MediaNews Group earlier in this month that she is anticipating between 300 and 500 attendees of the inaugural occasion celebrating Juneteenth Local officials recognized Juneteenth as a municipal holiday back in 2020, and President Joe Biden declared it a federal holiday last June. “For me, Juneteenth is the first time I think that we even thought to celebrate the end of slavery,” Henry said. “A lot of the country hasn’t even admitted that slavery was bad, and so the celebration to the end of slavery is a holiday, and it should be a holiday. It’s just that simple.”
The fun-filled day continues until 5 pm with a mix of vendors and food trucks, the Willow School Kids’ Zone with a magic show, face painting, animals from Elmwood Zoo, balloons and games, and special appearances by Black Panther and The Hulk! The sound stage will feature DJ Belly and live music by Expressive Paths students, Greg Moore & Actual Proof and Tony Hentley and The Old School Band. Drink specials by Five Saints Distillery and draft beer by vonC Brewing Company, BBQ by Dukes!
FREE admission to the festival and FREE parking all day at SEPTA Transportation Center garage on DeKalb and Lafayette Streets. What better way to spend Father’s Day than a FREE celebration of culture and fun for the whole family!
On June 19, 1865, two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 to the people of Galveston, TX proclaiming that “…all slaves are free…”. Black Americans in Texas declared the day a holiday and named it Juneteenth. Over a century later, on June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
The event is being sponsored by: Elmwood Park Zoo; Fund II Foundation; Norristown Chamber of Commerce; The Sigma Mu
Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; The Greater Norristown NAACP; The Willow School; Fidelity Investments; Comcast NBC Universa;
Main Line Health; Chamber of Commerce for Greater Montgomery County; Supra Office Solutions, Inc.; Kilkenny Law.