The Owensboro Black Expo is inviting the community to celebrate Juneteenth with an evening of live music, local vendors, and cultural appreciation at English Park on June 21.
The free event will take place from 4-10 p.m. at 2 Woodford Avenue. The celebration will feature live entertainment from Bennie J. Smith & Friends Band. Smith, a civil rights activist and former board member of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, will dedicate his performance to his late great-uncle, Harry E. Fields.
Fields was a longtime educator and former chairman of the Owensboro Human Relations Commission, and an advocate for equality and understanding. A release from the Owensboro Black Expo said he worked to improve police-community relations in 1970 and was committed to preserving Greenwood Cemetery. He also supported Smith’s musical and educational pursuits, even establishing a college scholarship in his name.
Now in its seventh year, the Juneteenth event has become a staple of the community, according to Owensboro Black Expo Treasurer Tiffany Davis.
“It’s a great way for the community to get out and come together,” Davis said. “For a number of years, we had it on West 5th Street at Kendall-Perkins Park, and this will be our third year having it at English Park. A lot of people may not know, but they’re still part of the Northwest Neighborhood Alliance, so we just try to keep it on that end of town. The community, they really come out and support.”
The Owensboro Black Expo began in 1973 and has evolved over the years to include various programs, including scholarships and community outreach.
The Juneteenth celebration will also showcase Black-owned small businesses, local vendors, and nonprofit organizations.
“As far as the vendors and exhibitors, last year we had 42 show up,” Davis said. “Jamaican Yard Vibes was there, Jay’s Good Grub came, and we had Crowe’s Nest. We kind of focus on local businesses; we try to get them to come out.”
In addition to businesses, organizations like the NAACP, Nonviolent Owensboro, and Owensboro Health have participated in past years, with the latter bringing its mobile unit to provide resources and information.
Davis emphasized that the event is open to all.
“We just ask for everybody to come out. You know, it’s not just for Black people or people of color – it’s for everybody,” she said. “Bringing the community together. And, you know, you’d be surprised, a lot of people don’t even know about the West End area. That’s why we always want to keep it in that central location. Just bringing people out and listening to music and just enjoying themselves.”
Vendors and exhibitors interested in participating can register online at Tinyurl.com/2023OBE by June 1. The fee to participate is $25, and vendors must provide their own setup.
For more information, contact Dominique Maddox at 270-320-2237 or email [email protected].
