LAURINBURG — An age-old celebration, one that dates back 164 years, will be taking place in Laurinburg and the public is invited to join in next weekend.

The Scotland Youth Development and Scotland NAACP Youth Council are sponsoring two events this year which also fall during Father’s Day weekend.

On June 19, the Juneteenth Pageant Awards Banquet will begin at 6 p.m. at 201 S. Atkinson St. in Laurinburg. Tickets to the event cost $10.

“We will have a mini-meal and entertainment with the pageant,” said organizer Rena McNeil. “The youth will be performing and speaking and we’ll crown our Juneteenth Queen along with recognizing some leaders in our community.”

The following day will be the Juneteenth Festival at Market Park beginning at noon.

“We want people to be able to go to church, then come out and celebrate this historic day,” McNeil said. “We know it’s Father’s Day, so we will have a booth for father’s where you can get a picture taken with them. We are still looking for vendors so if anyone is interested in being a vendor please contact me.”

McNeil did add if there are issues with the weather, the Sunday event will be rescheduled.

Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, a state holiday celebrating the end of slavery. On June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended, Union Army troops arrived in Texas. According to history, Gen. Gordon Granger stood on the balcony of the Ashton Villa in Galveston and announced General Order No. 3.

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor,” that order stated.

Before that time, the slaves in Texas were not aware of the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued by President Abraham Lincoln some three years earlier.

“This is a celebration of freedom for all,” McNeil said. “We want to celebrate this day of freedom and we want those in the community to come out and celebrate as well.”

To be a vendor or for information contact McNeil at 910-384-3168 or renamcneil@yahoo.com

Reach Katelin Gandee at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com