Community members will gather June 19 for the fourth annual Juneteenth Jubilee Day celebration at the Bertha Tryon-Hendrick Arnold Cemetery in Bandera.
The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, June 19, at the historic cemetery on Old Medina Highway near Highway 16.
Organizers said the celebration marks the sixth anniversary of Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday and commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced the freedom of enslaved people in Texas through General Order No. 3.
Juneteenth, which originated in Texas, has since become a nationally recognized holiday. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing it as a federal holiday.
The event is hosted by the Bandera County Historical Commission, the Frontier Times Museum and the Silver Sage Senior Center.
Rebecca Norton, chair of the Juneteenth planning committee and executive director of the Frontier Times Museum, will open the ceremony.
The program will include performances of the National Anthem, the Black National Anthem and several hymns by singer Gayle Hayden.
San Antonio poet Da’Rell Pittman will present poetry readings, Larry Jackson will read from the Emancipation Proclamation, and Bandera County Historical Commission Chair Kimberly Miles will speak about the holiday’s significance.
Following the ceremony, attendees are invited to participate in a community picnic at the cemetery.
The Silver Sage Senior Center is providing fried chicken strips, lemonade and water, and organizers encourage guests to bring a side dish or dessert to share.
The event is free and open to the public. Additional information is available from the Frontier Times Museum at 830-796-3864.
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