>> PHOTOS: Springfield celebrates Juneteenth and FatherFest
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
“We’re pretty excited the way this event grows with more community support,” said William Miller, event co-chair with Gail Grant. He points to Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday as a reason for spreading the word and gaining more community support.
The theme for 2023 was The Underground Railroad, and Grant said the Gammon House was returning to its roots to help inform people about the historic home and the movement to help escaped slaves seeking freedom.
Anyone who has visited the Gammon House previously would be greeted by a fresh layout and presentation, beginning with a new composite roof and reconstructed chimneys. Inside, a portrait of George and Sarah Gammon, just recently created by artist Eric Bess, is on display over the fireplace.
Information boards have been updated on the Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation and Underground Railroad.
Even the backyard of the house was transformed into an interactive educational tool with a walking tour charting the route escaped slaves would take throughout various Ohio cities on the Underground Railroad, ending up in Toledo where they could flee to Canada by boat.
Grant was inspired by a topographical project offered by the Springfield Museum of Art and worked with museum educator Amy Korpieski. Visiting youths could work with museum staff on projects and discover that Cliff Park, where the museum is, was a stop on the Underground Railroad — its cliffs featured various caves escapees could hide in.
Organizers are always excited for newcomers to discover the event, such as Nick and Kayla Harris and two-year-old son Theo. They began their Saturday with a visit to the Springfield Farmers Market and Clark County Public Library, where they learned about the celebration and made their way there. It was their first time in the Gammon House.
“This is great. It’s a lot bigger than we thought it would be,” said Kayla Harris of the event.
The couple only got a brief look at the Gammon House and are eager to return as Theo was fixated on the miniature train rides and other kid-friendly activities.
“We’d like to come back. This is nice seeing all these organizations together here to make a difference,” said Nick Harris.
The local event first grew when separate Juneteenth and the FatherFest celebrations merged to create one larger event. One of the annual highlights is the Good Dad Awards, given to deserving fathers and sponsored by Urbana Light Ministries.
Eli Williams of Urban Light said he thinks the overall event is better than ever. But in addition to the awards, Father’s Day weekend should be a reminder that fathering is a full-time job.
To aid that, he’s helped create a new program called Fathering Strong, where dads can share and learn from each other with the goal of becoming better.
“The idea is dads need each other and all have experiences they can share,” Williams said. “Younger dads can learn from older dads and there’s so many types of fathers, there are no limits and we’re using technology to reach them.”
While this year’s Juneteenth events are bigger than ever, Grant and Miller can see even more growth potential. They especially would like more volunteer support, will continue to rotate displays inside the Gammon House and seek more opportunities and Grant would like to see it take over all of Center Street, where many of the food vendors were set up.
“People want to be a part of it. Black history is American history,” Miller said.
While the Juneteenth/FatherFest annual celebration is the centerpiece event, other related free events will follow including the St. John Missionary Baptist Church Tour/Scavenger Hunt at the Gammon House at 7 p.m. Monday; the Local Notable African-Americans Tour at Ferncliff Cemetery, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday; and the Black History Community Scanning Project at the Clark County Public Library, 2:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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