The Hopkinsville Human Rights Commission and the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County are back for their annual 8th of August celebrations, and this year is bigger than ever.
In fact, the party gets started before the weekend of August 8—and the day itself falls on a Saturday this year—with the Gathered in Love Heritage Dinner and Awards taking place on August 2. HRC Executive Assistant Jada Morris says it kicks off the community celebration with a soul food dinner at Virginia Street Baptist Church from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. where they’ll recognize those who have helped shape this community.
While we’ve all heard of Juneteenth, in this region of the United States, Museums Director Alissa Keller says people celebrate August 8 as Emancipation Day as that’s when enslaved people of this region first learned of their freedom in the 1860’s.
The weekend celebration gets fully underway Friday, August 7, with Keller saying they’ll have bus tours to several historical sites, a panel with the Humphries Family regarding local Black history and impact and more.
Saturday, the Museum takes over the block with music, food and vendors with a festival style event, with Taste of the Town taking place nearby.
You can find tickets for the Dinners and Awards program on the Hopkinsville Human Rights Commission Facebook page, and they’ll post more information on the events in the coming weeks.