Juneteenth Parade brings community together in St. Joseph celebration

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Juneteenth celebrations continued throughout Saturday with a parade that traveled from Bode Middle School to the Bartlett Center.

The parade has been held in conjunction with Juneteenth since 1995, possibly even earlier, marking decades of community tradition.

This event is held to celebrate community and unite individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

As with other Juneteenth observances, this collective unity is what sustains St. Joseph's character as a diverse and inclusive city.

This year, floats were made by the different churches, organizations, and political campaigns that celebrate Juneteenth.

Loes Hedge, a member of the Juneteenth Committee, shared her excitement about the growing parade.

"We know that there are some of those people that are in the parade, and our church is in the parade," Hedge said. "They have their float in the parade again, so we're looking forward to that. We hope we win."

Juneteenth celebrations will continue through Sunday with a community gathering at the Bartlett Center from 1-4 PM.