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Event to feature games, entertainment, and historical exhibits

 

TRYON—Roseland Community Center will host a community celebration commemorating Juneteenth on Saturday, June 21, from noon to 4 p.m.

The event will feature games and activities for children and adults, as well as music, dancing and entertainment. Historical exhibits, a select number of vendors, and food trucks will also be onsite, with each attendee receiving one ticket for a free meal.

“Roseland’s board members have planned the 2025 Juneteenth Celebration with the intended outcomes of a diverse celebration that fosters broad participation, community awareness and appreciation, and celebrates the liberation of enslaved people,” said board member Joseph Fox.

Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States, dates back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Founded in 1940, Roseland Community Center is a nonprofit, community-based institution that serves multiple needs of surrounding communities. It is the oldest and only African-American community-based nonprofit institution serving the historic Eastside Community of Tryon, as well as residents located throughout Polk County. 

Its main focus has been on support and development of youth through its RISE Program, which provides young people with meaningful experiences that will help them grow into positive, contributing adult citizens.  

Roseland Community Center also serves the community through its Single Moms & Single Dads programs, Polk County Health and Human Services Community Resource Fair, Eastside affordable housing meetings, Kwanzaa programs, and its annual Black History Program, as well as nutrition programs for the elderly, and town hall meetings with local government officials.

Juneteenth Celebration attendees are asked to safely park along Peake, East Howard, and Shepherd Streets. Additional parking is available in the Ziglar Field area, and a shuttle service will be available to transport attendees from Ziglar Field to Roseland. 

This free event is made possible by a grant from the Mary F. Kessler Fund at the Polk County Community Foundation. 

For more information about the Juneteenth Celebration and other programs sponsored by Roseland Community Center, contact Dr. Warren Carson at wcarson6793@charter.net or follow Roseland on Facebook. 

Roseland Community Center is located at 56 Peake Street in Tryon.