Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 17. Granby Racial Reconciliation (GRR) will host the second annual Granby Celebrates Juneteenth festival at Salmon Brook Park—a free, public arts and education festival from 3 to 9:30 p.m.
This year’s event is packed with amazing musical talents. The first hour of the festival will feature local favorites Sazzy Brass, a jazz ensemble. This Granby based band, led by Rosemarie Roy on trombone and Dawn Zukowski on trumpet, will give homage to Juneteenth by performing blues and jazz standards with an R and B twist. The SKJ Experiment will bring an hour of high energy through a mix of classic sounds of the Motown years with the hottest Pop and R and B music of the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Invigorated by their lead vocalist, Steven King, Jr and the live band, audiences of all ages will be dancing the event away while enjoying the fire that the SKJ Experiment brings with every note!
The event will culminate with a concert by The Alvin Carter Project presenting LEGACY: The Keepers of Tradition. This is a tribute to the music of the African Diaspora. Just imagine Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Afro-Caribbean all served up in one dish that no matter how much is served, you will still want more! Grammy-nominated Kenny Hamber, the “Man with The Big Voice” will be making a rare “hometown” Connecticut appearance with LEGACY and will be joined by surprise guests.
Besides musical offerings, there will educational speakers, activities for all ages, vendors and food trucks. A 3-on-3 basketball tournament earlier in the day is in the works as is a double dutch exhibition/challenge.
Festival events are free and open to the public. There will be a registration fee for teams to enter the tournaments. In the event of rain, the celebration will be held on Sunday, June 18. For more details visit GranbyRacialReconciliation.com/juneteenth.
Vendor opportunities
Granby Racial Reconciliation is offering businesses, organizations, and community members an opportunity to host a booth at Granby Celebrates Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17, 2023. The arts festival will be held at Salmon Brook Park from 3 p.m.–9:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for participating organizations to share their products and/or services with the community. Space is limited and registration ends May 31, 2023. A $50 donation is requested for each vendor. Vendors will need to supply their own tent, table and chairs. For additional information and to reserve a booth, visit granbyracialreconciliation.com/vendorregistration.
—By Ken Mouning