Juneteenth Festival in Tucson goes inside to beat the heat

But it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, before word got to Texas and the slaves there were set free.

Juneteenth celebrates that long-overdue day. Festivals happen around the country. In Tucson, which had its first Juneteenth fest in 1970, the celebration is slated for June 17 at Dunbar Cultural Center, 325 W. Second St.

A full day is planned, says Valerie Stanley, one of the organizers.

Starting at 11 a.m. and continuing to 4 p.m., community organizations will have booths set up and will answer questions and hand out information. There will be food, historical presentations, demos from students at the Dunbar Barber College, and even laser tag and a kids zone. At 1 p.m., the Tucson Black Film Club will screen Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th.”

At 4, the doors will shut until 6 p.m. Then the party takes off and rocks until 9 p.m. Live jazz and R&B are on the bill, and there will be DJ sounds from Desert Dawgz.

This is the first year the event has been held at Dunbar. And the first time it has been held indoors.

“We’re excited about that,” says Stanley.

“It’ll be 109 on Saturday — global warming is not a joke; it is real. We have to plan accordingly.”

The Juneteenth Festival is free and open to the public. More information is on Facebook.