The most-popular gathering spot for the kids, however, was around the city’s large fountain, where they stayed cool refilling their water guns and joyfully squirting one another.
“They’ve been fluctuating in and out all day because it is so hot,” said community development administrator Daphne Viverette, who added everyone was drinking a lot of water, as well, which the city provided.
A brief welcome program by local and state officials invited townsfolk to enjoy the day and its many offerings -- free health screenings in addition to the youth activities.
The festival, held in many communities throughout the United States, is a special occasion for many. Meant to celebrate and recognize the freedom of slaves, the event proudly remembers an 1863 proclamation given by President Abraham Lincoln.
The proclamation announced to the American people “all persons held as slaves within any State … shall be then … forever free … and no act or acts to repress such person … shall be committed.” The president went on to say he “enjoin(s) upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence … and labor faithfully for reasonable wages.”
MOSS POINT -- Hundreds of residents braved Saturday’s sweltering temperatures to attend Moss Point’s second annual Juneteenth Heritage Festival at the city’s downtown River Walk.
The event, a collaboration between the city’s community development team and the parks and recreation department, brought out nearly a dozen vendors to peddle their wares, including foods, crafts and local art.
Old-fashioned games such as potato-sack races and bean-bag toss, combined with newer forms of entertainment such as the large inflatable jump castle, kept children of all ages busy.
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