Juneteenth celebrations continue in Columbia for community members
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia is set to hold additional Juneteenth events on Sunday for those looking to still get out for the weekend.
One event is both a Juneteenth event and Father's day event at Douglass Park from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. A Juneteenth Festival is set to take place at Cosmo Park from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. Both events are open to the public and will feature different activities.
Douglass Park will have a crowning of fathers and Cosmo Park is set to have guest speakers and live performances during the festival.
On Saturday, events took place in both Jefferson City and Columbia. In a Columbia, a parade strolled down Broadway St. and ended at Douglass Park, where people enjoyed food, games and other activities.
Alana Hayes, one woman who walked in the parade told ABC 17 News that Juneteenth is about appreciating her culture.
"Juneteenth is for us and by us. Its just a celebration of everything black and everything that is excellence, and everything that is culture," Hayes said. "It's just important for us and you know the kids that way we can live on."
She went on to say, "It's just an important holiday for black people just to celebrate black joy, and black excellence and black freedom and then it's just nice to be surrounded by all these black people.."
In Jefferson City, there was a Juneteenth Heritage Celebration that included an emancipation program at Lincoln University's Soldier's Memorial, followed by a freedom march to Community Park.
Later, a Juneteenth Heritage Festival at the park that included a heritage tour, book signing and other activities.
In observance of the holiday most MU Health Care clinics will be closed on Monday. Mizzou Urgent Care and Mizzou Quick Care locations inside Hy-Vee Stores will operate during normal hours on Monday.
However, the two health care clinics will have modified hours from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday.
