More Photos from La Grange’s Juneteenth Celebration

La Grange’s Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, was a region-wide affair. Parade members came as far away as Houston to participate in the day’s festivities.

“I’m really, really excited that we had that much participation,” said La Grange Mayor Jan Dockery. “The parade turned out really good and the gospel explosion was nice last night. It was very well attended.”

The parade marked the beginning of Saturday’s celebration with the route spanning from Farmer’s Lumber all the way to Care Inn. Participants rode in fire trucks, motorcycles and even semi-trailers, waving to the crowd and tossing candy to kids.

An activity-filled luncheon followed, hosted by the Randolph Recreation Center. Parade sponsors spoke about the importance of the celebration, and dancers gave spirited performances.

“You cannot say unity in the community without putting unity into action,” said Crystal Perez, a representative of St. John’s Baptist Church. “This is unity in action. That is something to praise God for.”