DELLWOOD, Mo. — The City of Dellwood, Bridge the Gap 314 and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri (ACLU-MO) came together to put on the 4th annual Juneteenth Festival.
The day started with a parade down W. Florissant Avenue ending at the recreation center. The huge property was a buzz of activity with roller skating demos, food trucks, shopping and live entertainment.
Inside, in the much-needed A/C, attendees were greeted with a living history display. "My role today was to talk to anyone the ordeal that Harriet and Dred Scott went through, here in Missouri," Living History Actress Peggy Harris said.
It was the failed court challenge for freedom by the Scotts that spurred on the civil war, which ended with the emancipation of all slaves in the US. But not all slaves were freed after President Lincoln's proclamation.
Harris explained, "Gordon Granger came into Texas to remind people that we had already been freed. In fact, Abraham Lincoln had freed us two and half years before we started celebrating Juneteenth."
Dellwood's celebration of freedom will wrap up around 9 p.m. with fireworks.