Juneteenth events planned in city
Several area events will be held in commemoration of Juneteenth, according to a newsletter from the Pine Bluff Downtown Development On Friday, Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation Department will host Glow in the City for students in ninth-12th grades from 7-11 p.m. at Saracen Landing. Student ID will be required to attend this Forward Fest Teen Edition. The event will feature Battle of the DJs between DJ Hakeem and DJ Tay Be with guest performance by Tay Bandz.
On Saturday, the city of Pine Bluff will host its 2021 Juneteenth Celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Jefferson County Courthouse on Main Street. The event will feature live musical and dance performances, dramatizations, free food, and activities for children and teens.
From 3-9 p.m., a block party will be hosted by Wil Jenkins at the same site, according to a news release. Attendance is free to community members, however, the registration fee is $25 for vendors and $75 for food trucks. For details or to sign up to perform, contact Mary Liddell at marylddll@yahoo.com or call (870) 643-2383.
Also Saturday, Go Forward Pine Bluff will present Forward Fest Juneteenth edition at the amphitheater at Pine Bluff Regional Park. Admission is free and the gates open at noon. Entertainers will include the On Call band at 2 p.m., Karen Wolfe at 3 p.m., Heather Gillis at 4 p.m., Dexter Allen at 5 p.m., BB King Blues Band at 6 p.m., PC Band at 7 p.m., Ana Popovic at 8 p.m., Bigg Robb at 9 p.m. and Tweet at 10 p.m. Details: ForwardfestPineBluff.com.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Virtual meeting ends history study
The 400 Years of African American History Commission invites people to watch a virtual event in commemoration of Juneteenth at http://grad400.com at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. today.
The session also formally marks the graduation of the 302 student participants. The keynote speaker will be the Inaugural National Miss Juneteenth, Saniya Gay, according to a news release.
Seventy students in the Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration Pen or Pencil “Writing A New History” Education Expansion will take part in the virtual graduation ceremony as ambassador students. The graduation will be live-streamed today from the sanctuary of First Assembly of God Church, 1002 Ridgway Road.
Business expo is online Thursday
A free virtual Business ForwARd East Arkansas Small Business Expo event will be held from 10-11 a.m. Thursday. The date was corrected in a news release Monday.
East Arkansas Crossroads Coalition is partnering with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center will host the session.
Topics include workforce recruitment and assistance, CARES Act and stimulus; business recovery resources, programs and other assistance; PPP loans and forgiveness and access to business capital.
The event is free, but registration is required at businessforwardea.com or by email at businessforward@crossroadscoalition.org .
2 area students finish institute work
Two area high school seniors were among students who completed the 2021 Arkansas Tech University First Generation Institute last week.
The participants included Kayla Doris of Star City and Jaylia Knight of Grady, according to a news release.
PB student on SAU President’s List
Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia named Hannah Noel Hopkins from Pine Bluff to its President’s List. Hopkins is a senior middle school education major and earned a 4.0 grade point average in the spring 2021 semester, according to a news release.