The Juneteenth Freedom Festival parade will start at the MLK Recreation Center, head south on Simmons Street, turn onto Opelousas, loop through Goss Boulevard and return back to the center. Lineup is at 8 a.m. and the parade will begin at 11 a.m. (Special to the American Press)

Juneteenth — short for June 19 — is an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The history of the holiday dates back to June 19, 1865, when federal soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure slaves were freed in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation.

“Every other county, every other city in the United States at that time was aware that slavery had ended except for the people of Galveston, Texas,” said Dianna Ross, director of the Juneteenth Freedom Festival.

Southwest Louisiana is invited to celebrate — and learn — about this important period of history during the four-day Juneteenth Freedom Festival scheduled for next week.

“What Juneteenth actually symbolizes is the strength and resiliency of Black Americans,” Ross said. “For all the things our ancestors have gone through, we celebrate them because without their resilience and their endurance many of us wouldn’t be here today.”

Ross said like any other culture and ethnicity, “there is a sense of pride in who we are, what we’ve accomplished in this country, what we’ve contributed to this country and we want that to be celebrated.”

The Juneteenth Festival is about freedom, unity and peace, she said.

The festival will kick off with the Fit Family Olympics 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, June 16, at the MLK Recreation Center, 2009 Simmons St.

“This is our first year and the idea is to bring families together — black, white, green it doesn’t matter,” Ross said. “We want them to play and fellowship.”

The Olympics will include sack races, tug of war, hula hoops, jump ropes and obstacle courses. More than 270 children who participate in Ward 3 Recreation Center sports have signed up to attend.

On Tuesday, senior bingo will start at 10 a.m. at the MLK Recreation Center. Games, food and prizes are planned.

A screening of “Black Panther” is scheduled for dusk on Wednesday at the MLK Recreation Center’s baseball field. Vendors will arrive at 4 p.m. and patrons can start shopping at 4:30 p.m.

“People will be able to come out and enjoy the marketplace before the movie, and we’ll have a kids zone and free popcorn,” Ross said.

The final day of the festival will begin with a parade that starts at the center, heads south on Simmons Street, turns onto Opelousas, loops through Goss Boulevard and returns back to the center. Lineup is at 8 a.m. and the parade will begin at 11 a.m.

After the parade, participants are invited to the Lake Charles Event Center for the second annual Sauce Picante Cook-Off. Entry fees are $100 and the winner will receive a 15-gallon cast iron sauce pot valued at $700. Doors open at 1 p.m. and the cook-off begins at 3 p.m.

The festival will conclude with Family Day concerts from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. inside the coliseum. Performers include Connie Major, Jarius Daigle, Ashley Montegut, Angel Purdy, Harold Guillory, Marcus and Breanne Davis, Jeremy Benoit, Nebu Neezy, Keyun and the Zydeco Masters and Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Crush.

“We should all be in unity together as a community and this is a chance to do that,” Ross said.