Celebration of freedom, end of slavery, at Folsom's City Lions Park

It was a hot day for the annual Folsom Juneteenth celebration at City Lions Park, but plenty of vendors and members of the community turned out to take part and celebrate a pivotal moment in US history. The event was held between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7, with a large group of vendors offering various items and a food truck. A modest stream of people visited the event throughout the day. This Juneteenth celebration was the first of two in Folsom this month to commemorate the day when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom, nearly 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Duana Johnson, who had a booth selling merchandise, said these Juneteenth events are extremely important to raise awareness about this moment in history which symbolizes the fight for freedom and marks the formal end of slavery. "This is a really important event that we really need to uplift and bring others out and really celebrate," said Johnson. "People just don't understand the meaning behind it." Ella Durham, owner of Ella's Boutique, had a large number of items on display she sells in her shop, from clothing to charming trinkets, purses and more. Durham plans to open a new boutique at the Folsom Outlets at 13000 Folsom Blvd., Suite 203, with a grand opening June 20. It is not lost on her that being a business owner and a woman of color is still a rarity, but she's excited to open shop in Folsom. "I knew Folsom was a great area and one of my promoters from the Modesto Mall told me, 'You should open in Folsom, they have openings. You should give them a call,' " explained Durham. "And I did and I love it. So our boutique is going to be fantastic." Virtually all the vendors at this Juneteenth event know each other or are friends; they say they look forward to this event every year and are happy to see Folsom's diversity continue to grow. "I have seen a lot of diversity (in Folsom). And that's wonderful, it really is," said Johnson. "Because we need that. We need that to survive. There's no one race that's going to make it all the way to the end alone. We need diversity to survive." The next Juneteenth event in Folsom will be held June 28 from 4-9 p.m. at Historic Black Miners Bar, 7755 Folsom-Auburn Road. The event honors Black gold miners who started one of California's first Black communities there in 1849. The event will offer live music, food and drink vendors and water activities. Thousands of people turned out for the event last year. For more information, visit juneteenthfolsom.org/.