JUNETEENTH
Hutto, Taylor will offer parades, music, food and more
Residents in Hutto and Taylor are gearing up for Juneteenth celebrations this weekend to commemorate when slaves in Texas ended their bondage 160 years ago.
Most government offices, the postal service and libraries will be closed on Thursday, June 19, when the federal observance is set.
Hutto and Taylor will host weekend events, but on different days.
June 19, 1865, marks the day Texans received the official word that slavery had ended, three months after the end of the Civil War. The state holiday became a national holiday in 2021.
“It is important to celebrate Juneteenth as a reminder that freedom is our country’s dream and even though we have a lot of civil liberties, the battle is still being waged on multiple fronts, especially for freedom and access to a quality of life that isn’t rooted in struggle,” said Nakevia Miller, chairwoman of the Taylor Juneteenth Committee.
In Taylor, Juneteenth will be celebrated on Saturday, June 21, with a parade in the morning, followed by a community brunch at midday and a festival in the evening.
The parade starts at 9 a.m. at the corner of Fifth and Main streets. It will travel down Main to MLK Jr. Blvd, ending in Fannie Robinson Park.
Affected streets will be closed to traffic until 11 a.m. Main Street, or Texas 95, is shut from 7-11 a.m., city officials said.
The parade will be followed by a brunch at the Dickey-Givens Community Center, 1009 E. MLK Jr. Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The brunch is free and open to the public.
The menu includes sweet potato waffles and turkey sausage, courtesy of St David’s Foundation (stdavidsfoundation.
org). Taylor’s Freedom Festival runs from 5-10 p.m. in Fannie Robinson Park, 206 S. Dolan St. It will feature entertainment and vendors and is sponsored by the Taylor Juneteenth Committee in conjunction with the city, the Dickey-Givens Museum and Cultural Center and community businesses.
Hutto will celebrate Juneteenth on Sunday, June 22, with an event in Adam Orgain Park, 1001 CR 137. The park is named in honor of Hutto’s first settler, who was brought to the area as a slave and remained in Hutto after he was freed on Juneteenth.
Hutto’s 4th Annual Freedom March and Festival is sponsored by Black Families of Hutto in conjunction with the city and community businesses and runs from 2-6 p.m. It will honor Black trailblazers including Stagecoach Mary, Orgain, Bill Pickett and Bass Reeves. Live music, vendors, line dancing and pony rides are planned.
The event will start with a Freedom March. Those wanting to participate should arrive at Adam Orgain Park by 1 p.m., where they will be shuttled to Ray Elementary School, 225 Swindoll Lane.
They will then march back to the park where festivities will begin with a ceremony. Scholarships will be awarded to Hutto High School students by the Black Families of Hutto.
To learn more about the history of Emancipation Day and how it is celebrated nationwide, visit Juneteenth.com.
