Emancipation Day events planned throughout Gadsden-Leon County

Emancipation Day celebrates the beginning of freedom for enslaved African-Americans in Florida.

This day of recognition and celebration is being marked by community events throughout Gadsden County and other surrounding areas as people from all races, walks of life, and communities come together to celebrate the unity of freedom.

Midway Emancipation Day Festival

5-9 p.m.

The City of Midway and the Gadsden County Commission is coming together for a celebration of Emancipation.

The celebration will take place at the Eugene Lamb Park, with free admission.

The festival will include musical performances from Grind Mode, 69 Boyz, Lebrado and his live band, DJ Lil Boy, DJ Ace, and The Almighty Joe Bullard.

In Tallahassee, a variety of opportunities will be available for those who wish to celebrate and recognize the importance of Emancipation Day.

Events will start the day before, on Friday, May 19, with tours at Goodwood Museum & Gardens, and a concert at Cascades Park.

Tours at Goodwood Museum & Gardens

12 – 4 p.m.

Goodwood Museum & Gardens, a historic plantation in the heart of Tallahassee, will offer guided tours of the first floor of the Main House and basement, with a focus on the lives of four enslaved women who lived and labored on the property.

Freedom’s Eve Emancipation Concert located at Adderley Amphitheater-Cascades Park

7-11 p.m.

The Tallahassee Symphony will host a free Freedom’s Eve concert in the Adderley Amphitheater featuring music by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Tallahassee Symphony Jazz Orchestra, and Tallahassee Nights Live.

On Saturday, May 20, Emancipation Day festivities will begin at 9 a.m., when Leon County church bells will start the day off with a two-minute chime, announcing the dawning of this special day of freedom.

From there, the day will continue through various events around the city:

John G. Riley Center/Museum Civil War Commemorative Service at the Old City Cemetery

10 a.m.

A Commemorative Grave Decorating Service, and Union Soldier Reenactment, with 21 gun salute in tribute to fallen soldiers, will be part of this historical tradition of the ancestors. Commissioner Bill Proctor will lead children from Kingdom Life Preparatory Academy and the public in decorating the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers. This event is free and open to the public.

Dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation

11:30 a.m.

Speeches and music are presented on the front steps of the Knott House Museum. This year’s program features a special guest performance by John Anderson portraying Frederick Douglass and the Mina String Quartet from the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. After the program, free lunch and activities are available in Lewis Park across from the Knott House Museum. This event is free and open to the public.

“Follow the Drinking Gourd!” at The Grove Museum

2-4 p.m.

Join The Grove Museum for a special tour that explores different routes enslaved African Americans took towards freedom. Utilizing maps, oral stories, primary sources, and active engagement, visitors can formulate a narrative about the pathways individuals took after Emancipation. This event is free and open to the public.

Emancipation and Abolitionist Ball at the National Guard Armory (admission charge)

7-11 p.m.

This formal event highlights the era with a special menu, entertainment, and attire representative of the period. Highlights include historical presentations by the 2nd USCT and guests, and the presentation of the Althemese Barnes Historic Preservation Award to Mr. Eluster Richardson. For more information and for tickets visit the2ndusctlha.org

Ashley Hunter - Gadsden County News Service

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Emancipation Day events planned throughout Gadsden-Leon County

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Former Midway
interim police chief pleads guilty to sex with inmate