This weekend, several Juneteenth celebrations took place throughout the Poconos, uniting families, businesses, and individuals in commemorating freedom.
On Saturday, Bairo Real Estate Held their 1st annual Juneteenth Community Celebration of Freedom event featuring music, food, raffles, face painting, networking, fun, and more at their office in Bartonsville. Proceeds from the event went towards funding the Village of Hope orphanage in Ghana and towards helping a local marginalized individual get their real estate license.
On the same day, in Stroudsburg’s Courthouse Square, the African American Network of the Poconos held their 20th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival, sponsored by the Sherman theater. The square was packed with a stage, performers, vendors, food trucks, and the community coming together to celebrate freedom. Those present in the square were able to watch as seven different groups took the stage to provide music, dance, hand out scholarships, and spread messages of freedom and celebration in honor of Juneteenth.
Finally, on Sunday, the greater Pocono Section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), and the National Association of the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP) of Monroe County held their Pocono Juneteenth Fest at the Mountain Center in Tobyhanna. Featuring a DJ, stage, vendors, games, bouncy houses, food trucks, and special raffles for fathers, in recognition of fathers day and more, this festival had something for everybody, with parents able to socialize while children were busy playing.
Juneteenth is a time of celebration, culture, family, freedom, and community gatherings. The energy these festivities bring out of the Poconos is a testament to the positive spirit and intentions behind them. Many in the community are already looking forward to next year’s celebration.
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