By Capers Gay
Several events celebrating Juneteenth are coming to Lake Wales. The June 19th holiday is meant to commemorate the abolishing of slavery and will have a couple events around the same time.
The first is Freedom Fest. Organized by the Juneteenth Lake Wales LLC, Freedom Fest is designed to not only educate people, but also bring them together. The organization’s president, Sara Jones explained, “Engaging as a community helps us see our similarities and reminds us that our neighbors can also be our friends. We also want people to learn about the history of the United States because those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it! This event is open to ALL people, as we all share this community, its history, and its future.”
Freedom Fest is a multi-day affair. It begins on June 13th from 6pm to 10pm at the Turner Center with a Jazz and R&B concert for attendants with food and drinks available.
The June 14th date stretches from 3pm to 7pm and takes place on Lincoln Avenue. Alcohol will be served, and the event will feature a DJ, live music, vendors, and food trucks. Beyond its educational goals, Freedom Fest aims to generate enough money to repeat itself annually. Whatever is left will be used to provide scholarships for deserving high school seniors; this particular goal, Jones notes, is a plan locked to the future. “The biggest challenges in putting on an event like Freedom Fest are always funding and volunteers. We have been blessed with a few generous sponsors, but we can always use more financial support.” Jones says.
Another event is the 8th annual Juneteenth Luncheon and AgriFestival being held on June 19th from 11am to 6pm at the James P. Austin Community Center. The event will include a number of guests including former mayor Eugene Fultz, Commissioner Daniel Williams, Mayor Jack Hilligoss, and Dr. Alzo Reddick. Reddick was the first African-American from Orlando to be elected to the Florida Legislature, and holds the honor of being the first black male to pass two amendments to the state’s Constitution. One of these amendments being the Juneteenth Amendment, which recognized the holiday as a day of observance. Reddick will be the speaker for the event.
The menu will consist largely of red foods to symbolize resilience and ancestral West African traditions. Beyond grilled barbecue chicken, red drinks, velvet cake, and tea cakes will make this connection known to attendees.
