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Juneteenth Celebration 2017 this weekend at Memorial Park in Dunkirk

The Juneteenth 2017 Celebration Committee will be sponsoring the 22nd annual Juneteenth Celebration to be held in the city of Dunkirk. Celebration days for this year will be Saturday through Sunday at Memorial Park, Lake Shore Drive West, Dunkirk. The theme for Juneteenth 2017 is “Rise Up…Restore the Dream.”

Juneteenth will kick off with Opening Ceremonies at noon at the park. During opening ceremonies there will be a special Remembrance Celebration honoring all community members who have passed away.

This year, the committee will once again dedicate the two days to family with a reminder of how important it is to spend time with family members doing fun activities.

In keeping with this theme, there will be many games for adults and children to enjoy including an Ice Cream Eating contest, Hula Hoop contest; face painting, balloons, and sand art.

Other activities will include party bouncers, video arcade, and a Crafts Corner with activities for children including a Father’s Day craft.

Everyone is invited to spend time at the family tent where families can enjoy board games such as Sorry, Trouble, Battleship, UNO, Trouble, Checkers, Connect 4 and many more.

There will also be a Juneteenth Basket Raffle with many exciting items on display including a Buffalo Bills No. 85 Charles Clay and No. 99 Marcell Dareus laser signed photograph.

An added event this year will be the Corn Hole tournament that will begin at 1 p.m. The entry fee is $10 per team, with monetary prizes for the winners. Interested participants can register by calling Frank at 467-0824 or Edwin at 410-4415.

The Education Fair and Health Fair will begin at 2 p.m.

Organizations in attendance include, among others, Chautauqua County Office for the Aging, Jamestown Community College, Cassadaga Job Corps, Edinboro University, Upward Bound Program, Literacy Volunteers, Chautauqua County Health Department, New York State Troopers, Chautauqua County Hospice, Chautauqua County Red Cross, Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc., Dunkirk School District Pre-K Program, and United States Army.

A Juneteenth Scavenger Hunt is planned.

Music will be rendered by Dunkirk High School Jazz Band and Familiar Spirit, an R and B band from Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Gospel Service will be held on Sunday, June 18, at noon. Congregations from the local African-American churches will come together to worship the Lord in a gospel service at 1 p.m.

All denominations, pastors, congregations, and members of the community are invited to attend this service.

Guest speaker is Rev. Earlie Waller, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Dunkirk.

A Fathers Day tribute is planned.

The Gospel Fest will begin at 2 p.m. with performances by Friendship Baptist Church Choir; P. P. Mann Memorial Choir from the Open Door No. 3 Church of God in Christ, Dunkirk; and Ladies Elite, Dunkirk.

Noxid Dance Alliance from Erie will perform praise dances. The day will end with the Gospel Sounds reuniting group members from as far as Arizona to perform.

Food vendors, crafts, and informational booths will be present both days. There will be something for the entire family to enjoy and participate in.

The public is invited to attend. For more information, call 363-1102.

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