Juneteenth events are planned this week in Springfield.
SGF Juneteenth kicks off Thursday, June 18, with the film, "Black Panther," at the Moxie Cinema at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5. A concert Friday night, June 19, at the Riff, 1900 W. Sunset, will feature Trina. Doors open at 6, and the show will start at 7. Saturday, June 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the Juneteenth Community Celebration at the Springfield Expo Center.
"There will be bounce houses, food trucks and lots of vendors for anybody to come in and support," said SGF Juneteenth coordinator Darline Mabins, "and also a program about Juneteenth education and some door prizes with the NAACP."
She said the celebration will end with the Mosaic Arts Collective presenting Mosaic in the Park Saturday evening at 7 at Silver Springs Park, 1100 N. Hampton.
The theme for this year's SGF Juneteenth is Rising Together, "and just acknowledging the strength and community," said Mabins. "And when we're unified and focusing on the same things together, we can make a better community for everyone to feel welcome and seen. So, it's a big deal for us all to be able to come together and spend time together and enjoy each other and learn from each other and meet new people within our community, so we look forward to it every year just because you see this vast tapestry of culture here in Springfield."
Community Partnership of the Ozarks, in collaboration with the NAACP of Springfield, launched the first city-wide Juneteenth weekend celebration in 2023, and it's grown since.
The City of Springfield donates space at the Expo Center for the Saturday event. Mabins also credits the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for helping make SGF Juneteenth possible.
Mabins said sponsorships for the event are available year-round. You can find out more at sgfjuneteenth.com.
