McHenry County Juneteenth Freedom Festival Theme this Year is Jubilee

The Juneteenth—Freedom Day Festival on historic Woodstock Square on Saturday, June 15, from 3 to 6:00 pm has announced a full program for the celebration of the date when Federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 and enforced the order of Emancipation that had been issued more than two years earlier on January 1, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. An estimated 250,000 enslaved Blacks were granted their freedom, and the celebration of freedom, called Juneteenth, became a tradition.

The commemoration of that event, which began in Texas, slowly spread to other cities and states and is now observed around the country. Juneteenth became a national holiday on June 17, 2021, making it the eleventh federal holiday in the United States.  The first ever Juneteenth celebration in McHenry County was hosted on June 17, 2023.  Event founder Gloria Van Hof said that it was a huge success. 

Regina Rakoncay and  keynote speaker Rev. Norvel Brown at the first Junteenth Festival in Woodstock.

Everything came together smoothly in a short amount of time, thanks to the City of Woodstock, our fabulous board members and all who supported us, either by volunteering, donating cash and in-kind contributions, or just coming out to enjoy the festival.

The program will feature vocalist Darlene Benton; Chicago bluesman Kenneth Davis of the Ken Davis Project;  a reading of  the order issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for the remaining 250,000 enslaved Blacks by Patrick Murfin of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s Social Justice Team; a short history of McHenry County’s Underground Railroad connection; a story reading for the children and a few surprises.

Singer Darlene Benton and host Gloria Van Hof at the 2023 event.

The program will be hosted by Gloria Van Hof, who organized the festival with other active community members. Exhibitors are welcome and may refer to our website for details.

Three food trucks and an ice cream vendor will serve the festival and a number of businesses and community organizations will have booths on the Square.

For more information visit the website , the Facebook page, or the article  Juneteenth, a Day of Jubilee by Gloria Van Hof.