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| Date: June 27, 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Houdini Plaza
The City of Appleton has joined African Heritage, Inc. and Dreem Team Promotions to bring the first ever Juneteenth Celebration to Appleton on Sunday, June 27 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Houdini Plaza, downtown College Avenue. This event is free and open to everyone!
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of Juneteenth as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond and is the oldest African American celebration in our history! Today Juneteenth is commemorated in 36 states and Governor Doyle signed the resolution to include Wisconsin as one of the states commemorating Juneteenth in December 2009. This event is typically celebrated on June 19 but Appleton’s celebration will take place on June 27 to avoid conflicts.
Wisconsin & the Fox Cities have a rich history as part of the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, Lawrence University’s Main Hall was rumored to have been a station on the Underground Railroad to Canada; in 1974, it was entered in the National Register of Historic Places of the U.S. Park Service. And Freedom, WI was named by an escaped slave named, Andrew Jackson. The township, which considered Jackson a neighborhood friend, wanted to name the town "Jackson." Jackson refused and said the town should be called, "Freedom," for that's where he found his freedom after escaping from a slave master in the south, around the year 1850. “The City of Appleton is honored to be a part of bringing this important celebration to our city. We stand side by side as we honor this important part of our history together and celebrate the contribution of African Americans who add much richness to Appleton’s diversity,” said Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna.
Kimberly Clark Corporation, Goodwill Industries NCW, Menasha Corporation, Oshkosh Corporation, Octoberfest, School Specialties, Community Foundation of the Fox Cities and The Outer Edge Stage of Appleton have all signed on as major sponsors. Other sponsors include Katapult, the Academy School and United Way of the Fox Cities. We are planning to have 1,000 people in Houdini Plaza from Appleton and all the outlying cities.
The day will include a gospel performance with a major gospel artist along with other gospel singers, followed by a Mayoral Proclamation. We will soon be announcing a major DJ artist from New York. In addition to those major artists; the day will include music from Unified Soul, Unity the Band and performances from African American Stepping groups. There will be prizes given away every hour starting at noon. This event is a family fun event for all ages! There will be many children activities, games, face painting, and much more fun for children of all ages!
Audiences will enjoy an African pavilion selling African clothes and vendor booths selling African American Soul food and African cuisine, along with community vendors selling various food and merchandise. Information booths from many local organizations will be set up throughout the park. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, please email juneteenthappleton@yahoo.com or call (920) 832-1564 for more information.
African Heritage, Inc. Juneteenth Co-Chairs Dr. Bola Delano-Oriaran and Dr. Sabrina W. Robins state that, “African Heritage, Inc. together with the City of Appleton and Dreem Team Productions is excited to have a signature regional celebration that commemorates American freedom. We have received an enormous amount of support from many businesses, community organizations, and leaders. The proceeds of the Annual Juneteenth Celebration supports scholarships for high school and college students currently enrolled in Wisconsin schools. Come to the Juneteenth Celebration, you are guaranteed to have a great time!”
There will be other events honoring Juneteenth as well in the days leading up to the large Juneteenth Celebration. African Heritage, Inc. along with the Appleton and Neenah Public Libraries will be hosting a Read Aloud for area children at each library. The Read Aloud at Appleton Public Library will be on June 16 at 1:30 PM and at the Neenah Public Library on June 18 at 1 PM. Another Juneteenth-inspired event will happen the evening before at The Outer Edge Stage. The Outer Edge Stage at 303 N. Oneida Street in Appleton will be bringing in comedian Bone Hampton on Saturday, June 26 at 5:30 & 8:30 PM with a cover charge of $15. Bone is known as Mr. Crossover because his clean, in-your-face, comedy translates everywhere - from B.E.T & CMT to NBC, TBN and The Gospel Music Channel. For more information, contact Lyssa King at (800)987-1680 or (920)809-0131 or via email at lyssa@outeredge.com.
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