Juneteenth Kicks Off Saturday At Frying Pan Farm Park, Arts Herndon

HERNDON, VA — Juneteenth observances in Herndon kick off on Saturday, June 17 with a celebrations at Arts Herndon and Frying Pan Farm Park.

The Town of Herndon, in association with Arts Herndon, presenting a free Juneteenth Celebration from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Arts Herndon, which is located a 750 Center St.

The celebration gets underway with the reading of the Town of Herndon Juneteenth Proclamation and a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Herndon's Kesha Menefee Adams. This will be followed by celebration cake and punch.

Children's activities, including story time and hands on crafts celebrating history and freedom, will start at 12:30 p.m. Then, at 2:30 p.m., Barbara Glakas of the Herndon Historical Society will present Emancipated Herndon, sharing what Herndon was like before and after emancipation.

At 6 p.m., D.C.'s "Queen of the Blues" Carley Harvey and her band will take the stage for an evening of music.

Visitors to Frying Pan Park on Saturday can learn about the holiday through African American stories, food traditions, music, and contributions to American spiritual life. Activities include a guest storyteller, live music, crafts and history. Food trucks will be offering African American Cuisine.

The Juneteenth Celebration at Frying Pan Farm Park, located at 2709 West Ox Road in Herndon, takes place from 11 a.m. to 2. p.m., with sessions starting at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Visitors are invited to register online.

Frying Pan Farm Park isn't the only county park to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday. A full list of events and activities offered by the Fairfax County Park Authority over the holiday weekend is available online.

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.

Other Juneteenth events in the Herndon area include:

• Juneteenth Celebration at First Baptist Church of Vienna, Saturday June 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the Liberty Amendments Opening Ceremony at 12 p.m.
• Liberty and Libraries: Author Talk and Unveiling of Patrick Henry Library Redesign Plans: The Role Libraries Play in Enhancing Equality and Individual Rights, Wednesday, June 28, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center.
• African American Historic Sites Tour of Vienna is a self-guided tour of contributions of Vienna’s African Americans from 1867 to 2006 compiled by longtime residents Sylvia Taylor and Gloria Runyon. Plan and take your tour.

Washington, D.C. 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 is hosting several events, including outdoor and indoor activities, on June 17.
• The National Archives will be displaying both the original Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 on Juneteenth weekend.
• The "One Life: Frederick Douglass" exhibit will open on June 16, at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
• Anacostia Community Museum will host its Juneteenth Freedom Celebration on June 19.

Related: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

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

Town of Herndon government offices: Closed on Monday, June 19

Fairfax County government offices: Closed on Monday, June 19

Fairfax County Public Schools: Students are on summer break, but June 19 will be a holiday for all FCPS employees.

Herndon Community Center: Closed on Monday, June 19

Herndon Centennial Golf Course is open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m., weather permitting, on Monday, June 19.

Courts: The Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court will be closed June 19.

Department of Motor Vehicles: All DMV customer service centers in Northern Virginia will be closed June 19.

Fairfax Connector: Fairfax Connector will have holiday weekday service on June 19

Libraries: On June 19, all Fairfax County Public Library locations will be closed.

I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex Disposal Center will be open on June 19.

Recycling collection in the Town of Herndon normally collected on Monday will be collected on Tuesday, June 20.

All regular county trash, recycling, yard waste and special collection services are provided on all holidays except Christmas Day. Customers whose trash and recycling is collected by a private contractor should contact their trash company.