Lace up your roller skates and put on your favorite ’70s threads for this weekend’s Juneteenth Jubilee in Festival Park.
The second annual festival will host Grammy Award-winning artists, an outdoor roller-skating rink and educational tours on the Can-Do Coldwell Trolley as Fayetteville commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Organizers with Cool Spring Downtown District said the celebration is important to American history.
“It was the day that the very last enslaved people in America found out that they were free, and it was years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. Getting federal recognition is a step forward for our country,” said Ashanti Bennett, director of special projects for the downtown booster organization.
Cool Spring President and CEO Bianca Shoneman said her organization was asked last year by the city to organize the jubilee after the federal government recognized Juneteenth as an official federal holiday.
“We were coming off the success of the New Year’s Eve night circus event, and they wanted to recognize one of the most American of holidays, so we stepped in,” said Shoneman.
Last year, the jubilee was a multicultural review of influential music with world music, gospel, hip-hop and Americana. This year, disco and the 1970s rose to the top as the team brought ideas to the table.
“We wanted to have a more focused balance this year and take listeners on a journey through time, not necessarily across the globe. So we leaned into the ’70s. A lot of cool things happened in the 1970s and also a lot of great music,” said Shoneman.
Two days of music, fun
The celebration will begin at 7:30 a.m. Friday with an already sold-out 5K race hosted by Cool Spring Downtown District and the Fayetteville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Festival Park gates will open at 3 p.m. for music, vendors, food and entertainment.
New this year is an outdoor skating rink, which organizers say is one of the coolest additions.
“We were really able to lean into our theme for the 1970s with the roller rink,” said Shoneman.
Skate rental is $5 and includes 30 minutes on the rink.
“It just feels like a freeing thing to do. It’s lots of movement, and it plays in so well,” said Bennett.
The skating rink will be next to the stage at Festival Park, where award-winning music artists will be performing.
“It’s going to be a good time. We’ve got a great line-up for the weekend that is going to bring the crowd together and get people moving,” said Bennett.
The festival stage will kick off with JoDavi, Dreamville Dance Company and “American Idol” finalist Lee Jean Jr. before headliners The Fatback Band and Rose Royce close out the night.
Bill “Fatback” Curtis was just honored as one of the latest inductees into the Fayetteville Performing Arts Hall of Fame along with television and film actress Elizabeth MacRae and music producer Robert Deaton.
Curtis is a musical visionary who performed funk and disco music as well as rap in the 1970s and 1980s with hits including “(Are You Ready?) Do the Bus Stop” and “King Tim III (Personality Jock).”
“Mr. Curtis’ group, The Fatback Band, played with us last year, and the ’70s were their heyday. So, it only made sense to bring him back and honor some of Fayetteville’s most distinguished musicians,” said Shoneman.
Multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning funk and R&B recording artist Rose Royce will follow with a full night of dance hits including the mega-hit “Car Wash.”
Also on Saturday, a photo exhibit titled “Homegrown: A Photo Exhibit Celebrating Fayetteville Leadership and Community Contributors Born or Excelling in the 1970s” will be displayed along with the Juneteenth Joyscape community mural.
From 1 to 4 p.m., the “Can You Dig It?” trolley will host an educational tour focused on Black Fayetteville in the 1970s. With departures every hour, the trolley ride will run about 30 to 45 minutes. The tour is free, but donations will be accepted.
“This is not just a party. We also want to explain what Juneteenth is, so we’ve worked alongside Fayetteville State University archivist Nicole Young, and she helped us develop a history tour of what was happening in 1970s Fayetteville. You’ll meet in front of the Festival Park Building at 335 Ray Ave. and, every hour on the hour, there will be a free tour,” said Shoneman.
On Saturday night, the Juneteenth Jubilee Groovy Costume Contest will take place at 7 p.m. with gift card prizes good at downtown stores and restaurants. Anyone who wants to enter the contest must check in at the Cigar Bar to the left of the Festival Park stage by 6:45 p.m. Advance registration is available and encouraged on the Downtown Fayetteville website.
Sunday will bring even more music with community choirs starting at 2:15 p.m. They include the Cumberland Choral Arts, Christ Worship Center Church and United Ministries in Christ. The headliner is Grammy- and “Soul Train” Music Award-winning performer Tye Tribbett, who will take the stage with gospel and soul music at 4:45 p.m.
Tribbett, known as the “Elvis of Gospel,” has sold more than 1.3 million albums and collaborated with artists such as Faith Hill, Snoop Dog, India Arie, Sting, Common and Mary J. Blige. His repertoire showcases high-energy praise and soulful worship songs incorporating African rhythms.
In addition, more than 20 local food trucks and 100 vendors will on site. Bounce houses, yard games and more will be available for children.
VIP tickets are for sale at $100, which includes entry to the VIP tent, two drink tickets, a buffet, an entry ticket to the roller rink and a commemorative glass. The VIP tickets are good for Saturday and Sunday.
With disco bands, an outdoor roller-skating rink and an educational tour, Juneteenth Jubilee is going back to when things were groovy and celebrating a united nation.
For more information, including ways to get involved and volunteer, visit the Juneteenth Jubilee website.
