St. Paul United Methodist Church and the Juneteenth Celebration Committee are making final plans to host the 22nd-annual Juneteenth celebration. This year’s celebration will extend to four days – Thursday through Sunday, June 16-19. The theme is “A Celebration of Community.” 

“We have a lot for which to be thankful, past and present,” said Rev. Susan McCollegan, pastor at St. Paul UMC and one of the event’s coordinators. “Juneteenth is not only for the African American community, but rather our goal is to take the celebration to the next level and recognize diversity among all of God’s people.”

The Juneteenth event will celebrate 157 years since the end of slavery, and the number of organizations helping to sponsor the event has expanded. Besides St. Paul and the Juneteenth Celebration Committee, others taking part include Central MO Clergy Coalition, Endless Options, Fayette Public Library, Fayette Rotary Club, Fayette Together, Gaines Car Detailing, Gaines Moving and Delivery, Howard County Health and Wellness Council, KPIP Radio, and the Second Baptist Church.

The opening day will include activities at Robert E. Paige-Liberty Park and celebrate many of the projects that have been supported by the city and community. Events will include a hot dog roast, a ballgame, and Juneteenth Jeopardy, a fun, educational game to better understand the history of Juneteenth. The host will be Bill Clark, a former columnist with the Columbia Daily Tribune and local historian.

Friday evening, a gospel fest will take place on the Courthouse lawn and will include local music talent. Special music will be provided by guest musician, Eugene “The Talking Sax” Peebles, one of the most accomplished musical talents from the St. Louis area. Eugene has performed nationally with well-known music recording artists.  

The Juneteenth parade will kick things off on Saturday morning at 9 a.m., along with the opening ceremony and several activities throughout the day. Some of the events to highlight are the annual “Race Around the Square,” sponsored by the Howard County Health and Wellness Council for kids aged Pre-K to 5th grade. The race kicks off at 8 a.m. 

Fayette Together will sponsor two activities, a community-wide book read called “Fayette Reads Together,” and the 2nd annual poster contest. The poster contest was a big hit last year and received special attention from Sen. Roy Blunt. Students in public, private, parochial, or home school, and young adults through the age of 25 in Howard County are all eligible to participate. Cash prizes will be awarded for 1st and 2nd places and the People’s Choice by age category. The theme, “A Celebration of Community,” must be on the poster. The Fayette Public Library is the pickup site for poster contest forms, and all forms must be returned there beginning on Tuesday, June 7 through Friday, June 10. 

A new event this year is a fashion show sponsored by Endless Options. All ages are welcome to participate. Fayette Rotary Club will also take part and offer a cornhole tournament. Proceeds from that will go to support the group’s mission. 

The Gaines food tent is back this year, which is always a popular attraction. The final activity on the square will be a motorcade beginning at 3:15 p.m. that will parade throughout the city and end up at Paige-Liberty Park. That evening a fireworks display will take place at dusk at Paige-Liberty Park. 

On Sunday, June 19 at 10 a.m., the community is invited to a morning worship service which will take place on the courthouse lawn. The Rev. Dr. CW Dawson, Jr. will deliver the message. Rev. Dawson is the Pastor, President, and CEO of Dawson Journeys Ministry, a Christian, multicultural, multigenerational ministry of hope. Dr. Dawson is an author, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Moberly Area Community College, Columbia Campus, and Columbia College, and the first African American to graduate with a Ph.D. in Philosophy in the history of the University of MO-Columbia.

All activities are open to the public and free of charge. This is a family-friendly event. A complete schedule of the four-day event will be printed in an upcoming edition of this newspaper.

The committee asks that everyone come together for this time of celebration. Coretta Scott King, the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,stated, “the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” 

Anyone who wishes to be a part of the celebration should contact Rev. Susan McCollegan at (417) 830-8696, or Tim Jackman at (573) 289-3714. Up to date information may be found on the event’s Facebook page. Some of the proceeds from the Juneteenth celebration will go to benefit the Fayette Ministerial Alliance Benevolence Fund.