LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) – Hundreds of people gathered in Jones Park Thursday to celebrate Juneteenth, the first annual celebration hosted by Jeff Roberts and Councilman Robert Shankle.
The event was created with the intention to bring the community together, and co- event planner Shankle said it did just that.
“We bought 375 plates and we’re already out of it,” Shankle said. “So now, we’re sending for some more. We’ll probably end up feeding around 500 today, and that was the goal- to feed around about 500 people in the community.”
Beyond just the large turnout, Roberts said that there was intentionality behind holding it on the day of Juneteenth, the day that enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed of their freedom in 1865.
“The actual Juneteenth, thats the day we got our freedom,” Roberts said. “We just wanted to have it today, an event where we could come together and enjoy each other.”
From water slides, to live music to grilled food, the event was funded and run mostly by volunteers, keeping the event running all day long.
“We have corporate sponsors, we have churches, we have individuals, we have businesses,” Shankle said. “You have a collective of everybody who came together to make this happen. That’s whats so good about this event. It wasn’t hard at all because a lot of people helped with it.”
Shankle said that they have already rented the entire park for next year’s celebration, and are excited for the community to have something to look forward to for years to come.
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Check out was real simple, can't wait for the tote bag