The Tri-Cities Juneteenth Committee is hosting a week of fun kicking off Friday, June 13th through June 22.
Friday, June 13: Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant
Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Program offers scholarships for African American girls around Tri-Cities. Director of the Miss Juneteenth Pageant, Elouise Sparks said the program has been around for 23 years and is important to help young ladies go to college.
“This is not a beauty pageant,” said Sparks. “We are all about education, so we train them in various classes so they’re ready for life.”
Current Miss Juneteenth, Queen Teairra will be passing her crown Friday, June 13 starting at 6:30p.m. at Chiawana High School. Advance ticket sales are $10 and must be purchased by June 10. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Saturday, June 14: Juneteenth Parade and Festival
Saturday you can stop by the parade at 11a.m. starting at Kurtzman Park in Pasco. Irving Brown, Director of Tri-Cities Juneteenth Committee said it is the ultimate Juneteenth celebration.
After the parade people can stick around for the festival with, “food vendors, music, line dancing,” said Brown. “We will be giving 250 free food tickets to the first 250 people that show up so show up early.”
Thursday, June 19: Day of Service and Skate Night
Thursday the Tri-Cities Juneteenth Committee hosts a Day of Service, a day to give back to the community. Brown said there will be a clothing drive, food and informational booths all at Kurtzman’s Park. Then that night, 3p.m.-5p.m. kids 12 and under can skate for free at Rollerarena. 5p.m.-8p.m. anyone 13 and up gets the chance to take the rink for free.
Sunday, June 22: Gospel Fest
To round out the celebrations, Gospel Fest starts at 5p.m. with recording artist Crystal Atkins performing with concessions available. A chance to close out the week listening to gospel music.
