JUNETEENTH — Area residents marched through downtown Steubenville during Thursday’s Juneteenth parade. -- Linda Harris

STEUBENVILLE — This year’s commemoration of the Juneteenth national holiday will come on Friday, and several area groups and organizations have planned celebrations for the weekend.

In Steubenville, two events have been scheduled: One at Second Baptist Church and the other at North End Field. Both will run from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Weirton’s celebration also will cover two days, with Friday’s events set for St. Peters AME Church on County Road, and Saturday’s events planned for the Weirton Event Center.

All will recognize the day in 1865 — June 19 — when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger delivered word to slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they had been freed, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed.

“A lot of people fail to understand that it is because all of the slaves were not free until 1865 when Granger went to Galveston and told them they were free, and they did not even know it,” said Rhonda Parrish while discussing the holiday. “It started with them, and they were so happy they were free that they went to church. That’s why we, as a church, are a staple for this –because they went to church, they sang hymns and they had a picnic.”

Parrish, a member of Second Baptist Church, said this year will make the 10th anniversary of the church’s Juneteenth celebration, which is being organized by a committee that includes Sheila Hendricks, Crystal Wicker, Shalya Williams and the Rev. Jeffrey Stanford. Hendricks, along with her husband, Bill, were among the founders of the event.

“When we started this, we explained it to the people that way,” Parrish said. “That’s why this church decided to start having it, because it started with slaves singing hymns, because God has always been the backbone of the slaves and they wanted to be free. They prayed to be free, they sang to be free. We need to celebrate that.”

This year’s theme, she said, is “My Black is Beautiful.” Friday’s events, she added, will start at noon with a parade that will begin at Historic Fort Steuben and travel up Market Street; turn left onto Seventh Street (which also carries the name of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard); and follow Seventh Street to Adams Street and the church, which sits at 717 Adams St.

After opening ceremonies, there will be a day of fun, with vendors, craft booths, games for kids and a silent auction for a gift card tree. There will be plenty of food with face painting, DJ Alove and lots of live music.

Elisha Fletcher will perform at 3 p.m. Friday with a gospel performance by Tara Elkins at 5 p.m. The Stereos will take the stage at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, gospel rapper Kevin James will perform at 3 p.m. with the Michael Austin Project bringing its jazz sounds at 5 p.m.

“The city of Steubenville, the police department, the fire department and city leaders have for 10 years been helping us to do this,” Parrish said. “They have been so cooperative. It’s only been a national holiday since 2021, when President Joe Biden enacted it.”

At North End Field, the Steubenville Community Juneteenth Committee has been working to plan a celebration that will carry the theme of “Free.”

According to Tamla Hunt, it’s important that Juneteenth is commemorated each year.

“Yes, definitely,” she said. “The importance to me and our committee is that it is a reminder that it is worth celebrating, history is worth remembering and the community is worth investing in. That’s why we try to think of different things for the festival. We invite everyone to come and learn, celebrate and be a part of something that is meaningful.”

Joining Hunt on the committee are Wylene Alexander Creech, Renee Thompson and Melanye Wares.

There will be many activities, she said. It’s a list that will include foam parties, carnival rides, bounce houses and an Easter egg hunt for children. There also will be kickball, double Dutch and eating contests, Hunt added.

And, of course, there will be plenty of food vendors — including barbecue — as well as arts and crafts vendors.

Music will be provided by a DJ. Hunt said the committee stayed away from bands because it was looking to do something different.

The opening ceremony will include children delivering a prayer, she added.

“Everyone in the community is invited,” Hunt said. “Our theme is ‘Free’ — that’s what this day means. The slaves didn’t know they had been freed until that time.”

Weirton’s commemoration of the holiday will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at St. Peters AME Church. That’s when the Juneteenth Revival service will be held. The revivalist will be Bishop Darrell W. Cummings of Shiloh Apostolic Faith Assembly.

On Saturday, the activities shift to the Weirton Event Center, where there will be a day of food, games, a bounce house and music. Activities will run between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to the Rev. Rudy McAllister, president of the Weirton Ecumenical Council, which is sponsoring the two-day presentation.

Saturday’s program will begin at noon and will include gospel entertainment from performers including the WEC choir, Melanye Wares, ReKonception, the Rev. Karen Wayne, Linda Ross Brown, Bishop Michael Tolliver, Tina Hines and Dave and Don Edmunds. Larry D. Branham will serve as master of ceremonies.

“Juneteenth is a national holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans,” said Beverly Branham. “It’s a day of celebration, resilience and joy. At the same time, it is a reminder of the cruelty of slavery and ongoing fights for civil rights and racial injustice. The holiday is observed by people of all backgrounds, but it’s historical significance is deeply tied to the Black American community.”

Sponsors for the event include Christ the King Church, Morning Star Baptist Church, Mount Olive Baptist Church, Shiloh Apostolic Faith Assembly, St. Peters AME Church and the city of Weirton.

The events at all three festivals are open to the public.