Katy area celebrations are in the works for Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

Juneteenth has been observed for over a century, starting in Texas. While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Texans got the message after the war’s end in 1865.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online, published by the Texas State Historical Association, U.S. Army Gen. Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3, in which all slaves were declared free, on June 19, 1865 in Galveston. Local celebrations began that day, and soon they were happening across Texas, and eventually, the United States.

Juneteenth became a state holiday in 1979 and a federal holiday in 2021. Area Juneteenth activities begin Friday in Brookshire and conclude Monday in Katy.

Brookshire two-day celebration begins Friday

The City of Brookshire will be hosting a two-day Juneteenth celebration. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a dinner, gospel extravaganza and award ceremony at the Brookshire Convention Center, 4027 5th St. in Brookshire. Several local citizens will be honored for their community service at the dinner.

On Saturday, the city will celebrate with a Juneteenth parade, the assembly for which begins at 10 a.m. the Brookshire Police Department, address on U.S. 90. The parade itself begins at 11 a.m.

Saturday’s festivities include a free family fun day from 12 p.m.-10 p.m. at the pavilion across the street from the Brookshire Municipal Building and convention center. The event will feature vendors, local disc jockeys and a kids’ zone. The Brown Sugar Band will perform from 1-3 p.m.

The event will also feature a barbecue cookoff and a domino tournament. For information about the barbecue cookoff, call 832-851-4282. For more information about the domino tournament, call 713-377-3217.

As part of the celebrations, a basketball tournament is set for the Hangar Unity Center, 4010 4^th St. in Brookshire. For more information about the basketball tournament, call 346-304-8024.

Volunteers sought for former slave cemetery cleanup Saturday in Kendleton

After discovering severe degradation of at least 20 tombstones of former slaves in Fort Bend County’s Bates Allen Park, a group of volunteers has begun cleaning the tombstones and removing brush that restricts access to the gravesites.

Volunteers are encouraged to join the continuing cleanup effort, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to end no later than 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The cleanup will be at Bates Allen Park, which is the site for the historic Newman Chapel Cemetery and Oak Hill Cemetery. The park is at 630 Charlie Roberts Lane in Kendleton.

Tools to cut brush will be provided, but chain saws, loppers/pruning tools, weed cutters are welcome. Water, kolaches, donuts, sunscreen and bug spray will provided.

RSVPs are requested by Friday and can be made by visiting the website signupgenius.com/go/10c084caea629a7f4c34-juneteenth.

Katy to hold parade, festival Monday

While Juneteenth has been observed since the mid-19^th century, Katy will hold its first Juneteenth parade and festival Monday.

The parade begins at 11 a.m. at the Pin Oak Road-Roberts Road intersection. It will run west on Roberts Road, then turn south onto Danover Road to Woodsland Park, 443 Danover Road. The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs to enjoy the parade.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan will be grand marshal of the parade.

The festival is from 12-3 p.m. at the park. It will feature art, a cultural exhibition, food, games, giveaways and prizes and vendor booths. The festival will also provide a chance to meet and greet legacy families with longstanding ties to the Katy area. Among the pictures to display include those of the first African American students to integrate Katy High School in the mid-1960s.

The Katy Texas African American Heritage Society has worked to organize and stage the events. Brenda Washington, the society’s founder and president, said the group began in April 2022.