The annual Quad City Juneteenth Weekend Celebration to be held next week promises free and low-cost activities for those who attend, organizers said.
This year’s activities take place Friday through Sunday, June 20-22, at sites in Herculaneum and Festus.
“The Family Fun Dance (on June 21) at the Herculaneum Amvets has a fee,” said Samone Riney, an event committee member.
“That costs $10. (Most) of the rest of the activities are free.”
A cornhole tournament held in conjunction with the June 22 Family Fun Picnic also costs $10 to participate, she said.
Riney said all the activities are open to the general public.
“Anyone can go,” she said. “Usually, they get 150 to 200 people over the weekend. We draw from a large area. It’s like a homecoming.”
The following is a list of the scheduled activities:
■ June 20: 6-9 p.m. Meet and Greet at American Legion Post 253 at 849 American Legion Drive in Festus. Riney described the free event as a time for socializing, with a 50-50 raffle and fish plates available for purchase.
“The American Legion sells the fish plates,” she said.
■ June 21: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Honk & Wave Drive & Walk-Thru at Mount Zion Cemetery, 11659 Hwy. CC, on the southern end of Festus. People are encouraged to stroll or drive through the historic Black cemetery during another free activity, Riney said.
Organizers urge participants to wave, honk and celebrate “unity, resilience and freedom,” she said. “It’s another time to socialize and to pay respect to our ancestors buried there.”
At 1 p.m., free hot dogs, chips and soda will be offered to those in attendance.
■ June 21: 6-11 p.m. Family Fun Dance at Amvets, 555 Joachim Ave., in Herculaneum. The gathering offers DJ music and dancing. Dinner at 7 p.m. includes fried chicken, meatballs, pasta, salad and a variety of desserts and comes with the $10 entrance fee.
■ June 22; 11 a.m. to noon. Sunday worship service at Buren Chapel A.M.E. Church, 435 Burris St., in Herculaneum. Church services will celebrate faith and freedom.
■ June 22: 1-8 p.m. Following the services, a Family Fun Picnic will be held at Kade’s Playground in the William C. Haggard City Park, 776 Joachim Ave., in Herculaneum. The free event will feature games, free food, giveaways, a drumming workshop and DJ music.
■ The fourth annual Juneteenth Cornhole Tournament held in conjunction with the Family Fun Picnic also takes place in Haggard City Park. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., and play starts at 2:30 p.m. The entry fee is $10. The Quad City June-teenth Committee and the South Adams Street Four Baggers team will hold the double-elimination tournament.
Juneteenth is the national holiday observed on June 19 that commemorates the date in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure all enslaved people were freed.
“It’s a weekend of fellowship with people in the community celebrating Juneteenth with family fun and festivities,” Riney said.
For more information, visit the Juneteenth Celebration-Jefferson County page on Facebook.