Mainers throughout the state are gearing up for celebrations coinciding with the Juneteenth holiday, which falls on Wednesday, June 19.
The holiday marks the date in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas were informed that they had been freed with the end of the Civil War. The holiday celebrates the ending of slavery in the U.S.
Communities throughout Maine are holding festivals, concerts and other presentations on the holiday and through the weekend. Here are some of the events scheduled:
- In Portland, Victoria Mansion at 109 Danforth St., is offering free admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. The mansion will hold an event on its lawn at noontime when a group of actors will recite the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Also in Portland, the Tate House Museum & SPACE, at 1267 Westbrook St., are hosting a Juneteenth Community Day Wednesday, June 19, from noon to 3 p.m. Participants are encouraged to bring personal objects to be photographed using cyanotype, a special form of cameraless photography.
- The Portland Museum of Art, at 7 Congress Square, will host “Juneteenth: Poems of Reckoning and Resilience,” from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. The event will include discussions and readings.
- The Maine Irish Heritage Center, at 34 Gray St., Portland, is presenting a Juneteenth poetry slam for all poets age 18 or younger on Wednesday, June 19 from 6 to 8 p.m.
- In Lewiston, theater group Maine Inside Out is presenting a festival, starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at the Public Theatre, 31 Maple St. The festival includes a parade, starting at the theater at 2:30 p.m. and ending in Kennedy Park at 3:15. There will also be a block party at Kennedy Park from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
- Also in Lewiston, the Community Organizing Alliance will be holding a Juneteenth celebration on Thursday, June 20, including guest speakers at the atrium at Bates Mill, 36 Chestnut St., from 5 to 7 p.m.
- The city of Westbrook is holding a freedom celebration on Sunday, June 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Riverbank Park.
- In Kittery, the Seacoast African-American Cultural Center is hosting a “Freedom Walk” on Wednesday, June 19. The event starts with walkers gathering at 9 a.m. at the John Paul Jones Memorial Park on the Kittery side of the Memorial Bridge. From there, they will proceed across the bridge to the African Burial Ground at 386 State St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
- The Cumberland Community Band is holding a Juneteenth concert at Greeley High School Wednesday, June 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- The NAACP is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration Table at Bangor’s Pride Festival in downtown Bangor on Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- In Damariscotta, the Coastal Rivers Nature Center, at 110 Belvedere Road, is holding the center’s third annual Juneteenth celebration from noon to 3 p.m., presented by Bee AWARE.
- In Ellsworth, Juneteenth Downeast is holding its commemoration on Wednesday, June 18, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Knowlton Park, 160 State St. The festival will include food, music, poetry, speakers and artisans.
