Mount Vernon marked Juneteenth with a celebration centered on community, culture and wellness, as residents gathered for a march from City Hall to Hartley Park for a day of festivities honoring freedom and resilience.

The event featured a health fair offering valuable community resources, along with local vendors, food, live entertainment, line dancing and activities designed for families of all ages.

Among those helping bring the celebration to life was a youth dance troupe based at the Mount Vernon Boys & Girls Club. Director Ashley Doughty said the group performs a wide variety of styles, including praise dance, jazz, ballet, modern dance, hip-hop and traditional African dance.

“We studied dance through Guinea, West Africa, and it’s held as a dance that tells stories, and it has history,” Doughty said.

The performances highlighted the cultural significance of Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865 — the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

In Mount Vernon, organizers said the annual celebration serves as both a remembrance of the past and an opportunity to strengthen community connections through education, health awareness and the arts.

News 12 will continue to bring you coverage of Juneteenth celebrations taking place across the Hudson Valley.