Previously canceled, Kendall County Juneteenth celebration finds new host in Yorkville

Plano’s Juneteenth celebration has been moved to a new location – the Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ.

Juneteenth in Kendall County – A Celebration of Love & Education – will be from 4 to 8 p.m. June 19 at the church, located at 409 Center Parkway in Yorkville. In January, Plano 2nd Ward Alderman Jamal Williams had announced the annual event was cancelled this year.

Williams heads up a committee that puts on the celebration. In February 2021, Plano made history by becoming the first community in Illinois to adopt Juneteenth as an official holiday.

Later that year, Juneteenth became a state and federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the day when the last enslaved people in the country were informed of their freedom.

After his announcement that the event was cancelled, Wamecca Rodriguez, coach of the Yorkville Middle School and Yorkville High School step teams and the Rev. Elizabeth Hartung, pastor of the Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ, stepped forward to ensure the event would continue this year.

“The groundwork was quickly set,” Williams said. “They motivated me and others who wanted to see the festival continue to push forward and make it happen.”

The Yorkville High School Stepping Foxes have performed previously at the Juneteenth event. This will mark the fifth year of the event.

The schedule for this year’s event is being worked out. The event will feature guest speakers, a return of the Yorkville step team, a DJ and The Hurricane Project blues band, which also has previously performed at the event.

Food will also be served at the event, which will be held in the church’s parking lot.

“It’s going to be a fun day,” he said. “And we’re planning for good weather, because God has blessed us each year with that. If we have to move inside, we have the ability to do that as well.”

Williams hopes this year’s celebration will help more people understand the importance of Juneteenth and to help bring the community together.

“We’re just looking for the support of Yorkville, Plano and the rest of Kendall County,” he said. “The importance is getting everyone to come together.”

The event attracts people from other states as well, including Tennessee and Alabama.

Two sponsors have already committed to this year’s event – The Chocolate Shoppe in Plano and Sense of Samadhi yoga studio in Yorkville.

“People are willing to get behind what I feel is a positive project,” Williams said.