The Black Ancestors Awareness Campaign (BAAC) of Weston, has announced the fourth annual Juneteenth Heritage Jubilee (JHJ4).
Host Angela Hagenbach will lead the festivities at the Weston Red Barn Farm, 16300 Wilkerson Rd., Weston, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 15.
The multi-media program commemorating Weston’s Historic Black Ancestors is from 11 to 1 p.m., followed by a Weston Rotary- sponsored BBQ luncheon (free while supplies last), while enjoying live Kansas City jazz from 1:30 to 3:30.
In support of endeavors to preserve the Halfway House Dungeon (HHD) landmark, a Museum Without Walls initiative, 15-minute interval rides to and from HHD from 1:30-3:30 provided by the Weston Stagecoach Co.
“Our goal is to have it listed on the National Park National Registry of Historic Places,” says Hagenback.
Festival booth shopping and farmland activities continue through 4 p.m.
Program 11:00-1:00 p.m.
The program will delve into Weston Black heritage through revelatory storytelling and exposition.
“We’ll learn about the remnants of the Halfway House from Jerry Floersch, a descendant of the original 1843 owner. While experiencing the venue, Steve Frey will share a bit of Red Barn farmland history, and educator Nimrod M. Shabazz will discuss the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law,” Hagenbach said.
“We’ll meet John McCurdy and Ida B. Wells, two Freedom Fighters portrayed by Kirk Nelson and Gene Bardwell, and explore Rev. Frederick Starr’s pre-Civil War quest for racial equality with Rebecca Ehrich. In addition, we’ll meet two Freedom Seekers who eventually found freedom, performed by Brother John Anderson and poet Natasha Ria El-Scari,” Hagenback said.
Luke ‘Skippy’ Harbur will introduce the crowd to the history of Beatboxing, and they’ll honor the progress of the anti-hate movement with an Angela Hagenbach vocal performance of Strange Fruit, a 1937 poem by Abel Meeropol, popularized by Billie Holiday in 1939.
JHJ4 also features the classical soprano vocals of Cassandra Leon, singing Negro Spirituals accompanied by Jonathan Doram. Art In Motion, Danny Diallo Hinds’ African Drum & Dance troupe, and the JHJ house band, KC jazz legends Roger Wilder, Mike Warren, and James Ward are back by popular demand.
BAAC is a standing committee of the Weston Historical Museum, a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers. The 2024 Juneteenth Heritage Jubilee is made possible in part by Missouri Division of Tourism, Missouri Arts Council, and NW Dible Foundation, with the generous support from our partners and advocates: Weston Chamber of Commerce, Weston Rotary Club, Holladay Distillery, Mary Jo Heidrick, Catha Hall, Weston Stagecoach Co. Georgetta Grigsby, Weston United Methodist Church, Weston Red Barn Farm, Friends of Weston, and volunteers.
