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Heart and Sol will be bringing back its annual Juneteenth event for a fourth year this weekend, offering performances, education and celebration.

“We always want to make sure everything’s educational and celebratory in honoring the (Juneteenth) celebration,” said Caitlin Wyrick, executive director of the non-profit organization made up of BIPOC — Black, Indigenous and people of color — and allies who “look to promote ethnic and cultural diversity in the Loveland community,” according to the Heart and Sol website.

Juneteenth, which became recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, is meant as a day to celebrate June 19, 1865, when the Union Army reached Galveston Bay, Texas to announce that all enslaved African Americans were free, according to an informational page from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

For a fourth year, Heart and Sol will be bringing the community together to celebrate the holiday. Wyrick said the event, like in years past, will serve as a way to not only gather with the community members who are aware of what Juneteenth is, but allies and other residents who may want to learn more.

She said it will feature a number of performances — from live music to poetry to dancing — alongside several resources, including the League of Women Voters which will have a booth to register voters and provide information on various voting topics.

Wyrick said the celebration is important to bring people together and celebrate Juneteenth and the Black community as a whole. For children in particular, exposing them to history they may not learn otherwise is meaningful, she added.

“If one child sees themselves at one of our events where they wouldn’t have seen themselves represented before it makes a huge difference,” she said. “If they have a stronger sense of self and identity because of (this), its worth it.”

The free event will be held at Backyard Tap, 323 N. Railroad Ave., from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. More information and a list of some of the included speakers and performers can be found on the Heart and Sol Facebook page.