Juneteenth observances will be June 18, 19 at Grandon Civic Center in Sterling

STERLING – Juneteenth observances will be June 18 and 19 at the Grandon Civic Center, 214 Fourth St.

A celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Live entertainment, fitness demonstrations, “touch-a-truck” and food vendors will be part of the event, which is organized by the Diversity Committee of the Sauk Valley and YWCA Sauk Valley. It is sponsored by Church Women United.

On Sunday, June 19, the Diversity Committee will conduct a worship service at 10 a.m.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that will be observed Monday, June 20. It commemorates the June 19, 1865, proclamation in Galveston, Texas, that slavery had ended.