Juneteenth celebration returns next month

The city of Rio Rancho's Juneteenth celebration is on for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22 in Haynes Park.

The event will feature live music and food trucks.

Last year strong winds took over the start of the celebration and blew several vendors' tents over.

Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, celebrates the full emancipation of slaves in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas some 2 1/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

It was established as a federal holiday in 2021.

For a full history of Juneteenth, see National Museum of African American History and Culture's website.