Annapolis will harken back to the grand musical history of Carr’s Beach as part of its Juneteenth celebration starting Wednesday.

Juneteenth, also known as the second Independence Day and Emancipation Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday gained prominence after President Joe Biden declared June 19 a federal holiday in 2021.

On Wednesday, the Annapolis Maritime Museum will present a Carr’s Beach Reunion featuring the Voices of Motown and Philly Soul bands live in concert. Music will certainly be in the air, because JJ Fingers Band will be performing at the same time over on the property known as Carr’s and Elktonia Beach, which was purchased recently by the city. The beachfront property is adjacent to the museum just across Back Creek.

During the Jim Crow era of segregation, Carr’s, Elktonia, and Sparrows beaches were resorts in Annapolis available to African Americans and others who were prohibited from using “whites only” beaches.

Annapolis radio station WANN began airing live concerts from Carr’s Beach, hosted by local personality “Hoppy” Adams. Large crowds from up and down the East Coast were drawn to “The Beach,” as it became known, with some of the biggest Black entertainers of the 20th century performing there.

As part of Wednesday’s celebration, community members who visited Carr’s beach during its heyday will share stories about the popular resort, said Wesley Wood, deputy director at the Annapolis Recreation and Parks.

“We are excited to have everyone come check out this wonderful event,” said Wood.

The event, which also will feature food trucks and vendors, will go from 3 to 7 p.m. and is free to the public.

The following weekend, Annapolis Crowne Plaza will host a VIP gala before a parade on June 22.

The parade will start at noon at City Dock, with the route leading to the Juneteenth festival location on Spa Road at the Bates Sports Complex. That site will open at 1 p.m.

Elktonia/Carr’s Beach

The Elktonia/Carr's Beach property, was deeded to the City of Annapolis to become a heritage park on Friday, August 12, 2022.

Brian Krista/Capital Gazette

The Elktonia/Carr’s Beach property was deeded to the City of Annapolis to become a heritage park on Friday, August 12, 2022.

The grand marshals for the parade will be former members of the Van Dyke Band, a group that will be honored at Carr’s Beach on June 19, Coates said.

“Mr. Roland Brown and his brother Alber will be the grand marshals,” he said. “My dad was an original musician of the Van Dyke Band, he was a lead guitarist.”

While these events are designed to celebrate Juneteenth, it’s also an opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous journey that we are still on, striving for freedom, said Bishop Craig Coates, chief executive officer for the Annapolis Juneteenth Foundation.

“The Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves, it took a military order and 200,000 U.S. colored troops,” he said.  “We celebrate Juneteenth, but we have to also go back and create a space to talk about how it really happened. We have to fight, because freedom is never free.”

Coates said the theme of this year’s celebration is “Our Ancestors Died for Freedom,” to highlight the Black troops who fought for their freedom and enforced the proclamation that freed others.

“Through music, art, education, and storytelling, we will emphasize the importance of their identity as men and no longer property,” he said.

Annapolis’ Juneteenth celebration was originally envisioned by Phyllis “Tee” Adams, the founder of the Annapolis Juneteenth Foundation in 2021, an idea she said came to her in a dream. Last year more than 10,000 people attended the event with performances from Rakim, one-half of Eric B and Rakim, and singer Vivian Green. Coates believes this year will be an even larger turnout.

“The event continues to grow each year; there’s been tremendous outpouring of support,” Coates said. “We have a lot of young groups, Black student unions, and high school and college groups that are in the parade and at the festival that we’ve been working with to bring awareness to their causes.”

With this year also marking the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Voting Act, Coates said the focus is on making sure everyone knows how important voting and this upcoming election will be.

Both events are free, and parking will be available all day at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Westgate Circle Garage, and Maryland Hall Lots A & B.