Juneteenth festival comes to Creston

Sunday will mark the first Juneteenth festival in Creston.

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is a federal holiday commemorating the freedom of enslaved African Americans, specifically held on the anniversary of General Order No. 3 in Texas, the last state to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. This order was brought to Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.

The celebration kicks with a 10 a.m. service at Salem Lutheran Church, the sermon provided by Amanda McVann. This is not McVann’s only involvement with the event.

McVann and Ashley Downing are co-founders of the event, hoping to bring more awareness to the holiday.

“I think it’s important for us to show up for the cultural traditions and heritages of those within our community and center and value them in a way that affirms their experiences,” McVann said.

In addition to spreading awareness about the holiday, the event will host multiple activities for all ages.

“We’ve got four bounce houses lined up, and then some face-painting and a corn hole tournament,” Downing said. “We’ll have live music from three to five. Hy-Vee has donated 75 hot dogs and popsicles, so we’re going to be handing those out to the kids in attendance. The Little Green Trailer will be there to serve food and snow cones.”

The musicians performing will be Skip Rushing and John Franklin. Activities will be situated at the loop at McKinley Park, open from noon to 5 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring their own drinks.

Both McVann and Downing affirm the importance of this holiday.

Downing originally hails from Texas, close to where Juneteenth celebrations first started.

“I grew up 20 minutes from Galveston, so we always learned about it in Texas history,” Downing said. “We just knew that it was a huge event and knew about it, but I don’t know that everybody knows what it’s about and know what it means, so I think it’s important to know why it’s celebrated.”

McVann said that this could help bring healing to the community.

“Sadly, being a person of color in Creston has been difficult generationally for a lot of families,” McVann said. “I think being able to show up and show out for an event that celebrates liberation and freedom and the affirmation of life and the value of that life will be a great opportunity for people to celebrate that in Creston, especially during a time of continued great racial tension and division.”

McVann and Downing hope this will be the first of many Juneteenth events in Creston.