Juneteenth Jubilee is an all-day event on Saturday

Jun. 17—FAIRMONT — The Annual Juneteenth Jubilee will be held all day Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Windmill Park.

Juneteenth is a holiday to commemorate the final end to slavery, as it did not officially end in Texas until nearly six months after the Emancipation Proclamation was instituted. In Fairmont, Juneteenth Celebrations have been held since 2011.

To celebrate, Romelia Hodges, CEO of Dunbar School STOP Program, marketing director Jennifer Troutman, COO Tiffany Walker Samuels and other Dunbar School Stop Program employees, with help from community members and Fairmont city officials, have planned a variety of events for people of all ages.

"I am excited to see all my friends, family and just everybody coming out and having a good time. It is time for a celebration, after all that we've gone through with COVID-19," Walker Samuels said.

Events will run for 12 hours Saturday with an Emancipation African Brunch from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. During the sold-out, ticketed event, there will be a panel discussion focusing on African American mental health and wellness, live musical performances, an award ceremony for Black elders and a traditional bell ringing ceremony.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 1 p.m. From 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be live musical performances from MGM Band from Cleveland, Ohio performing at 3:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and artist Fetty Wap headlining at 8 p.m. UniverSoul Fresh The Clowns, a national African American based circus troupe who have never performed in West Virginia before, will perform between MGM Band's performances.

There will be bounce houses, four carnival rides, a video game van, food, vendors, free tote bags for the first 300 guests and a historic Juneteenth walking trail. At 2:30 p.m., the first Black female Coach in the NFL Collete V. Smith, sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta sorority Omicron Chapter at West Virginia University, will talk about the importance of health care.

But this event is also a health fair, with Dunbar School Stop Program providing onsite COVID-19 testing, vaccines and booster shots, WVU Cancer Institute's Bonnie's Bus and Lucas Bus providing breast cancer and lung cancer screenings, the "Strollin' Colon" Exhibit offering colon cancer screenings, Marion County Health Department providing blood pressure and glucose testing and Lion's Club will offer eye screenings.

Because of the two health care buses and an expected large turnout, parking at the park will be limited. The City of Fairmont donated the parking garage at 440 Madison St. and there will be a Fairmont Marion Transit Authority shuttle running from downtown to the park from 6-9 p.m..

Reserving an entire park for the day in Fairmont is something that is a little tricky and requires a permit, Hodges said.

"(As for the City of Fairmont and Marion County,) they have really just showed up and showed out for us. It is very difficult and or impossible to ask for a permit for an entire park, but they made some things happen. So they trusted Tiffany and I with reassurance that we were doing something very special here for the community and championed us along the way. The City of Fairmont has given us the full layout of their resources on this particular day to make sure that this event is a success," Hodges said.

Planning for the celebration has been ongoing since last year's jubilee, but Hodges and Walker Samuels said it would not be possible without several donations and sponsors from the North Central West Virginia area. Hodges said the Marion County Commission helped financially and were some of the first officials to support the celebration. Fairmont Field Club donated golf carts, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Dominion Energy are some of the top sponsors.

Walker Samuels said they didn't just help financially, they are sending volunteers to help anything the day of the event.

Walker Samuels said they are looking for volunteers to help with set up at 8 a.m. and tear down at the end of the night on Saturday. She also recommended quests bring lawn chairs and prepare for the heat.

Hodges invites everyone to come out and celebrate.

"Although Juneteenth is culturally centered around African American culture, it is also something that we celebrate together as people, so we invite everyone out to this event to enjoy," Hodges said.

For more information, you can visit the Dunbar School STOP Program website, Facebook or call 304-900-3310.

Reach me at sshriver@timeswv.com or 304-367-2549.