(Featured photo from left Riley, Evelyn and Sarah Parten make a craft at the Augusta Museum of History. Charmain Z. Brackett/Augusta Good News)
The Augusta Museum of History observed Juneteenth with a day of music, story times, crafts and history related to the holiday.
“This is our fourth year,” said Nancy Glaser, the museum’s executive director June 17.
Crowds ebbed and flowed depending on the schedule. Students from the Jessye Norman School of the Arts performed, and Jay Jeffries read Juneteenth for Maisie while local artist Dawn Cardona read from her book Celebrate with Me.
People could participate in a Juneteenth themed scavenger hunt, and children could do crafts sponsored by Westobou. They included making a tribal necklace and weaving Kente cloth from paper.
While there were crowds at the museum various times during the day, Glaser said many of those visiting weren’t drawn to the space for its Juneteenth activities, they were there to see the popular James Brown exhibition. Others also
Sarah Parten was one museum patron who came for the Juneteenth observance. She brought her two daughters, Riley and Evelyn. Evelyn, who is Black, has been adopted into the Parten family, who is White.
“We wanted to give her an opportunity to learn about her culture and history,” Sarah Parten said.
When performances had ended in the rotunda, the documentary “They Went Down to the River,” highlighting the history of Springfield Village on the Savannah River, which later became annexed into the city of Augusta, played.
The museum’s next large-scale program is the Third Annual Great Building Showdown which will be June 29-July 9.
Matt Hines, who has been in the Guinness Book of World Records for owning the most LEGO Star War sets, will build some of the items from his sets during this year’s event, Glaser said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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