Johnstown native Artie Lightfoot was one of the many people spending time on Friday in downtown Johnstowns Central Park for this years Juneteenth Celebration.

Juneteenth, which was presented by the NAACP Johns-town branch, is a holiday that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865.

Lightfoot said Fridays gathering was a celebration of freedom, but that it also was a great foundation that can be used to build up the diverse community of Johnstown.

Today is the beginning of what could be great for the city of Johnstown, Lightfoot said.

Everyone is coming together today for one common thing thats happiness, and we can get that back in this city, he said.

All we have to do is be able to get together more often like this. And lets talk about our differences. Im sure we have more in common than we thought.

This is what it truly takes to Make America Great Again, Lightfoot said.

Derek Rose, owner of House of Smoke, was one of the food vendors working on Friday.

Rose, like many of the people in attendance, is hoping Johnstown is ready to take a turn for better.

I think this is good for the city, Rose said. I decided to participate just to give back to the city. Its time for all of us to work together.

During Fridays festivities there was an open mic segment that gave the public an opportunity to give words of encouragement, read poetry and more.

Johnstown police Capts. Chad Miller and Jeff Janciga took some time during the open mic period to address Central Parks crowd. The captains spoke about the community coming together and working together to battle such things as the heroin epidemic and the gun violence.

Im proud to be here, Miller said.

I think its important for the community to understand that its just not about one group here and one group there making a difference, its about everybody coming together thats ultimately what it has to be.

Fran Cashaw, the events organizer, agrees with Miller and said Fridays turnout was great.

Were excited about people coming down and fellowshipping together, socializing together and getting to know each other, she said. All while having a great time here in the park.

The Juneteenth festivities began on Wednesday with a youth day at FWA gym on Lincoln Street. Cashaw said that more than 40 kids came down to participate.

The celebration will conclude on Sunday at Lorain Borough Park. Events for Sunday are scheduled from noon to 5 p.m.

All in all, things are going very well, Cashaw said.

Ronald Fisher is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @FisherSince_82.

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Juneteenth holiday celebrated as an opportunity for city - TribDem.com