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Bastrop's Juneteenth fete honors veterans, commemorates ending of slavery

Austin American-Statesman - 6/19/2019

Bastrop's Juneteenth celebration over the weekend brought the area community together to recall a historic event in American history, honor local veterans, and enjoy a grand parade and classic car show. The annual event commemorates when Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston on June 19, 1865, with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free.

The annual banquet Friday evening at the Bastrop Convention Center kicked off the weekend's festivities with the theme "Celebrating our veterans." Approximately 50 veterans were called to the front of the room according to their branch of service. Each veteran spoke briefly to the audience detailing their military occupation, and time and places of service. On a special table with a white cloth, service members who had passed away were honored by relatives in a moving ceremony marked by the lighting of candles. Brandi Warren, a 2016 Bastrop High School graduate and University of Texas student, performed a praise-dance.

On Saturday morning, the annual Juneteenth parade enthralled viewers who lined Main Street. Positioned at the corner of Main and Farm streets with microphone in hand, emcee Sandra Moore called out the sponsors of the varied floats and participants.

Close to noon, attendees at the historic Kerr Center spread out chairs across the lawn, or enjoyed the shade of the outdoor pavilion, while listening to spiritual messages and gospel singing. Across Chestnut Street at the Convention Center parking lot, the Blue Flame Cruisers Car Show showcased nearly 100 classic cars.

The festivities were capped off by an all-ages street dance that evening on Main Street.

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