Glenwood Set To Commemorate Juneteenth

GLENWOOD, IL — From a ceremony at a former Underground Railroad site to a festival featuring the Jesse White Tumblers, the Village of Glenwood is set to recognize and celebrate Juneteenth.

The free, family-friendly celebrations begin with a 3 p.m. ceremony at the Underground Railroad Memorial Park at the corner of Main and Young streets.

A festival will then take place from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the neighboring John H. Blakey Center, 1 N. Rebecca St. It will include performances by the Jesse White Tumblers, as well as the Studio 907 Supriem Dance Team from Homewood.

More than 20 vendors will be selling goods ranging from jewelry to candles to clothing, while food trucks will offer egg rolls, ice cream, chicken, shrimp and more. The first 100 visitors will get a $10 voucher to use at those food trucks. A D.J. will provide music, with room for stepping and line dancing, and a Black Art Expo includes work by local artists.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery, as the announced enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Texas on June 19, 1865. Celebrations have continued across the country since then and it was named a federal holiday in 2021.

Glenwood’s celebration is significant, as historians note the village was once a stop on the Underground Railroad, with freedom seekers finding refuge at an inn that was once located next to the site of the memorial.