Community braves heat, celebrates Juneteenth

Sweltering temperatures didn’t put a damper on Saturday's local Juneteenth festivities, with crowds gathering for this year's parade and the ensuing celebration.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston with the news that the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were now free. 

This announcement came two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862. The celebration of June 19 became “Juneteenth,” and the observance has grown beyond the borders of Texas and traveled to other countries. It became an official state holiday in Texas after having been signed into law June 13, 1979.

Last year's local Juneteenth celebration commemorated the 150th anniversary of Granger's arrival in Galveston.

Events kicked of this year shortly after 11 a.m., with a parade making its way down from the intersection of O’Neal and S. 4^th St. towards South Park.

Shortly after the conclusion of the parade, organizers held a party in the park with free food, games and fellowship for the community. 

Following the event, WP Juneteenth Celebration President James Thompson thanked the community and area businesses for helping to make the 2016 event such a success. “Thanks for all you support in making this Juneteenth parade and festival a great success and thanks to the following companies and people for their donations and help: Addison Property, Wills Point Hardware, Sonic Drive-In, Wills Point Automotive, The Print Shop, Brookshire’s, Graylon Dabney State Farm – Terrell, Mobil Gas State, Exxon Tiger Stop, Winslow’s Metal Buldings, Rick Johns State Farm, Hill Insurance Agency, Pops Chicken, Brandi Weaver and Stepz, Chip Miller Plumbing, Hallman Memorial, State Representative Dan Flynn, Citizens Bank, Fairway Shoes and Wills Point Outreach Church.”