Commissioners Court Proclaims Juneteenth Month, Invites Communities To Celebrate

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – At its June 6 meeting the Hays County Commissioners Court proclaimed the month of June as Juneteenth Month in Hays County and thanked the many volunteers in the community who are organizing events to celebrate and raise scholarship funds.

The proclamation calls upon the people of Hays County to join in the celebration of this significant event throughout the month and to recognize the importance of Juneteenth to human freedoms so cherished by the people of the United States.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in January 1863, slaves in Texas did not hear about their freedom until June 19, 1865 when Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston and announced that all Texas slaves were free.

On June 13, 1979, Governor William P. Clements signed a bill that made June 19 an official State holiday.

Rose Brooks of San Marcos, who chairs the annual cake auction that raises scholarships for disadvantaged youth, told the Court that this year’s auction will be at 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 15 at the San Marcos Activity Center. On June 16 and 17 the annual charity BBQ Cook-off Competition and Music Festival will be held at the San Marcos City Park and Plaza.

A parade through downtown San Marcos June 17 begins at Dunbar Park, 801 W. Martin Luther King Dr., at 10 a.m. Other civic and religious organizations will also be holding events during June.

Several community partners come together to host the Juneteenth festivities, including Impact San Marcos, Pride of San Marcos Lodge #494, the BBQ Cook-Off Committee, the Cake Auction Scholarship Committee, and the Dunbar Heritage Association.