Juneteenth Observances: What's Open, Closed Around Kingstowne

KINGSTOWNE, VA — Juneteenth observances in Fairfax County kick off with various events, from the Sully Historic Site’s Forgotten Road Tours to the Bull Run Church and Harris Cemetery Juneteenth Celebration.

Fairfax County residents also can check out this year’s winners of the 2023 Juneteenth Resiliency Award.

Juneteenth, on Monday, June 19, is a national holiday that 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.

Juneteenth events in Fairfax County include:

• The Burke Historical Society will be holding an event on Sunday, June 25 at the Pohick Regional Library in observance of Juneteenth. The event, "Educating Freedman: Reconstruction-Era Challenge and Successes in Fairfax County," will provide details about the schools that served African American children in Fairfax County after the Civil War. The program, led by Debbie Robison, will take place from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 25.
• 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 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

Here’s a roundup of what’s open and what’s closed on Juneteenth in Fairfax County:

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.

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

Post offices: 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.

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.