Inaugural Juneteenth event comes to downtown Newberry

NEWBERRY – Newberry’s inaugural Juneteenth event is set for Saturday, June 19 in downtown Newberry. It will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

According to History.com, Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.

The inception of the event was proposed in September 2020 by Councilperson Jackie Holmes and with the favor of the other members of council, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department has been working with a committee of seven local citizens to assist in coming up with a vision for the event.

Committee members include Holmes, Councilperson Carlton Kinard, Barbara Chapman, Margo Whitener, Shelia Brown, Tomekia Means and Michael Raiford. Together, the committee has met since January with Mary Alex Kopp, city tourism and events manager.

“My role essentially became logistics,” Kopp said. “I would gather with the committee, we’d discuss their vision and I would then take that back to our department as well as others including the police and fire departments to discuss how to bring that together. We would then go back to the committee with recommendations,” she said.

One vision of the committee, Kopp said, was to have a dedicated space to explain what Juneteenth was. To bring that vision to life, there is a Juneteenth History exhibit in the Newberry Opera House lobby that is open to the public throughout the month of June. The exhibit features a timeline-oriented booklet discussing events in black history that led to the events of Juneteenth Freedom Day in 1865 and beyond, an artistic rendering of the history timeline in the form of a large-scale canvas mural, videos celebrating the holiday and artifacts highlighting Newberry’s Black history.

The history display was curated in conjunction with the Newberry Museum.

In addition to the display, First Steps Newberry County has updated their downtown StoryWalk program to feature a storybook called “Juneteenth” that explains the meaning and history of the day. The book will begin at the Newberry Opera House poster kiosk and will continue downtown, similar to the other books.

“While the book is targeted to children, it’s appropriate for all ages,” Kopp said.

Event Details

While the day’s events are spread around downtown Newberry, Kopp said they will be centered in Memorial Park around the main stage. The event officially begins at 10 a.m. However, Kopp said those interested in showing their support are invited to participate in a march at 9:30 a.m. beginning at Bethlehem Baptist Church and ending at the event stage.

Kopp thanked Westview Behavioral Center for their partnership in helping to sponsor the entertainment stage.

At 10 a.m., the opening ceremony will include a proclamation from Mayor Foster Senn, followed by a singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Kopp said this hymn is commonly referred to as “The Black National Anthem,” and was originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900.

The stage will then open for Zumba with Gloria P. Williams until 11 a.m., followed by DJ Redd with music until noon at which they will then transition into the event’s talent showcase.

“We have 10 talented groups/individuals performing everything from spoken word, to gospel, to dance, rap, step team and song,” Kopp said.

The showcase is not a competition, but a way for locals to share their talents.

The final stage performance will be at 1 p.m. with the Darius Stark’s jazz band, which Kopp said visitors may remember from prior years at the city’s Taste of Newberry event.

Several community-focused organizations can also be found in the park during the event, along with an information booth and a free water station. While water will be available while supplies lasts, Kopp encourages visitors to the event to take note of the day’s temperature and to dress comfortably to stay cool and to bring water with them, if possible. Public restrooms are available within the Newberry Opera House as well as portable toilet and handwash stations throughout the event space.

In the back half of Memorial Park, the Grow Newberry Farmer’s Market will be featuring their Black-owned business owners and farmers that are commonly at their seasonal market.

Surrounding Memorial Park and Community Hall downtown will be the event’s food court. Foods featured will vary from barbecue to Caribbean to soul food and specialty drink vendors will include non-alcoholic frozen drinks as well as beer and wine.

Business vendors will be placed along downtown’s Main Street. Businesses include bakeries, clothiers featuring African prints, crafters, decorators, authors, artists and more. Kopp said all businesses featured will be Black owned businesses with direct ties to the Newberry community.

“Some may notice our vendors are spaced out much wider than we would for a typical festival,” Kopp said. “This allows for proper social distancing and to encourage those that may still have hesitancy coming to an event to feel more comfortable doing so because there will be plenty of space to navigate it.”

Children’s activities will include an opportunity for children to create “mini chicken” paintings with Ernest Lee, better known as South Carolina’s “Chicken Man,” at the Newberry Arts Center on Main Street. In the coke mural parking lot on McKibben Street, just across from the Newberry Opera House, local organization PAVE (Preventing Abuse and Violence with Education), will be hosting a free basketball hot shot contest complete with prizes.

The event will also have free balloon twisting by balloon artist, juggler and street magician, Ralph Summer as well as an area for chalk art creating and Juneteenth swag from Newberry’s Kraft Heinz corporation in Astwood Park (1309 Main Street)

The very last feature includes a car show from 1-3 p.m. in the Newberry County Courthouse parking lot, primarily hosted by the Midlands South Carolina Classic Car Club. The car show is open to anyone wishing to participate; however, spots in the show are on a first come, first served basis.

In addition to the car show, Joy Ride LLC will host Black history golf cart tours throughout the event. Their booth will be located on Main Street on the corner of Lindsay and Main. These are paid tours and are for anyone interested in learning more about Newberry’s Black history and the company is taking pre-bookings now for those wishing to take the tour.

More Info

Main Street will be closed to traffic beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 19. Kopp said all cars were requested to the leave the event zone or risk being towed by Friday evening. The event area includes Main Street, the section of the courthouse parking lot closest to Main Street (other section will be open to parking). The coke mural parking lot on McKibben Street will also be closed along with Boyce Street.

The city’s police department will have signs and cones indicating street closures, Kopp said.

“For those that need to park downtown during this time because they live downtown, we encourage them to use the Friend Street parking lot or that on the corner of Nance and Harrington Street,” she said.

Parking for the Juneteenth event is free and on a first come, first served basis. A map of public parking areas can be found on the city’s website, www.cityofnewberry.com. For any confusion, contact the City of Newberry’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Office at 803-321-1015 prior to the event.

There will be a special event command post with staff from police, fire and emergency services to include first aid and lost and found station, Kopp said. This will be located on McKibben Street for anyone that may need assistance during the event.