V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute
Next Saturday is a holiday in Texas and F.R.E.S.H. is pulling out all the stops to help the Jefferson community celebrate the 156th Anniversary of “Juneteenth.”
“We hope everyone walks away with better knowledge of the holiday,” said F.R.E.S.H. board member Satoria Webb.
The name of the holiday comes from a portmanteau of the words “June” and “nineteenth,” since it was on June 19, 1865, that General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, and told the people there that the Civil War was over, and the slaves were now free.
“This was something we celebrated growing up,” said F.R.E.S.H. founder April Taylor Johnson, “and then it sort of went away and wasn’t talked about. We want to bring that back to the community.”
The activities will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 19, with a parade. It will start at the Jefferson High School and continue down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Watson Street and then over to the Community Center.
So far participants in the parade include several different trail rider groups, ATV groups, social clubs, motorcycle clubs, churches, the Marion County beauty queens, a semi-pro basketball team, and a number of black-owned businesses. Space is still available in the parade, and if interested, groups should contact Johnson.
At the Jefferson Community Center, F.R.E.S.H. will have their abundance of activities for individuals of all ages.
“There will be bounce houses for the kids,” said Johnson, “as well as a Corn Hole Tournament, a domino’s tournament with a $200 first prize and no entry fee, a spades tournament, kickball games, music, and of course food and drinks.”
There will be a short program in the afternoon with a guest speaker from Wiley College. F.R.E.S.H. will also be having giveaways all afternoon of items from various sponsors.
“This is a big event for people of all ages,” said Taylor. “Everyone should plan on bringing their lawn chairs and coolers and spending the day with the community. As always, this is a free event and everyone is welcome!”
F.R.E.S.H. has big plans for this year and will be sharing those details as the year progresses. This August will be their 5thAnniversary of working to build community events for everyone. F.R.E.S.H., which stands for Future Respectful Educated Successful Humble, sponsors events throughout the year like the Halloween Fall Festival, Little Girl’s Tea, Back-to-School parties and School Supply Drive, and other events.
The weekend will wrap-up with another “Sunday FUN DAY” on Sunday afternoon of kickball and other activities at the Community Center. For more information, or to participate or donate, contact April Taylor Johnson on FaceBook, any of the board members (Johnson, Latarsha Evans, Webb, Adrienne Brown, Jaquitta Knox Burk, Shaneka Shephard Thomas, Charmaine Smith and Terri Thomas), or contact the Jimplecute offices to drop off donations.