Juneteenth celebration in Merced includes festivities, downtown parade this weekend

Shawn Jansen
·2 min read
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The Merced community can celebrate the upcoming Juneteenth holiday with food, music and a downtown parade this weekend.

Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War, has been commemorated annually for more than a century.

It wasn’t until 2021, though, that President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, officially recognizing it as a federal holiday.

“Juneteenth is not just a celebration for Black people,” said local NAACP chapter member Tamara Cobb, of Merced. “It’s a holiday that celebrates the independence of all people in the United State.”

The holiday’s roots go back to June 19, 1865. Although President Abraham Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, it wasn’t until then that Black slaves in Texas were freed and slavery in the U.S. finally ended.

Black communities in Texas and beyond have celebrated Juneteenth since, according to the NAACP.

Cobb helped organize the first Juneteenth parade in Merced last year and helped put together this year’s festivities as well.

“Since it’s our second time we’re a little more prepared this year,” Cobb said.

The celebration will kick off with a downtown parade.

People participating in the parade will gather behind the Art Kamangar Theater at 11 a.m. Saturday. A short program will start at 11:15 a.m., with the parade to follow.

The parade route is different this year, with participants making their way down Main Street. The parade will go down M Street to 11th Street and finish at McNamara Park.

McNamara Park will be full of vendors, food and bounce houses, and the swimming pool will be open for children. There will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Kirk Wright Memorial Playground at McNamara Park.

The parade drew a large crowd last year with the Merced Fire Department, Merced Police Department, local politicians and local car clubs all participating.

Cobb said she hopes this year’s event will also attract a crowd.

“I certainly hope so,” she said. “I’m sure people saw last year that it was safe and they’ve seen the upgrades at McNamara Park.”

Meanwhile, there will also be a Juneteenth celebration for kids on Saturday at Bob Hart Square from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The celebration will include a puppet show, music, snacks, sing-a-longs and prizes.