By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Galveston Island’s Juneteenth Festival and Celebration at Menard Park was another of the island’s Juneteenth celebrations. The sun was as brilliant on the seawall as it had been at the parade.
Travelers from San Antonio found a shady spot when they lined up next to an outside wall of the McGuire-Dent Recreation Center.
They were part of the Texas Black RVers and Campers. They explained that their group is made up of Black RV owners who get together at different festivals in the region, and Juneteenth in Galveston is one of their favorites.
The gathering of recreational vehicles was at Stella Mare RV Resort, where participants reported they had organized parties and Juneteenth celebrations, along with venturing out to the parade and attending the festival, and just all around enjoying a weekend near the beach.
The family owners of Monica Nicole Collections drove down from Dallas to be part of the festival as vendors.
“We saw a flyer on Facebook, and I contacted Lawanda Ward and here we are, “Nicole said. “It’s been good really good being here today,”
The family plans to come back next year and continue creating T-shirts and selling hand-beaded jewelry at Galveston’s Juneteenth Festival.
There were numerous vendors who came in from all over the state, and if you were thirsty, you were given a cold bottle of water by strangers who just wanted to share.
The stage offered entertainment. On the bandstand, Daria Joel performed in her bare feet a traditional African dance. Curtis Gillins of Galveston served as the percussionist for Joel.
The next set of dancers was given a little bit of shade for their dance floor, but their movements couldn’t be confined to the small area, and they too were willing to dazzle the audience by dancing barefooted across the heated concrete. Additional festival entertainment on the stage included Idiginis, a reggae band, and singer Love Jewel.
While being a time for eating, drinking, dancing, singing, and supporting small businesses, the festival was also a time for crowning the 2024 Galveston County Little Miss and Little Mr. Juneteenth.
