NEWS

A large crowd was on hand Friday night for the narrative and performance portion of the evening. (News of Davidson photo)

Six years ago, the first annual Juneteenth celebration was held outside the Ada Jenkins Center. Each year the celebration has evolved, incorporating the recommendations of attendees and nonprofit partners to make the following year even better. Planners take note, it is going to be tough to improve on this year’s celebration.

Jared Evans (News of Davidson photo)

The evening events began at 5:30 p.m., with dinner being served in the cafeteria and vendors and nonprofits set up inside the main Ada Jenkins Center building.

Acoustic guitarist Jared Evans played for guests enjoying their BBQ in the cafeteria.

Harold Rice Jr., Ada Jenkins Center CEO (News of Davidson photo)

Shortly after 7:00 p.m., guests began filing into the gym, and the program began at 7:15  Ada Jenkins Center CEO Harold Rice Jr. kicked things off by thanking various sponsors for their continued support not only of the evening’s event, but of the Ada Jenkins Center and to the year-round support provided to the community.

What followed was a wonderful evening of music and historical narration. Aurrita Payne provided the historical narration that wove together the history of Juneteenth on a national level with local stories in and around Davidson. She told those stories in between each of the musical performances. There were three stages set up in the gym, so there was no need for changing out the set up between the performances.

Auritta Payne provided the historical narration. (News of Davidson photo)

The first performance was by the Stroller Singers from Torrence Chapel AME Zion Church. They sang several spirituals. And while their voices were wonderful, the largest round of applause came when one of their members pointed out that 7 of the 8 singers in the group had attended the Davidson Colored School (now the Ada Jenkins Center) as children. Those simple words were a reminder that many in attendance had lived the history of the words being spoken.

The Stroller Singers (News of Davidson photo)

The Charlotte Strings Collective Quartet included artists playing violins, a viola, and cello. Most notably, the quartet played several original compositions written by violinist Adrian Gordon. He asked guests to sit back, close their eyes, and think about standing in the water at the beach for the first composition. He had been inspired by the sandy beaches of his childhood in Miami, Florida.

The Elijah Freeman Duo were next up on the program, with Elijah on a soulful saxophone and a colleague on bass. Freeman introduced himself as a product of Juneteenth, noting the namesake. The jazz performance duo paid tribute to the late saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who passed away in May of this year.

Members of the Charlotte Strings Collective Quartet. (News of Davidson photo)

The final performance of the evening came from the Kevin Jones Duo. The artist first commented on all the different genres of music that had filled the evening’s program. He said it was his role to bring a little Motown to the mix. Jones had the majority of the audience joining him in singing “Stand by Me.” By the time he finished, people were dancing in the aisles.

The Elijah Freeman Duo (News of Davidson photo)

Billed as a “Celebratory Closing,” the conclusion of the evening was just that. As some of the chairs were taken away, a larger dance floor welcomed everyone. And people danced. They danced to songs like the “Electric Slide” and the “Wobble.” It was a fitting closing to a fantastic event.

And while the video isn’t a start-to-finish inclusive compilation of every performance, it reflects a sampling of all the musical performances and narration.

See our photo album here.

Kevin Jones (News of Davidson photo)