Although Juneteenth falls on Wednesday of next week, many central Illinois communities will celebrate the historical moment this weekend.
Friday at 11:00 a.m., the City of Urbana will host a ceremony and raise the red, white, and blue Juneteenth flag at city hall.
Saturday from noon to 3:00 p.m., the Champaign Park district will host a Juneteenth celebration at Douglass Park with different vendors, music, and food. Illinois Soul, which is a production of Illinois Public Media, will be one of the vendors.
Sunday at 1:00 p.m., Crystal Lake Park in Urbana will host music, food, and fishing as part of honoring Black Freedom.
Also on Sunday, The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater in Decatur will host a Freedom Day celebration from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Performances include African dance and drumming.
Juneteenth commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.
Federal and state offices will be closed on Wednesday.
On Thursday, June 20, Illinois Soul and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will present a Juneteenth concert featuring artist, author, and actress Syleena Johnson. The Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter will take to the stage at 6:00 p.m. at Krannert’s Lobby/Stage 5/Stage 6 area. The performance is free to the public.
Reginald Hardwick contributed to this story.