STEUBENVILLE — Community leaders say the city’s Juneteenth celebration isn’t just about good food, great music and having fun, though there’ll be plenty of that. What they really want festival-goers to think about is why it’s so special.

Juneteenth celebrates the day 160 years ago — June 19, 1865 — when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, belatedly found out they’d been freed by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier.

“Some people still think it’s just a big party,” said Sheila Hendricks, who helped plan the Juneteenth activities at Second Baptist Church as well as La Femme Progressive Women’s Club/Federated Women youth activities at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. “It’s not. They need to know what it is and why we celebrate it.”

So, this year, Hendricks said, they’re going to focus on the story behind Juneteenth during the Second Baptist and MLK Center events, inviting community leaders to share their thoughts on what Juneteenth means to them as well as making sure younger generations understand what they’re celebrating and why.

To drive that point home, they’ll be distributing age-appropriate books to kids taking part in the youth activities at MLK Center.

Hendricks said they’ll also be handing out “something with red in it” during the celebration, whether it’s punch or candy or something else. “There’s always something red at Juneteenth to represent the blood that was shed (by our forebearers),” she said.

They’ve also arranged a special “spoken word” presentation that will use rhyme and rhythm to tell the story of Juneteenth.

“Some young ladies from Cleveland are coming down to do it,” she said. “It’s a little different than someone just giving you a (traditional oral) history. Very few people can do it.”

The Juneteenth Committee’s Tamla R. Hunt, overseeing the plans at North End ballfield, said opening ceremonies there will also key on the significance of Juneteenth. “We want it to be a staple in everybody’s mind, just like the Fourth of July. We just want it to have the same impact, the meaning of it–in 1865 people were still enslaved; they didn’t know they were free. We just want to commemorate that, to honor the people and the struggles they went through.”

The festivities kick off Thursday with a community parade, their first, starting at noon Thursday at Historic Fort Steuben and ending in the parking lot by Second Baptist, 717 Adams St., where an opening ceremony will take place. Serving as grand marshals for the parade will be Fourth Ward Councilman Royal Mayo and Brenten “Inky” Jones, who played on Ohio State University’s national championship-winning team.

After Mayor Jerry Barilla reads the city’s Juneteenth proclamation, Hendricks said several people will talk to the crowd about Juneteenth, why it’s important to them, why they celebrate it.”

At Second Baptist they’ll also be honoring three people for their work in and for the community and award a scholarship to a graduating senior. Hendricks said there will be plenty of soul food and vendors as well as entertainment.

“We want everyone to know what Juneteenth should mean to us as African Americans and to all people of the community,” Hendricks said. “We need that now, more than ever.”

Hunt said they’ll open the festivities at North End ballfield Thursday with music and reflection.

“Someone will be singing ‘Lift Every Voice’ Thursday, and we’ll be giving a little background to what Juneteenth means and what we’re there to celebrate,” she said. “If the celebration goes well this year, we look forward to net year being bigger and better and getting more community involvement.”

Other North End highlights include the annual basketball tournament, which starts Friday at 4 p.m., with a cash prize and bragging rights for adults. A free throw contest for the younger crowd with prizes for top finishers. Friday will also be karaoke night at the North End site.

They’ve also got a “gospel explosion” planned for Sunday at the North End site, with people coming out to sing to the crowd. A saxophonist will play from 5-6 p.m. and a pastor will offer a sermonette.

Other activities on tap at the Second Baptist site:

*La Femmes Progressive Womens Club/Federated Women will host Juneteenth activities for kids at the MLK Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m: There will be a three-on-three basketball tournament for kids and a dunk contest for toddlers, as well as games like corn hole and dodge ball for kids who don’t want to participate in the tournaments. “All the kids will receive prizes,” Hendricks said. “And we’ll feed them.” The kids will also get their Juneteenth books and pencils.

Also Friday, the Second Baptist site will have a dunk tank. There will be a gospel concert from 3-5 p.m., along with comedians, singers, dancers. They’ll also have a bounce house and foam party for kids.

On Saturday, the Second Baptist site will feature a Columbus band, Funk City, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a connection to the Upper Ohio Valley — Mari, the band’s manager and vocalist, is from the area and is “very excited to be coming back,” Hendricks said. “And they’re going to honor two people, but we don’t know who. I don’t even know who they’re honoring.” The bounce house and foam party will be back as well, along with all the good food.

On tap at the North End site:

Hunt said Twice as Nice, a local band, will perform from 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Artistry, a Pennsylvania band, will provide the entertainment Saturday from 7-8 p.m.

Also Saturday, the bookmobile will be at the festival, as will Trinity Health System nurses who will do free blood pressure screening, on-spot CPR demos, hypertension education and heart healthy diets, as well as encourage fun stuff like jumping rope, playing with hoola hoops and other kid-friendly activities. Voter registration will also be done.

“There’ll be a lot of food trucks,” Hunt said. “We’re going to have a range of food — everything from barbeque ribs, some jerk food, fish and ice cream to snow cones, popcorn and hotdogs.”

They’ll also have card tournaments – games like spades and Bid Whist, for instance–as well as a chess tournament, and bingo.

“It’s a four-day event so we can’t do it all one day. We’ve got to keep people coming back and being interested,” Hunt said.