On this week’s episode of Out and About, Dr. Mae Gilliland of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois talks with Chanel Hargrave-Murray, Supervisor of Community Connections for the Peoria Park District, about the upcoming Jubilee Day taking place June 19 at the Peoria RiverFront.

The free community celebration honors Juneteenth through a full day of live entertainment, cultural experiences, family activities, food vendors, community resources and a themed drone show over the riverfront. Hargrave-Murray explains that the name “Jubilee Day” reflects the historic celebrations held when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved people in Texas, marking a long-awaited moment of freedom and community.

This year’s event places special emphasis on storytelling and remembrance through interactive “activation stations” designed to connect attendees with local history. One feature, Our Grandparents’ Porch, will invite longtime community members to share stories about Peoria’s past and their experiences during periods of social change. Another installation, Our Ancestry Tree, will allow participants to honor family members and ancestors by adding their names to a living tree that will later be planted in a Peoria Park District location.

“We wanted to bring that back,” Hargrave-Murray said of the storytelling tradition. “We’re having a setup called Our Grandparents’ Porch, where we have community members that have been a part of the changes here in Peoria, and they’re going to sit and tell their stories about Peoria and the history.”

The celebration also features performances, fashion showcases, youth activities, wellness resources, and a Juneteenth-themed drone show featuring special pyro drones designed to create firework-like effects in the night sky.

Jubilee Day takes place Thursday, June 19, at the Peoria RiverFront and is free and open to the public.

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