The sun might have been scorching downtown Pine Bluff more than it was smiling, but it didn’t deter those who attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Juneteenth in the Bluff from being happy on a 93-degree Friday afternoon.
The free, one-day arts-and-culture festival, covering Second and Third avenues on Main Street, started a weekend of Juneteenth commemorations for Pine Bluff. Saturday, the city will host a free Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center arena.
Friday’s Juneteenth in the Bluff went from 3-10 p.m., and it was enough for Joycelyn Thomas to make the short trek from Little Rock. The line dance instructor swayed to the music blaring from the Second Avenue stage.
“I love celebrating, and this is part of my history, also,” Thomas said. “So, we’re celebrating (today) at Little Rock’s Juneteenth. My better half and I decided to come down to Pine Bluff and help celebrate here.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Juneteenth, officially June 19, is a celebration of the day in 1865 Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, informed slaves in Galveston, Texas, of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. While Texas proclaimed Juneteenth a state holiday in 1979, other locations have celebrated the significance of the day before President Biden signed into law Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021.
Friday’s billed musical acts were scheduled to perform during the evening. Latimore, Ms. Zeno the Mojo Queen, Fuzzy Jeffries and the Kings of Memphis were slated to keep downtown moving to the sounds of the blues.
Before the grown folks could dance to live music, the kids found their own playground on Third and Main, featuring a Pirate ride, climbing tower and painting station provided by the UAPB art department.
Meanwhile, Arnice Rogers Sr. and Augustus Gordon found a cool spot at a storefront, relaxing after a game of chess. Gordon won.
“The atmosphere is great,” Gordon said. “It’s just a bit warm. Other than that, great.”
Rogers said he and Gordon play chess regularly. Juneteenth in the Bluff gave them the opportunity to take in a festive day amid their game.
“We wanted to be out, entertaining and watching the crowd,” Rogers said. “Let me tell you something: This should happen more often, and they should keep it within the same perimeter. We don’t want to expand it to where you can’t control the crowd. We want to always keep it like just where it is, where there’s no hassle and everybody’s getting along. The police are doing their job, and people are welcoming them. It’s just a beautiful thing. It’s just what we need in the city of Pine Bluff.”
Gordon plans to attend today’s Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom and had no problem with the back-to-back days of similar commemorations in Pine Bluff.
“It’s a good thing because we need more people getting together and getting along,” Gordon said. “It’s a positive thing for the youth today.”
La’Ya Dior, 3, helps a man paint the Juneteenth Freedom Day logo at UAPB’s Juneteenth in the Bluff. Pictured with La’Ya is her aunt Shanika Stewart. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Arnice Rogers Sr. (left) and Augustus Gordon relax after a game of chess in front of a store in downtown Pine Bluff. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Danny Johnson performs Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky” on the Second Avenue stage. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
UAPB’s Juneteenth in the Bluff attracted many vendors along Main Street between Second and Third avenues. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
A volunteer gives a child a leg up on climbing the rock tower at UAPB’s Juneteenth in the Bluff. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Signage highlighting the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, including the “Who are You Rooting for?” chant, helps deck out the university’s Juneteenth in the Bluff. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)