June 18, 2005 - Oberlin Juneteenth Celebration
Men in Civil War uniforms, women in bonnets and hoop dresses, "cowboys" on horses, food, vendors, singers, prizes, historical learning, and family fun. That's a snapshot of the experience at the Oberlin Juneteenth Festival. Our AAGS Cleveland display (set between the booths of the LDS and the Oberlin genealogy & History Group), drew a number of inquiries. As family reunion members strolled and reacquainted, a church group, residents, and other visitors also enjoyed the event. Whether learning about cemetery history, efforts to recognize a local "colored troop" hero, the significance of the Underground Railroad in Oberlin, or other info regarding our forebears, there was much to rediscover. (Photo at left - 5th U.S.C.T. - United States Colored Troop, Company C Reconstituted. The original Company was out of Ohio. Photo at right - AAGS Public Relations member Delores Jones, on right)"