The Juneteenth Celebration Committee has finalized plans for the 30th celebration to be held in the city of Dunkirk. Celebration days for this year will be Saturday, June 13, through Monday, June 15.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official Jan. 1, 1863.

Saturday and Sunday Juneteenth activities will be at Memorial Park, Lake Shore Drive West, Dunkirk. Opening Ceremonies on Saturday will begin at noon with “Stones of Remembrance …. Lest We Forget.” This important ceremony will include three remembrance stones. The first remembrance stone will be black in remembrance of those who were part of the Middle Passage; the second remembrance stone will be red in remembrance of those who were enslaved in a strange land, forced to endure hardships and unbearable atrocities; and the third remembrance stone will be green in remembrance of all of our loved ones who have gone before us.

Synergy Entertainment will kick off the celebration with music, a Juneteenth Basket Raffle, games of chance, party bouncers, and a Children’s Tent. The Children’s Tent will be available for children of all ages that will include board games, sand art, crafts, soccer dart game, skee ball, axe throwing game, tattoo station, face painting, and more. A martial arts demonstration will be presented by Family Martial Arts Center.

The Health, Education and Labor Fair will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday that will include, among others, the following organizations: City of Dunkirk Housing Authority, League of Women Voters, Upward Bound Program, Chautauqua County Office for the Aging Services, New York State Troopers, United Way of Chautauqua County, Jamestown Community College, State University of New York at Fredonia, Chautauqua County Democratic Committee, VA WNY Healthcare System, Center for Elder Law & Justice, Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc., Department of Veterans Affairs, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, Boys & Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, and Dunkirk Teachers Association who will be giving away books.

The community is invited to come out and support the numerous vendors that will be present with clothes, jewelry, Black History items, crafts, purses, blankets, Bills items, make up, nail polish, Tupperware, oils, Tastefully Simple, henna tattoos, and much more. The smells of Juneteenth will be in the park with Arly & Izzy’s, Carousel Cookies, Rib Shack, Tony’s Waffles, Maxitaco LLC, Kettle Korn, and Pit Stop Pops.

Making its fourth appearance this year will be a Spades Tourney. Spades is a card game invented in the United States in the 1930s and derived from Bid Whist. The winning team will win bragging rights, $100 and two dinners from the Rib Shack.

Juneteenth Paint and Pop and the Ice Cream eating contest will also be a part of the celebration. Saturday’s entertainment will include a local band “Hoo Man” and end with the band Familiar Spirit from Erie, Pennsylvania, who will be entertaining the crowd again this year with their latest music and some Motown standards.

Sunday will include “Church in the Park” with special guest speaker, Rev. Jannie Thompson-Byrd, Pastor of Good Hope Baptist Church, Dunkirk. The theme for Sunday’s service is “Rooted and Grounded.” All churches, denominations, and members of the community are invited to attend.

Sunday will also include a Juneteenth Re-enactment with the talented SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Fredonia Tom Loughlin followed by a performance by Sadiyyah El-Amin-Turner (Dance in Motion) and Samiyyah El-Amin-Turner (Poetry in Motion). Sun-Dance-Kids Farm Petting Zoo will be there with the Children’s Tent. Sunday will end with a Gospel Fest featuring local gospel groups and The New Gospel Times of Rochester.

On Monday, for the first time Juneteenth Northern Chautauqua County, Inc. will be sponsoring a blood drive with the American Red Cross at the Clarion Hotel, 30 Lake Shore Drive East, Dunkirk, from noon to 6 p.m.

Juneteenth recognizes Dr. Charles Drew, an African American doctor, who was the first Medical Director of American Red Cross Blood Services. Dr. Drew was the recipient of the Springarn Medal in 1944 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Springarn Medal is the NAACP’s highest honor given to an individual of African descent and American citizenship, who has made a significant contribution in any field. Dr. Drew received this Medal in recognition of his work with plasma. All blood types are needed. The community is encouraged to contact Juneteenth Northern Chautauqua County, Inc. at 716-363-1102 or visit RedCrossBlood.org to make an appointment.

In recognition of the 30th anniversary there will be numerous give-a-ways and prizes for those in attendance during the three-day celebration.

The 30th annual Juneteenth celebration in Dunkirk is sponsored by the Juneteenth 2026 Celebration Committee, Collingwood Diversity Fund held at the Fredonia College Foundation, New York State Division of Human Rights, Juneteenth Endowment Fund at the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, and United Way of Chautauqua County.

All are invited and welcomed to attend this fun-family-freedom celebration.