Juneteenth Kicks Off With Gum Springs, Mount Vernon Events

HYBLA VALLEY, VA — Juneteenth observances in greater Alexandria kick off with Gum Springs Community Day and Mount Vernon's Freedom Before Emancipation Family Day.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Gum Springs Community Day is an annual celebration of Fairfax County's oldest African American community, and it often happens around Juneteenth weekend. This year, Gum Springs is celebrating its 190th anniversary and will have an unveiling of a historical marker to honor founder West Ford on June 17 at 10:30 a.m. at Richmond Highway and Fordson Road. Gum Springs Community Day will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a parade at 11 a.m.

Another Juneteenth weekend event will be the Freedom Before Emancipation Family Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon on June 17 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Visitors will learn about Mount Vernon's enslaved men and women's legacies, watch performances on freedom and resistance through the eyes of Ona Judge and Christopher Sheels, and honor the lives of the enslaved at the Slave Burial Ground Commemoration Ceremony.

Nearby Washington, DC is one of the top destinations to celebrate Juneteenth, U.S. News & World Report said in a story earlier this month. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will hold various events, including a Juneteenth Community Day on June 17 from 11 a.m. to. 3 p.m. Another observance will be the National Archives displaying the original Emancipation Proclamation from June 17 to 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The City of Alexandria will have more Juneteenth observances. A few notable events include Juneteenth at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum on June 16 from 11 am. to 4 p.m., Douglass Cemetery Remembrance on June 17 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Athenaeum and Carlyle House Historic Park Annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 17 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Washington Revels Jubilee Voices Concert Singing the Journey: Juneteenth Joy at Market Square on June 19 at 2 p.m.

• Related: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in greater Alexandria will be closed Monday. Many state, county and local government offices will be closed as well, including:

• Fairfax County government offices
• Fairfax County Public Schools
• Fairfax County courts
• Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles locations
• Fairfax County Public Library locations

Adjusted Openings

• Metro weekend hours are 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday and Monday. The shutdown of the Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church stations continue. Silver Line trains run between Ashburn and McLean and between Ballston and Downtown Largo, while Orange Line runs from Ballston to New Carrollton.
• Fairfax Connector will have holiday weekday service on June 19. That means all routes operate regular weekday service except: Routes 231, 232, 335, 393, 394, 395, 396, 432, 461, 494, 495, 599, 624, 634, 697, 698, 699, 715, 722, 724, 834 and 835 which will not operate.
• Fairfax County recreation centers are open regular hours.
• Trash and recycling customer service center is closed on June 19. County collection customers will have regular trash and recycling collection. The I-66 Transfer Station and the I-95 Landfill Complex are open.
• Huntley Meadows Visitor Center is open from noon to 5 p.m.