With the Opening Ceremony set today at 6 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, the 35th annual 8th of August Emancipation Festival begins its annual five-day run in Russellville. It’s filled with activities for the thousands who will gather to participate in while enjoying reconnecting with old friends and family.
The 8th of August has been celebrated in this area for many decades, but this is the 35th year it has been in Russellville after moving from nearby Allensville. Hampton Park on East Seventh Street near Franklin Street is the primary gathering place.
The theme of the celebration is “The Hill We Climb,” based on the poem writing and read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration by young poet Amanda Gordon. It comes during a time that Biden has chosen an African American woman to be vice president and the first African American woman to become a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
A reminder of how different that is from older eras came Tuesday night when family members from many states came to Russellville for a private screening of a documentary about the lynching of some black men in Russellville in the early 20th century.
Speakers for tonight’s opening service are both black and white. They include pastors Brad Rogers, Randall Rogers, Colby Barnett, Phillip Washington, and Michael Lockhart. Singers from New Vision Church will present the music. The host pastor is Rev. Perryn Dillard and Cedar Grove Church. Rev. Fred Forte is pastor of Mt. Zion.
The SEEK Museums will be open throughout the Festival without charge. Among the primary exhibits are tributes to Major Richard Bibb, who freed his slaves, groundbreaking journalist Alice Allison Dunnigan, and blues singer Mary All Fischer.
Thursday night the Little Mr. and Miss Pageant will be held at nearby Kirby Funeral Services, beginning at 6 p.m. The chair of this event, Rochelle Jackson Sydnor, says, “These little ones in their cultural attire and their parents make this pageant top notch and definitely something to boast about.”
Friday and Saturday are full of fun events. See the schedule on this page.
The steering committee consists of Paulette Smith, Michael Morrow, Kathy Edmonds, Pat Gaines and Patrick Maskin.