More than 100 attend Juneteenth Celebration at Sparta Civic Center

On June 22, members of the White County community gathered to celebrate the now federally recognized Juneteenth holiday. The event, which was held at Sparta Civic Center, sought to commemorate the day, June 19, 1865, when the last slaves in America were informed that federal law declared they were free.

Carol Bonner, Ciera Taylor, Joyce Gardenhire, and Ashley Grove were credited with organizing this year’s event, which included a small program to kick off the afternoon. The program included a short history lesson so those in attendance could understand the significance of Juneteenth. There was also singing of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by Hames Weldon Johnson, as well as the reading of some poems and literature and a prayer for the future of the country and gratitude for the White County community.

After the short program, there were numerous activities to enjoy as those present spent the afternoon with each other - from face painting to games to shopping with a few vendors and, of course, a cookout. The event also included a cookoff with categories such as baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw. Live music was provided by TNT and Bluff City Express Band.

The event, which was free to the public, would not have been successful without the help of sponsors. Frank’s, Burger King, P-dilly Cupcakes, and Melissa Espiritu helped provide food, while Erbie Price made a monetary donation. Eric Lewis and Darrick Dibrell provided catfish and spent the day grilling all of the meat for the cookout.

Organizers had hoped for between 30 and 50 attendees, but more than 100 people, including county officials Sasha Wilson, Kathryn Adcock, and Judge John Meadows, as well as city alderman Brent Young chose to celebrate the day.

“Thank you to our community members who came to our Juneteenth Celebration. We are so proud and grateful to everyone who showed up,” Ashley Grove said.

Grove said it was surreal to see so many people, many of whom she didn’t even know, gathered together and just getting to know each other.

Grove concluded, “Everyone could have done anything today or gone anywhere, but you chose to celebrate this day, and for that we are forever grateful!”