Lewes Juneteenth celebration set for George H.P. Smith Park

The third annual Lewes Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration is shaping up to be the biggest yet, according to Trina Brown Hicks, one of the event organizers.

The celebration will be held from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 22, at George H.P. Smith Park. The event is free.

Brown Hicks updated the parks and recreation commission on the progress of the event June 17. She is the commissioner who oversees George H.P. Smith Park. She’s also a member of the city’s African American heritage commission.

“It’s pretty nice to see the community coming together with nonprofit organizations and retail organizations,” Brown Hicks said.

She said there will be more than 70 vendors and food trucks. 

Two live bands, Best Kept Soul and Christy Taylor & The Groove, will be featured this year. There will also be an interactive drum circle and spoken word performers.

Brown Hicks said there will not be shuttle buses from the University of Delaware campus this year. Instead, two golf carts have been donated to move people from local churches to Smith Park.

Lewes’ Black heritage will also be on display for Juneteenth.

A new document, “The Lewes Black History Timeline,” will debut as part of the information each guest will receive. The eight-page timeline, compiled by Darryl Daisey for the Lewes African American Heritage Commission, highlights more than 70 historic events of significance to the Black community of Lewes since 1639. 

Daisey said the timeline is a work in progress, and information will be added as it becomes known. 

“It is important to document what we know now so that we can build on it,” Daisey said. 

The Lewes History Museum’s photographic exhibit, Voices Heard: The History and Legacy of the Black Community in Lewes, continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday. The exhibit features about 30 photos on public display for the first time, many of them on loan from the Daisey Family Legacy Collection.  

The “Voices Heard” documentary, in which current and former Lewes residents of color share their memories of the period, will be running on a continuous loop in the museum’s exhibit room. 

For more information, go to leweschamber.com or historiclewes.org.