Wooster-area united: Community comes together for Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration

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WOOSTER – The smell of barbecue was in the air at Christmas Run Park Sunday afternoon as kids played on bounce houses and others cheered from the sidelines of a basketball tournament.

The food and fun events were all a part of the third annual Wooster Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration, commemorating the 1-year-old federal holiday known as Juneteenth.

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Organizer Zaurice Stephens said he has enjoyed hosting and seeing the event grow over the past few years, with this year’s having the highest attendance rate — 200 to 400 people at times. While continuing to grow the event and its offerings, Stephens also hopes to keep the deeper meaning in sight.

Juneteenth event growing in Wooster

Hosting the first Juneteenth Celebration with little budget and during the height of the pandemic over the summer of 2020, Stephens said a number of people showed up. Following all the COVID guidelines at the time, such as masking and social distancing, people seemed to have a great time, he said.

To get the event off the ground, Stephens said, he turned to his family and the Wooster community for funding.

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Every year, the Stephens family has helped provide and cook the food while several local businesses, such as Persophenea’s Giving Plate, and volunteers give their time. With the growing help, Stephens said, it has allowed the event to grow not only in size but also in support.

“We get donations from the community and now we're getting volunteers from the community,” Stephens said. “It's becoming the community event that I've envisioned for the last few years, but it really is a sense of unity and bringing together the community.”

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Stephens hopes next year to offer even more food and activities

The streetball basketball tournament held on the basketball courts brought a lot of excitement and people from out of town, Stephens said, noting he'll expand on that next year.

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With the hundreds in attendance this year, the food supply seemed to run out around 4 p.m., so Stephens hopes to get more funding for more food next year.

More community involvement, including with local law enforcement and fire departments, as well as an expansion of events to include a dunk tank and carnival games is another aspiration Stephens has for next year.

No matter the size or the activities, Stephens said, he wants Juneteenth to continue to be a free event for the community and to keep the focus on celebrating freedom.

“We try to … not make it anything political, not make it anything business driven,” Stephens said. “But something that is really just a celebration for the freedom of everyone in the country.”

Reach Rachel Karas at rkaras@gannett.com

On Twitter: @RachelKaras3

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Celebrating freedom: Hundreds gather for Juneteenth event in Wooster