Juneteenth in Seneca County

The Tiffin Juneteenth Committee welcomes area residents and visitors of all ages to participate in the Third Annual Juneteenth Celebration, June 17th – June 19th, 2023; this year’s theme is, “Community.”

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. 

Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House two months earlier in Virginia, but slavery had remained relatively unaffected in Texas—until U.S. General Gordon Granger stood on Texas soil and read General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

The Juneteenth Celebration in Seneca County will be a weekend of fun, informative, and entertaining events. See the full schedule below!  

Community 5K Walk/Run

• Saturday, June 17 at 9:00am
• 141 Madison St., Tiffin
• $20 registration fee

Musical Celebration

• Saturday, June 17 at 7:00pm
• East Green Amphitheatre, Tiffin
• Free and open to the public

 Worship Service and Hymnal Walk

• Guest Speaker: Pastor Kristopher Johnson
• Sunday, June 18 at 10:00am
• East Green Amphitheatre, Tiffin
• Free and open to the public

 Fish Fry – Community Meal

• Monday, June 19 at 6pm
• 45 S. Washington St., Tiffin
• Free and open to the public

In addition to the in-person events, the Tiffin Juneteenth Committee is currently accepting artistic and written submissions for the Juneteenth Art & Essay Contest. The Art & Essay contest is currently open for participants PreK thru adult.  For more information about the Art & Essay Contest, email: Kharper@heidelberg.edu

Come celebrate Juneteenth and embrace the theme of COMMUNITY through these amazing planned events!