Mount Vernon Has A Packed Weekend Of Juneteenth Events Planned

MOUNT VERNON, NY — If you are looking to make plans for the Juneteenth holiday weekend, there's not a better place to be than right here in Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon will be celebrating Juneteenth on Saturday and "Rolling Into Peace" on Sunday.

On Saturday, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Juneteenth celebrating will take place in Brush Park, located at S. 3rd Ave. There will be baseball, double dutch, spoken word, live music, fun, libations, food and more.

On Sunday, from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., "Rolling Into Peace" will take place in Hartley Park, located at 255 Gramatan Ave. Events planned include roller skating, face painting, bouncy houses and arts & crafts. Community-based organizations, including S.N.U.G. and the Mount Vernon Youth Shelter will also be present.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Liberation Day, is a celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. It is officially celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the day in 1865 when Union Major General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, TX and announced that the Civil War was over. Galveston was the last city in the nation that still had slaves, and they were freed after Granger arrived.

After being celebrated by the African American community for more than a century, Juneteenth was made an official federal holiday in 2021.