Stuff For Houston Couples - Weekend Event: Juneteenth Festival

Tops on the list of Houston couples, families and other groups looking for fun stuff to do this weekend is the "Number 3 summer festival in the nation" Houston’s Juneteenth.

The weekend event draws people from all over the nation who come to party, participate and partake of the parades, concerts and festivals held all over the area each year.




The city’s Juneteenth celebrations have their roots in antebellum Galveston, Texas, where the "Emancipation Proclamation" was read from the balcony of Ashton Villa, which had been the headquarters for the Confederate Army in Texas.



The following year African Americans in Houston began celebrating the occasion in the newly purchased Emancipation Park and soon other communities around the Gulf Coast began joining in.


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Take a look at some of the parades, festivals and free concerts scheduled for 2011 Juneteenth weekend in the Houston area:

Parades In Houston - Juneteenth

“National Emancipation Association’s 38th Annual Juneteenth Parade"

The longest running parade honoring the African American holiday featuring floats, trail riders and marching bands from local high schools starts in front of minute maid park.

Independence Heights Juneteenth Parade & Festival

This family-oriented event. The Parade's Theme: Someplace In Time will feature more than 100 Parade Entries will will have a duration of 1.5 hrs.


Missouri City, Tx
Annual Juneteenth Celebration 2011
(http://www.mcjcf.com)-website

“One Mile of Smiles” Parade 6:00pm
Texas Parkway Missouri City

Houston Festivals - Juneteenth

Missouri City Juneteenth Festival
7:00pm ~ 11:00pm Hunters Glen Park

Emancipation Park the site of Houston’s oldest Juneteenth festival has several events scheduled during the month of June.
Featuring Miss Juneteenth Pageant..Healthy Living Triathalon... Freedom Golf Tournament


SHAPE Community Center

Reclaiming the Village Juneteenth Celebration and Health Fair (Free)
Health Fair, Fun, Food Co-op, Games & Vendors at Our Park next to Shape Center

Houston Black Dance Festival 2011
This biennial dance festival celebrates the culture and contributions of the African Diaspora to the art to Dance.

Free Concerts

Emancipation Park
Community Center & Park Grounds
Juneteenth Gospel Sunday Jubilee

Miller Outdoor Theater

This year's musical performers will be:
Glen David Andrews Band, from New Orleans, Louisiana. Other artist scheduled are:
Blues legend Texas Johnny Brown and the Quality Blues Band


Couples and families free tickets for the covered seating area (4 per person over age 16 while they last) from the Miller Outdoor Theatre box office the day of the performance between the hours of 10:30am-1pm. The box office will re-open one hour before show time to distribute any remaining tickets for the nights event.

Other celebrations marking this weekends events:

“FREEDMEN’S TOWN” by playwright Dwight Baxter, about Houston’s Freedmen’s Town and the men an women who organized the first Juneteenth celebrations will be presented at Mt. Horeb Missionary Baptist Church Friday night.

Free Film Screening

"Filling the Gap" NAACP 2011 Image Award (Nominee Docudrama)
Tyrone Young's eye-opening chronicles of African American participation in America's Civil War.


Houston couples, families and members of the community at-large are being encouraged to participate with Houston’s African American community to strengthen the tradition of Juneteenth by celebrating this historical event.

It creates an excellent opportunity to educate children on cultural diversity, government and Black history. Houston is fortunate to have several statues, parks and museums that you can visit that will shed light on the numerous African American contributions and experiences in America.

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Events in Houston This Weekend - Juneteenth

A backstory to one of the events in Houston this weekend, an independent film group in Little Rock, did a survey about why people celebrate Juneteenth, They discovered that a lot of people didn't know what it was and why it was celebrate it. They were just going for the entertainment aspect.

To set the record straight, it is a celebration of the freeing of slaves in the South. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in the Union in September 1862, but it took Major General Gordon Granger over two and a half years to finally reached the area and read General Order No. 3, officially declaring the end of slavery in the United States.

The first festivities began that very day and each year since that time, descendants of the former slaves have celebrated the momentous occasion.

Other celebrations include:

Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration 2011
(http://www.mcjcf.com)-website
*Annual “One Mile of Smiles” Parade on June 18 along Texas Parkway starts at 6 p.m. To accommodate the parade, a portion of the roadway from Buffalo Run to Court Road will close at 5 p.m.
*Willowridge High School Alumni Flag Football and Basketball Tournaments on June 18 in Hunters Glen Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
*Festival Under the Stars concludes the week on June 18 in Hunters Glen Park from dusk to midnight.
“MCJCF is so proud and thankful for support from the City of Missouri City, the citizens and area companies, who have contributed to our accomplishments over the past nine years,” Councilman Smith said. “I encourage everyone to come and enjoy one of the largest celebrations of its kind in the United States.”


Independence Heights Juneteenth Parade & Festival

This family-oriented event. The Parade's Theme: Someplace In Time will feature more than 100 Parade Entries will will have a duration of 1.5 hrs.


There are plenty more activities planned in Houston and the surrounding communities to keep the memory of the event alive. To find details about them visit these links.

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Juneteeth Celebrations In Houston

Juneteenth celebrations are all about reminding people that on June 19, 1865 slaves in Texas were finally released. On Jan. 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, abolishing slavery for approximately 4 million African Americans. It wasn't until 1865 that Gen. Grainger and his troops arrived in Texas and read the announcement in Galveston that Texas planters released their slaves.

It's more than just an African American holiday. It's part of the fabric of Americana and everyone can join in celebrating this truly liberating moment in history. It's traditional to hold big Texas bar-b-cues, concerts and festivals.

Here's more information about this historic day.

Listen to former slaves talk about emancipation.

History of Juneteeth in Texas

Houston Events

Here's some of the things that are taking place in Houston, where several organizations have continued to champion this moment in history and sponsor activities that celebrate this Texas Holiday.


Emancipation Park



A Gulf Coast Juneteenth

Each year the Gulf Coast Juneteenth celebrates the music that is part of this region, and born of the ?incredible rich legacy of African-American culture. It showcases Blues, Gospel and Jazz.

Juneteenth at Miller Outdoor Theatre is one of the best free blues festivals in the world and one of the Houston's marquee events.

Juneteenth Gospel Celebration

The Juneteenth Gospel showcase features the African American gospel music heard in churches in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi and the rest of the Gulf Coast region, with performances by artist from all around the region.

These festivals are some the hottest events in the Bayou City that firmly stake Houston's claim as a top notch Gulf Coast city.

Here's a look at the the current artist and show times for this year's event celebrating Juneteenth at Miller's Outdoor Theater.

Texas Holiday

Juneteenth celebration was declared an official State holiday in Texas after former Texas Representative Al Edwards fought a hard won political battle and on June 1, 1980, 115 years after Texas slaves were freed, Juneteenth was officially recognized.

Here some of the places on the web where you can get more information about Juneteenth and the Emancipation Proclamation, two remarkable historic events.

		Houston Networking To energize your career and attract more business view the top business and professional networking events in Houston.			Houston Attractions Get discounts tickets for your family or group on the exhibits and events at many of the fun places to visit in Houston.
		Midtown Houston Apts Find deals on move in specials, rebates and pricing on renting apts and lofts in Midtown and other great places in Houston.			Festivals In Houston Here is a list of the many family friendly, exciting nieghborhood and city-wide festivals that you should know about.
		Museums in Houston Located near Midtown Houston in the Museum District, there is plenty of things to see and do at any of the great museums in town.			Houston African American There are lots of events in Houston where you can experience its rich African American cultural heritage here's a look at a few of them.

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