BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley isn't shying away from Juneteenth observances this year.
According to the Juneteenth Lehigh Valley website, a plethora of events are taking place almost daily, leading up to this year's federal holiday on Wednesday, June 19.
Here's a rundown:
Tuesday, June 11
The Bayou in Easton is hosting a dining experience with Juneteenth Lehigh Valley from 5 to 11 p.m.
Wednesday, June 12
The West Ward Association's Juneteenth Celebration will take place at Paxinosa Elementary School in Easton from 3 to 7 p.m.
Thursday, June 13
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sigal's Museum in Easton will host Cops n' Kids as part of the Black Literacy Cops and Kids Reading Room. The event will feature reading activities, storytelling sessions, book giveaways and guest speakers.
Later that day, a black hair/beauty/fashion event will take place at the museum from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets, which cost $10, are required.
Friday, June 14
The City of Allentown will kick off its Juneteenth weekend celebration in partnership with the Allentown Juneteenth Committee.
At 4 p.m. the Juneteenth Basketball Classic will begin and end the following day at 8 p.m. Team registration deadlines already passed.
Later Friday, the city will hold "Movies at the Pool" at Cedar Beach Pool from 8 to 10 p.m., showing "The Little Mermaid."
In Bethlehem, The Taste Smokers will hold a Juneteenth Spoken Word Night. It'll include music, stand-up and poetry. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m. For more information, see the event's AllEvents page.
Nkasso in Downtown Allentown will celebrate Juneteenth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a $33 jollof and grill lunch celebration. An RSVP is required, and tickets can be purchased here. If you can't make it, the African cuisine restaurant will host another Jollof and grill Saturday, June 15.
The Lehigh Conference of Churches will also hold a Juneteenth Celebration from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 457 W. Allen St. in Allentown.
Saturday, June 15
Juneteenth Lehigh Valley organized a music and children's festival set to take place at the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem from noon to 7 p.m. In addition to entertainment, the event will feature food and goods from more than 40 Black-owned businesses. Admission is free.
Allentown's Juneteenth Celebration will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. The weekend-long event will "offer aquatics, basketball, football, and entertainment, and will include Black-owned businesses, food vendors, and fireworks," the city's website states.
A Juneteenth pageant will also be held Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. at Cedar Creek Parkway. The pageant is open to African American students grades 6 through 12 who attend school in Allentown. Grades 6 through 8 are eligible for Junior Juneteenth King and Queen and grades 9 through 12 can compete for Juneteenth King and Queen.
Sunday, June 16
Easton's Juneteenth parade is back. It'll be held at Northampton Street, from 3 to 5 p.m. The Juneteenth Lehigh Valley website says the parade — free and open to the public — will showcase "sounds of drumlines, steppers, fraternities, sororities, children’s groups, and dance troupes."
Tuesday, June 18
JBY Academy & Performing Arts Conservatory, in partnership with Easton Area Public Library, will hold their third annual Juneteenth celebration from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the library at 515 E. Church St. The theme for the free event is “Family, Harmony, Unity and Community.”
Arts and crafts and a poetry read-along are planned. The program will include a community choir and slideshow on the history of Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in America in 1865.
Wednesday, June 19 (Juneteenth)
Cops N' Kids is coming to Northampton Community College's Fowler Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit the Juneteenth Lehigh Valley event webpage.
In Allentown, Coca-Cola Park will pay tribute to the National Negro Baseball League in partnership with the IronPigs from 7:05 to 11 p.m.
"Guests will have the chance to interact with team members, learn about the league’s history, and celebrate the legacy of Black athletes in sports," the event webpage said.
At Cedar Beach Park, the city will also hold its Allentown Juneteenth Block Party from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A Juneteenth LVHN fundraiser will take place at Stone Farm Cellars and Vineyard in Center Valley from 5 to 8 p.m.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you know of a Juneteenth event not mentioned above, contact Makenzie Christman at makenziec@lehighvalleynews.com
