HAGERSTOWN, Md. — In part of the Doleman Black Heritage Museum’s three-day Juneteenth celebration, locals gathered at Wheaton Park in Hagerstown on Saturday for a Celebration of Survival. The sunny day was packed with displays of unique portrayals of history, culture and most importantly, survival.
As vendors and non-profits set up booths in the park, the community joined Minister Troy Gandy in a unity walk at around 10am. Singing, socializing and sharing fellowship, the unity walk kicked off the celebration with an immersive, unifying display of community.
The weekend began Thursday morning, with a Memorial Prayer Brunch at Hub City Brewery, honoring the lives of Deborah Parson, and Herman “Skip” Davis. On Friday night, Cortland Mansion hosted a Masquerade Ball celebrating Black history and culture.
After the unity walk on Saturday morning, the event officially kicked off at 12 p.m., followed by a segment entitled, Literary Moments. During this portion of the event, speakers, poets and other spokespeople shared a variety of works honoring the cultural holiday in the pavilion of the park. Then, at 2 p.m., a display of “History Through Fashion” offered representative displays of historical events by means of clothing.
Several business and non-profit booths could also be found in the lawn of the park including, Horizon Goodwill Industries, Hagerstown Fire Department, First United Bank and Trust and Good News Hagerstown. Sponsors like the YMCA, the City of Hagerstown and the David and June Trone Foundation, all helped make this event possible.
Among the festivities, YMCA Coach Cathy Parson led a 3-on-3 basketball tournament right on the main court in Wheaton Park beginning at 9:30 Saturday morning. With two age groups participating, 11-14 and 15-30, participant of all ages played in the tournament.
The Doleman Black Heritage Museum holds more than 4,500 historical artifacts documenting the lives and events of African-American people in Washington County. Project manager for the museum, Alecia Paron-McBean, shared with LocalNews1 her hopes that guests form new connections at the event and gain a new understanding for the many contributions and sacrifices of African-Americans in Washington County, and America at large.
The Doleman Black Heritage Museum is located on 33-35 W. Washington St., Room 210, in downtown Hagerstown. Tours of the museum are by appointment only; to schedule a tour or volunteer, readers may call, 301-797-5019. To learn more, they may visit, dolemanblackheritagemuseum.org.
For more Hagerstown events, readers can visit visithagerstown.com/events.
