‘Everyone’s invited’: St. Joseph prepares for Juneteenth with big lineup

By Jazmine Knight

Juneteenth will once again see several celebrations in St. Joseph, as the Bartlett Center and St. Joseph Museums work together to put on a week’s worth of festivities.

Sara Wilson, executive director of the St. Joseph Museums, said celebrating Juneteenth is all about bringing the community together.

“It was just really heartwarming,” Wilson said. “To have everybody come out to convene together, to commune together, to have amazing food and amazing experiences.”

She said some fan-favorite from years past events include the fashion show and the different live music. This year’s theme is ‘Mental Health Matters,’ with a goal to raise awareness for mental health and inspire ways to help those who are struggling.

“Krizz Kaliko has a lot of mental health messaging in his and his talking points,” Wilson said. “So that’s one of the things that we’re definitely going to be stressing … is just how we can support and grow our community in a healthy way for the future.”

LaTonya Williams, executive director of the Bartlett Center, said she’s excited to host the array of events. With Juneteenth recently becoming a national holiday, she wants people to know that Juneteenth isn’t just something new and everyone is welcome to celebrate.

“People are always like, ‘It’s a Black holiday.’ No, it’s an American holiday. Everyone’s invited. Everyone’s included,” she said.

Williams said with the awareness of Juneteenth growing every year, St. Joseph’s Juneteenth festivities have a little bit of something for everybody.

Williams is also grateful for the help of the St. Joseph Museums in planning the event every year.

“After it became a national holiday, I was no longer able to contain this and to plan it all on my own,” she said. “They’ve been lots of support for us.”

Festivities start on Friday, June 14, from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Bartlett Center with a vendor fair, bounce houses and entertainment from a live DJ. A live performance from Doc’s 100 Proof will start at 7 p.m.

Saturday kicks off with a parade at Bode Middle School. The parade will continue down Noyes and turn right onto Messanie. From there, they will march down to 18th Street leading to the Bartlett Center.

Upon arrival at the Bartlett Center, there will be vendors, face painting, balloons and a petting zoo set up. At 1 p.m., author Thomas Dear will be hosting a “Teddy Makes Cents” program for children. Following at 2 p.m. the popular fashion show will begin.

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Big Luke and the Soul Disciples will be performing. After that, Krizz Kaliko and more will be performing at Central High School with fireworks to follow.

From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Bartlett Center, residents can enjoy a Juneteenth picnic with performances from a Kansas City gospel choir and Sherri Brown. Food is free of charge.

Also on Sunday is a spades and dominoes tournament from 2 to 4 p.m. and a special performance from Funk Syndicate at Felix Street Square as part of the Imagine Eleven concert series.

On Monday, everyone gets a well-deserved break, but the festivities start back up on Tuesday with the sold-out Juneteenth Gala at the Bartlett Center from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Lastly, on Wednesday and Thursday, June 19 and 20, “Walk on Water” inspired by the book written by Gary Wilkinson, premieres at the Missouri Theater starting at 7 p.m.

The St. Joseph Museums also added a Juneteenth art exhibit as well. Located in the Black Archives Museum, the exhibit features pieces and books from talented artists such as James Davis Soil.

For more event information, visit the St. Joseph Museums’ website at https://www.stjosephmuseum.org/juneteenth.