Lanett and Valley to host Juneteenth community festivals
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
CHAMBERS COUNTY — Embracing the spirit of unity, progress and hope, the Greater Valley Juneteenth Community Festival will be held on June 19. Food vendors begin at noon ET, and the community festival will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. at the W. O. Lance Playground. Fireworks will be held at 8:30 p.m. at the Old Lanett Mill Parking Lot.
“We have greetings from the respective mayors of West Point and Lanett, a color guard, a little friendly talk about Juneteenth, live music, lots of entertainment, inflatables for the children, raffles of all kinds, face painting and more,” said Trudye Johnson, education chair for the Greater Valley Juneteenth 2026.
Johnson said she played a role in the organization of the Greater Valley Juneteenth Celebration for the past 15 years, and the organization started in 2011 out of a local United Methodist Church.
“Our pastor at the time was Dr. Randy Kelly, who brought the idea to us the first time,” she said. “So we organized a committee of local interested individuals, we're all volunteers. We created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so we could raise funds to get some entertainment and support the cost of Juneteenth, all of the activities for Juneteenth for free.”
With a day full of fun, Johnson said she also looks forward to offering educational outreach opportunities for local nonprofits to inform the community.
“This is a family-oriented activity, it's a multicultural activity,” she said. “We've had a participation letter from the Korean community, the Hispanic community, the African American community and the white, Caucasian community, so it's multicultural. Then we have the support of many businesses and nonprofits, and they distribute information. There'll be some folks out there doing voter registration. This year, our focus is on mental health. We will have a booth and several presentations, because it seems that violence has picked up among the teenagers in the Greater Valley area. So, we want to bring some mental health resources to the festival so people can talk about their concerns and how to get some help if they need it.”
Johnson said she is passionate about sharing the important history of Juneteenth and celebrating with her community.
“Juneteenth is about freedom for everybody, for all,” she said. “In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery in America and brought all the states together as one union. It took several years for this information to get to Galveston, Texas, and that was in 1865. When the slaves heard about it, they broke out in celebration, praising God for their freedom with song, dance and best of the foods. So, it's a time to acknowledge our culture, our achievements and our contributions."
