THE FOLLOWING IS A DANVILLE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION COMMITTEE RELEASE
A full weekend of events planned for Danville’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration
The Danville Juneteenth Celebration Committee will be hosting its 7th Annual Danville Juneteenth Celebration on the weekend of June 19-21. This year, the normal one-day celebration commemorating the emancipation of the last slave plantation in the United States, will be expanding to a full weekend of family friendly events.
“With Juneteenth on a Friday this year it only made sense to expand the celebration and make it bigger and better this year,” said DJCC President Chris Hightower.
The weekend will kick off on Friday June 19th with the Inaugural Danville Miss Juneteenth Pageant hosted at the Laura Lee Fellowship House at 212 E. Williams. Contestants, Mya Cross, Dashaya Polk, Serenity Reed, and Terriana Wooten will all be vying for the crown of Danville’s first ever Miss Juneteenth and a minimum $1,000 Scholarship!
“It’s an honor to be able to start a new tradition and to help young women from our community continue their education and build toward their future,” said pageant cocoordinator Sharda Pascal.
Advance tickets to the pageant go on sale April 20th for $15. All ticket proceeds will be put toward the DJCC Scholarship Fund.
The DJCC will host the final community Block Party in a series of block parties sponsored by Project Success of Vermilion County the following day, Saturday June 20th at Lincoln Park from 11 am – 8 pm. The block party will feature live entertainment, bounce houses, free food for children, as well as vendors from throughout the community.
“This summer we will be hosting three block parties throughout Danville. At all three we will be doing community outreach and doing neighborhood clean ups to help beautify the city through Keep Vermilion County Beautiful and the Healing Illinois Initiative,” said Project Success Violence Prevention/Outreach Coordinator Jamie Nightlinger. She went on to say, “Our Youth Council Peace Ambassadors have some awesome ideas about how to honorthe history of Juneteenth and the legacies of local history makers.”
Members of her Youth Council Peace Ambassadors will be present to help run the event as well as speak to the community. Several other non-profit organizations including Survivor Resource Center, Vermilion County COC, & Crosspoint will also be present with resources available.
The weekend will conclude on Sunday June 21st at Lincoln Park with the Steppin’ in the Park: BBQ Cookoff & Father’s Day Cookout from 11 am – 6 pm. Grill masters from throughout the community are invited to come out and compete for awards named after Danville BBQ legends Chuckie Robinson, Bud Gouard, & Jesse Cleveland. All while listening to the smooth sounds of stepper music.
“I’ve been hosting Steppin in the Park events and BBQ cookoffs for over ten years here in Danville, so when I was asked to partner with the DJCC I was excited to help celebrate the holiday as well as the fathers in our town,” said DJCC board member Darnell Smith.
Grill master entry fee is $35 with all proceeds going toward cookoff awards and the DJCC Scholarship Fund.
For vendor information or if you are interested in sponsoring or donating toward this year’s scheduled events contact DJCC president Chris Hightower at (217) 549-3172 or by email at TheHightowerFoundation@gmail.com.
About the Danville Juneteenth Celebration Committee
The Danville Juneteenth Celebration Committee was funded in 2020 by Breon Boyd, Mary Catherine Roberson, and Chris Hightower. Throughout the course of its existence, it has strived to promote education about Juneteenth and facilitate community celebrations to commemorate the holiday.
