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Bailey Buzz – Weekend Juneteenth Celebration Activities Moved from Lincoln Park to Ellsworth Park

By Steve Brandy Jun 18, 2026 | 10:36 AM

 THE FOLLOWING IS FROM JENNIFER BAILEY’S BAILEY BUZZ COLUMN IN THE NEWS-GAZETTE

 

Has storm damage affected Danville’s Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Park?

Because of extensive damage to trees Lincoln Park has been closed, and therefore the event has been moved to Ellsworth Park, according to the Danville Juneteenth Celebration Committee.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The celebration, in its seventh year, has been expanded from one day to a full weekend. The holiday commemorates the date in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the last enslaved people in the state that they were free, two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

“With Juneteenth on a Friday this year, it only made sense to expand the celebration and make it bigger and better,” said committee President Chris Hightower.

On the schedule:

  • Friday will see the Inaugural Danville Miss Juneteenth Pageant at the Laura Lee Fellowship House, 212 E. Williams St. Contestants Mya Cross, Dashaya Polk, Serenity Reed and Terriana Wooten will be vying for the crown 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 co-coordinator Sharda Pascal.
    • Pageant tickets are $15. Proceeds go to the committee’s scholarship fund.
      • On Saturday, the committee will host the final in a series of community block parties sponsored by Project Success of Vermilion County.

      The party will feature live entertainment, bounce houses, free food for children, vendors and addresses by members of the Project Success Youth Council Peace Ambassadors. Several nonprofit organizations, including the Survivor Resource Center, Vermilion County Continuum of Care and Crosspoint Human Services, will also have resources available.

      • Set for Sunday is the Steppin’ in the Park Barbecue Cookoff and Father’s Day Cookout. Grill masters are invited to compete for awards named after Danville barbecue legends Chuckie Robinson, Bud Gouard and Jesse Cleveland.“I’ve been hosting Steppin’ in the Park events and barbecue cookoffs for over 10 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 committee board member Darnell Smith.The grill-master entry fee is $35, with all proceeds going toward cookoff awards and the committee scholarship fund.

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