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Juneteenth ‘Colors of Freedom Tour’ Events Planned Across North Country

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A multiday celebration of Juneteenth, the day the last enslaved African Americans were freed by Union troops, is planned for June 17, 18 and 19. The festivities will include reenactments, racial healing circles and more.

The Juneteenth Colors of Freedom in the North Country tour begins 9 a.m. Saturday, June 17 at the Strand Center for the Arts in downtown Plattsburgh with a welcome, moment of prayer and a brief history of Juneteenth. A reenactment follows across the street at the Betty Little Arts Park, 32 Margaret St., from 9:15 to 9:30 a.m.

Other reenactments and events on Saturday include:

  • 10-10:30 a.m. Keeseville Baptist Church Cemetery, 2030 Route 22, Keeseville, N.Y.
  • 10:40-11 a.m. Quaker Union at the cemetery at the blue and yellow historical marker at the intersection of Brown and Union roads, AuSable, N.Y.
  • 11-11:30 a.m. Stephen Keese Smith Farm at 1131 Mace Chasm Road, AuSable Chasm, N.Y.
  • 12:50-1 p.m. Community service award ceremony at the Elizabethtown Courthouse, 7563 Court St., Elizabethtown, N.Y.
  • 1-1:45 p.m. John Brown speech reading at the Elizabethtown Courthouse

Racial healing circles, hosted by SUNY Plattsburgh’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will be held Sunday, June 18 at the John Brown Farm in Lake Placid, 115 John Brown Road in Lake Placid, N.Y., from 1 to 2 p.m.

Tour tickets are $10 per person of $20 for a family pass. Preregistration is required. Attendees can purchase tickets at https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/forms/web/colors-of-freedom-tour-registration-2023.php.

The events are sponsored by the North Country Underground Railroad Museum; the SUNY Plattsburgh Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; the SUNY Plattsburgh Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center; Department of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Clinton County Historical Association; John Brown Lives!; and the Essex County Arts Council.

For more information, contact the North Country Underground Railroad Museum at 518-834-5180 or [email protected].

— By Assistant Director of Communications Felicia Krieg

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