Juneteenth, West Virginia Day Events Set in Wheeling, Statewide
WHEELING -- Celebrations are on tap for Juneteenth and West Virginia's birthday both in the state's capital and the city that once was the state's capital.
Wheeling and Charleston both will hold events that honor Juneteenth -- commemorating the official end of slavery in the United States and the country's newest federal holiday -- on Saturday and the 158th birthday of the nation's 35th state on Sunday.
In Wheeling, Juneteenth events begin at 5 p.m. Saturday with a short ceremony at the north end of Market Plaza. Speakers for the event's opening ceremonies include Loma Nevels, vice chair of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission; West Liberty University President W. Franklin Evans; West Virginia NAACP President Owens Brown; and Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott.
Live entertainment will be held at Wheeling Heritage Port featuring performances by Ezra and the Relativs, Keez, Tree of Life, Logan Wojcik, Darryl Watts and Tony Williams. Events are free and open to the public.
Wheeling's Juneteenth events have been organized by the Wheeling Juneteenth Committee, made up of representatives from Wheeling Heritage, Wheeling YWCA, City of Wheeling, Wheeling NAACP, Oglebay Institute and local leaders in the Black community.
The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs is hosting a virtual Juneteenth celebration. The event will be livestreamed Saturday at 5 p.m. on the Facebook page for the Herbert Henderson Office and will also air on West Virginia Public Broadcasting at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
On Sunday, West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling, the birthplace of the state of West Virginia, will celebrate the state's birthday free to the public starting at noon. Cake and refreshments will be served and John King, portraying President Abraham Lincoln, will be on hand to pose for pictures and talk about the creation of West Virginia. At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, he will read the proclamation that admitted West Virginia as the 35th state.
In Charleston, the opening event of West Virginia Day festivities takes place at 1 p.m. Sunday on the Kanawha River side of the State Capitol Building where the "Lincoln Walks at Midnight" statue is located. Justice will announce the end of the indoor mask mandate for all West Virginians regardless of vaccination status. A vaccination clinic will be on site from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., along with food vendors and other activities.
Justice will also announce the winners of the first round of the vaccine incentive lottery. Prizes include $1 million, two full college scholarships for in-state public institutions, two custom pick-up trucks, five custom rifles and five custom shotguns, five lifetime hunting licenses and five lifetime fishing licenses, and 25 weekend getaways for state parks.