Hosanna School Museum to host 7th annual Upper Bay Juneteenth Festival

Katia Parks, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·2 min read

Jun. 8—The Historic Hosanna School Museum will celebrate its 7th annual Upper Bay Juneteenth Festival on June 19.

This festival is the longest-running Juneteenth celebration in the Lower Susquehanna and Upper Chesapeake Bay regions. The first festival was held seven years ago before Juneteenth became a federal holiday.

Juneteenth is nationally recognized day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and celebrates African American history, culture and achievement. It is the oldest commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865 — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation — Union General Gordon Granger announced the end of the war and read General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, which declared that the enslaved were free, according to the news release.

"It's exciting having the Juneteenth festival at Hosanna because this is a site where formerly enslaved people participated in building this school," said Iris Barnes, executive director of the Hosanna School Museum. "Education represented such an important part of gaining citizenship, coming out of bondage into a time where they had to stand on their own and make things work, and they did a fantastic job."

Barnes said it takes a whole year to plan the festival, with just a few months' break in the summer. When one festival ends, the planning committee prepares for the following year.

This year's celebration will include music, African drummers and dance, crafts, Buffalo Soldiers, a genealogy workshop, book signings, horse rides, a puppet show, lectures, storytellers, interpreters and vendors. Food also will be available for sale.

"We will close out the afternoon with our Transition to Freedom concert, which is a poetic, musical journey through the African American experience," said Barnes. "It's very unique."

The festival is from 12 to 6 p.m. at the Hosanna School Museum on 2424 Castleton Road in Darlington. Tickets cost $18.65, in honor of the year enslaved people in Texas were emancipated. The first 35 individuals to purchase a ticket will win a free refurbished bike.

For details, and to register or make a donation, visit HosannaSchoolMuseum.org.