An idea was pitched to the Blue Wahoos earlier this year by Escambia County commissioner Lumon May for a Juneteenth celebration downtown.
“At the time, we didn’t even realize we had a game that day,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith.
All the better, now, that it will become a special tie-in.
The Blue Wahoos will host another unique element in their franchise history on June 19 when a community Juneteenth festival style celebration will occur when the Blue Wahoos face the Chattanooga Lookouts in the second game of a six-game homestand on Wednesday.
Beginning at 5 p.m. outside the ballpark on the Community Maritime Park lawn which fronts the ballpark, there will be a live band, food vendors, other activities, plus an information booth in which the first 1,000 people to visit the location will receive a free ticket to Wednesday’s Blue Wahoos game.
The ticket for the 6:05 p.m. game will include a free hat and a food voucher. In addition, the Blue Wahoos will stage their largest fireworks show of the season following the game. The event wrapping around the game is being made possible by a partnership with Escambia County, the City of Pensacola, the Blue Wahoos and several non-profit agencies.
“Lumon came to me and wanted to have a celebration downtown somewhere and wanted to have a big fireworks show,” Griffith said. “As we were talking, we realized that, not only did we have a game, but if they were seeking to do a celebration, what a great place to do it with our stadium.
“We have the parking, the space, the facility and we can do a lot of cool stuff with the videoboards and the fireworks show and everything else. The fireworks show will be more than twice the size of our normal show.
“It will be bigger shells, a lot bigger of a show. You will be able to see the show all over downtown. So we feel like we’ll be able to further enhance the experience for everyone.”
In addition to the festival and fireworks, the Blue Wahoos will use inning breaks during the Wednesday game to further educate about the meaning of Juneteenth.
It is now a federal holiday to commemorate the official end of slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865, in Texas as the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“We’ll have things on the videoboard in a ‘Did You Know’ format,” Griffith said. “We want to educate fans on what this day means and what it means to our local community. We would like to bring everyone together in a community environment setting.”
This year’s Juneteeth celebration coincides with Major League Baseball’s decision on May 31 to officially recognize the statistics and achievements of more than 2,300 Negro League players in an era where they played in a segregated league, while MLB stars of that era like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, played in major city ballparks across the nation.
In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier with his debut for the Brooklyn (NY) Dodgers and it forever changed the game.
In Pensacola, a plaque was recently unveiled by Pensacola mayor D.C. Reeves and other officials to commemorate the 1955 Pensacola Jaycees team of all African-American youth players, who competed in Orlando for the Little League State Championship.
It marked the first time a team with black players in the southeast competed for a chance at the Little League World Series. Though the Orlando team won the game to advance, it was a historic moment for youth baseball in the Deep South.
Four members of that team are still living in Pensacola.
“We thought, given all that has happened recently with MLB and our community, this would be a perfect time to have a Juneteenth celebration at the stadium,” Griffith said. “It’s perfect for year one.
“But we also plan on continuing this every June 19, whether or not we have a home game that day or not. If we’re not playing at home, then we’ll have things inside the stadium with inflatables and other game for kids, plus the fireworks show.
“I think it’s the kickoff for the future of a lot of downtown Juneteenth celebrations.”
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Escambia County-Blue Wahoos Juneteenth Celebration
WHEN: Wednesday, June 19. Festival outside stadium starts at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium and Community Maritime Park.
WHO: The Blue Wahoos will play the Chattanooga Lookouts in a game beginning at 6:05 p.m.
ACTIVITIES: The first 1,000 fans to visit an information booth outside the stadium will receive a free ticket, hat and food voucher for the game. There will be live music, food vendors, other activities outside the stadium. A massive post-game fireworks display will follow the game.
PARKING: Paid parking will be available outside the stadium and other paid lots around the stadium just like a regular Blue Wahoos game.
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com
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