Best Bets: Juneteenth Celebration

The African American Museum of Iowa invites everyone to commemorate Juneteenth indoors and out. After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued Jan. 1, 1863, slave owners in isolated areas kept word from their slaves so they wouldn't flee. On June 19, 1865, some of the last slaves in America were freed when the news reached Confederate Galveston, Texas. Since that day, Juneteenth has been celebrated to honor the African-Americans who built this nation.

Juneteenth Celebration

l

Friday (6/15): $1 museum admission, 55 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids; 7 p.m. Brie Swenson Arnold shares 'The Emma Oliphant Story”

l

Saturday (6/16): 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Viola Gibson Park, 1200 10th St. SE, Cedar Rapids; entertainment, kids' activities, food vendors, information booths