Booker T. Washington National Monument to hold Juneteenth celebration

HARDY, Va. (WDBJ) - Park officials from the Booker T. Washington National Monument stopped by WDBJ7 Sunday Mornin’ to talk about their upcoming Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom.

Dr. Booker T. Washington took his first breath of freedom in the spring of 1865 on a farm in Hardy, Virginia. Today the land is known as the Booker T. Washington National Monument and since then, it has been park officials’ mission to share his story.

The Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom event is one of the many events the national monument hosts to remind the community of its history, but also what freedom truly means.

The headliner group during the celebration will be Darrell McFadden and The Disciples, a group that has shared the stage with the best of the best in Quartet Gospel Music.

Other performances will include EnVue, The Joy Bells, Larnell Starkey & The Spiritual Seven, and The Lovely Valley Male Chorus.

The Booker’s Book Trail will be up for children to walk through with parents and friends. Food vendors will be serving chicken wings, hot dogs, pork rinds, ice cream, Kenny Burgers, strawberry cheesecake eggrolls, funnel cake fries, and more.

A walking tour titled ‘Juneteenth: Emancipation, Booker T. Washington, and the Fragility of Freedom’ will take place in the afternoon. The ‘Friends of Booker T. Washington National Monument’ group will also have a presentation.

Organizers encourage attendees to bring their own portable chairs, blankets and pop-up tents for friends and family to enjoy.

New park Superintendent Jim Bailey will also be attending this year’s Juneteenth event for the first time.

The celebration will be held Saturday, June 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is a free event that began in 2002 at the National Monument.

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