Saturday is Juneteenth and those who would like to celebrate the historic event will have plenty to do at the Bee County Exposition Center.

Jesse Robinson said this year’s celebration will have something for the kids and adults.

The event will be held in the center’s pavilion beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m.

There will be barbecue plates and sandwiches for sale, games for kids and grown-ups and vendor booths throughout the day.

One booth will have a palm reader for those who would like to know what the future holds.

The big finale will start at 7 p.m. with a Gospel Fest featuring lots of local and out-of-town entertainment.

The always popular Beeville Men’s Chorus will be there along with another local group, The Gospel Truth.

Also, singers from the New Life Baptist Church will perform and visitors can hear some groups from nearby communities.

There will be no charge for admission and parking will be free.

For newcomers to this state, Juneteenth is a decidedly Texas event.

The celebration dates back to June 19, 1865. That was the day that Union soldiers under the command of Major Gen. Gordon Granger landed at Galveston with the news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves had been freed.

For many Texans, that was the first time they heard the news.

Ironically, President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years earlier, on Jan. 1, 1863.

The first thing Granger did upon landing was issue General Order Number 3. The order said, “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”

Over the years, the celebration of June 19 became known as Juneteenth. Many former slaves and their descendants used to commemorate the event by going to Galveston.

Although the celebration faded somewhat in the early 20th century, it became popular again in the 1950s and ’60s during the Civil Rights movement.

Organizers of this year’s event invite everyone in the community to come to the Expo Center Saturday and share with them in the celebration.