Celebrate Juneteenth this Friday

Not one, not two, but three Juneteenth celebrations are set for Friday in Cape Girardeau. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers told enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

The three Cape Girardeau celebrations will be held Friday: from 1 to 9 p.m. in Arena Park, from 5 to 8 p.m. at One City at 610 Independence Street, and 7 to 11 p.m. at 20 North Pacific.

There's been a lot of interest, organizers said. Vendors will include black-owned businesses and lots of food and music to celebrate the unity and diversity of black culture.

Damontae Maxwell, organizer of the Arena Park celebration, said he wanted to help enlighten the community. "A lot of people don't know about Juneteenth, but this year, after the pandemic and later protests, I wanted to bring people together."

More than 300 people have responded to the event post on Facebook, Maxwell said.

"This is big for me," he said. As a full-time worker and musician, Maxwell said he's always looking for ways to get involved with some type of change. "I see a lot of my favorite musicians who have done great things for their communities. Who am I to not want to do that, to not want to help out?"

Maxwell said before COVID-19, he'd planned a big community barbecue in April, but that didn't work out. Instead, the Juneteenth celebration at Arena Park will give people a place to celebrate and learn more about the history of Juneteenth.

"It's OK to know we're free, but if we continue to reach one another, that's even better," Maxwell said.

At Arena Park, revelers can expect free food and a DJ will play music. Black artists will display some art, and educational information will be posted. Other fun events were still in the planning phase Monday.

At One City's festivities, organizers Kaleisha Walker and Michele Jackson said they've had an "outpouring" of vendors excited to join in.

Michele Jackson, left, and Kaleisha Walker pose for a portrait Tuesday at ServPro in Cape Girardeau.Marybeth Niederkorn

Airbrush artist Malcolm McCrae's Pollination Station art bus (that is, a passenger bus outfitted as a mobile art station) will be there, as will Rev. Byron Bonner's True-Que Barbecue, and Sweet Treats. Jackson's African Cultural Collective will be there too -- it started as her selling dashikis and jewelry with an educational spin, and it's grown into her working to spread the beauty and complexity of traditional and modern African dress and art.

"I try to put myself in white spaces, so I'm bringing black culture to people who are not exposed to it," Jackson said. "I also try to promote other businesses. There's a big enough table for all of us."

Jackson wants black culture to be seen not as foreign or bad, but as central to the American way of life.

"Black culture is very much American culture," Jackson said.

Walker noted that the One City celebration will have some free food, and vendors will also be selling dishes.

Walker and Jackson both volunteer at One City, which is how they met -- and both said they admire One City's mission to bring about racial reconciliation.

Music and fun are also planned at One City, and unveiling a donated Little Free Library that will house books by and about African American history and culture.

Over at 20 North Pacific, a two-day Juneteenth celebration is planned. From 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, there's a cookout at the facility. Then, at 10 a.m. Saturday, a yoga session will be held, then an African dance and hip-hop HIIT celebration.

Organizer Paris Newson said the 20 North gallery Juneteenth celebration will be an authentic celebration of black culture, and will help clear up some misconceptions around the ending of slavery.

"Even though we will have an awesome time, we'll also collectively acknowledge, only 155 years have passed since 1865, and we have so much further to go before we can actually celebrate our freedom. We're still systemically oppressed."

Newson said, too, creating a safe place for black people to celebrate and exist is a big part of why the 20 North gallery is opening.

For a list of black-owned businesses in Cape Girardeau: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iwQszXdpQFTEbcHm7wz2_u6i2gE38A_sv0XKAq2TkJ0/htmlview

Photographer Larry Braun poses for a portrait with some of his photos now on display at the Cape Girardeau County History Center, 102 S. High Street in Jackson, in this undated photo.Submitted by Carla Jordan

Photographer Larry Braun at the History Center

Larry Braun has a distinctive style. If you've seen his images, you know: the saturated color, the stark relief between subject and background, the open vistas celebrating this region's natural beauty. Braun's latest exhibit is up now at the Cape Girardeau County History Center, 102 S. High Street in uptown Jackson. It's a group of photos centered on Cape Girardeau County, mostly of buildings and surrounding landscapes.

Braun likened his photography to building a painting. "If you look at the lighting in my photos, you emphasize your subject, and de-emphasize the background. That causes the subject to pop."

Braun doesn't simply point and shoot. He takes multiple images, back to back, at different exposures. He then overlays them and manipulates the details, including the sky.

He's retired, he said, and can get about two images a day ready. Two images a day, at the end of the year, that's more than 600, and he's been at this for more than a decade.

"I have a nice collection," he said.

Braun said he chooses his subjects on long drives, or if he hears about a particular place that sounds intriguing. He loves old buildings, especially barns and churches, and small towns.

Braun has a book planned for later this year, all about the country churches featured on the Country Church Tour, held every year at Christmas. It's a popular event, he said, and he's excited to work up a book on it.

More details on that to come.

Check out www.larrybraun.com for more information.

The History Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Singer/songwriter plans release party

Looking ahead, a video release party for the latest effort by singer/songwriter Brian Dalton will be held July 2 at the Jackson Civic Center.

Dalton said he's excited to be working more in the pop rock genre, as he's wanted to do this for a while now.

The July 2 event will be a night of music, he said. He'll perform the single from the video, then debut the video on the Civic Center's big screen. "It's a chance for people to hang out, have some food, celebrate music," Dalton said.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. July 2 at the Jackson Civic Center.