Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
File photoShawn Haskins, left, moves a chess piece on during a game with Gee Haskins at the 2011 Juneteenth Celebration in Potter Park. The two said they play chess together all the time but were planning to put the board away because there was too much fun going on around them.
William P. Hall started the Clovis Juneteenth Extravaganza about18 years ago with five other people.
File photo
Shawn Haskins, left, moves a chess piece on during a game with Gee Haskins at the 2011 Juneteenth Celebration in Potter Park. The two said they play chess together all the time but were planning to put the board away because there was too much fun going on around them.
Friends and family of Hall said he has worked tirelessly throughout the past 18 years cooking tasty, down-home food and creating an atmosphere where people of all ethnicities can unite and learn about African-American history.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the abolition of slavery. The holiday on June 19 dates to 1865 in Galveston, Texas. It has since spread across the U.S. The day celebrates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.
"It's not just for black people," said Hall, Juneteenth Extravaganza chair.
"This is for the community because it brings everybody together. In some places the celebration is mostly all black, but I don't think it should be that way. We're integrated now. I think it should be where everybody joins in together."
Hall said the Clovis Juneteenth celebration has attracted people from Oklahoma, New York, California and Las Vegas, Nev. He said people call him in advance to inquire about the day of the celebration.
According to Hall, last year's celebration attracted more than 3,000 people of all backgrounds. Hall said this year's celebration will have lots of positive communication, food such as barbecue, fish and sides, games, conversation about the old days and meetings of old friends. Elderly citizens can have food delivered to their table.
"We start cooking at about 4:30, five in the morning and we cook all day long until the food is gone," Hall said.
"I want the young people to see what the old people are doing and pick up the torch and stand up and be recognized."
Ethel Shankle, Juneteenth Extravaganza volunteer, said Juneteenth provides people of all races a chance to learn about each other's cultures and understand each other.
"I heard about it and when I first went there, I just could not believe it," said Shankle, who has attended the celebration for at least five years.
"It was really like down home. It's really a diverse group now. It's everybody."
Fast facts
What: Clovis Juneteenth Extravaganza
When: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. or 7 p.m.
Where: Potter Park, 410 North Upsilon St., Clovis
Cost: Free
Who can attend: Anyone
Information: Contact William P. Hall, 760-2087 (cell) or 762-6582 (home)
