SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Juneteenth is this coming Sunday (officially observed on Monday, June 20, 2022) and several organizations in Springfield have planned events to commemorate the holiday:

11:00 AM— Ceremony Begins

11:30 AM— History Reflections

11:45 AM— Key Note Speaker

12:00 PM— Performance

12:15 PM— A Moment For Voter Registration Sign Ups

12:30 PM— Announcements

12:45 PM— Key Note Speaker

01:00 PM— Freedom Celebration March to Downtown square

01:30 PM— Dance Breaks

02:00 PM— Key Note Speaker

02:15 PM— Special Performance

02:30 PM— Closing remarks and Participants Back to Jordan Valley Park

Park Events Job Fair & Water Fight Schedule – Jordan Valley Park

11:00 AM—Water Fight Packet Pickup and Walk-Up Registration opens

11:00 AM—Bounce Houses, Cotton Candy, Snow Cones Open To Guests with Registration Bracelet

12:00 PM—Music for park guests

3:00 PM—Freedom March Arrives back to the park for more fun

03:30 PM—BIGGEST WATER FIGHT EVER BEGINS

04:00 PM—Water fight awards

4:30 PM— Begin Clean Up

05:00 PM— End of Event prepare for Downtown Music Festival

6 pm – Downtown Music Festival begins

8:30 pm Clean up

This event is free to the public. Food and t-shirts can be purchased at the event at an additional cost.

Live music and food vendors presented by United Community Change

Food vendors, musicians, and other vendors will be at Silver Springs to celebrate Juneteenth.

“Juneteenth is a time to celebrate, gather as a family, and reflect on the past while looking to the future.  It is a celebration of African American Independence Day,” said Kia Sutton, NAACP Springfield Branch President.

The NAACP will be honoring black excellence in the community with an awards ceremony during the event.

“We must affirm the endurance, resilience, ingenuity, and strength of people.  We must honor the 4 million enslaved immigrants and their decedents that died, built, stretched, and bent themselves working towards the promise of America’s democracy for the next generations to come. Please join us for this powerful holiday,” said Timmons Hall Education Coordinator Christine Peoples.

Black Excellence Award recipients who will be honored include:  

1. Dr. Angela Holloway-Payne 

2. Dr. Yvania Garcia-Pusateri 

3. Cecily Woodard

4. Marlon Re’Sean Graves 

5. Tony Gunn Jr. 

6. KeKe Rover

7. Jonathan Bell

8. Natasha Lancaster

 9. Darline Mabins 

10. Dr. Ashley Payne

11.  All Things Black SGF, Duan and Michelle Gavel, owners

The event is hosted by NAACP Springfield and co-sponsored by the NAACP, The Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Timmons Hall, Commerce Bank, Burrell Behavioral Health, Springfield Police Department, Kwanzaa Alliance of Southwest Missouri, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Peoples Meet and Greet Marketing, Springfield-Greene County Library District, Brentwood Christian Church, Turning Point Church, and National Avenue Christian Church. 

“For many across this nation, Juneteenth signifies a momentous occasion that brings to light the sobering past of America,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO.

The NAACP will be collecting donations of feminine hygiene products and new bookbags for SPS students.