What's Happening In Bel Air For Juneteenth 2023, Plus What's Open And Closed

BEL AIR, MD — Juneteenth observances in Harford County kick off with the Upper Bay Juneteenth Festival June 17 at Hosanna School Museum that includes horse rides, a genealogy workshop, kids crafts, information booths, food trucks, a bike giveaway, voter registration, prayer and stories, live music, African dance and more.

The Hosanna School Museum is located at 2424 Castleton Road, Darlington.

The Harford County NAAACP Chapter will host its inaugural Freedom 5K Run and Walk on Saturday. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the run/walk will start at 9 a.m. Swag and medals will be given to each participant. There will be a DJ, food and vendors. It will start at the Ma & Pa Trail, Williams Street, in Bel Air.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

• Related: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, many banks, federal offices and post offices in Harford County will be closed Monday. State, county and local government offices will be closed as well. The Harford Waste Disposal Center, Tollgate Yard trim drop-off facility and the administrative office will be closed on Monday. Residents should check with their private garbage collectors to check on their hours and schedule.