Festivities were in full swing by 11 a.m. at the 10th annual Juneteenth Heritage Festival, and residents appeared prepared to keep celebrating till the 8 p.m. closing.Folks lined up for barbecue and burgers, and children eagerly waited in line for a turn bouncing in the Supa-Bounce, an inflatable enclosure in which they could jump up and down and off the walls.
For 11-year-old Tarah Mccallister, it was the best Juneteenth celebration ever.
"I just like being here," Tarah said, giggling with friends and eating a red snow cone. "I like this one better than last year just because more friends are here. We're just eating and listening to music."
Tarah's thoughts of enjoying the seasonably good weather and the wide variety of local talent seemed to be what most everyone else was thinking as well.
The Masters of Ceremony, Charles Barclay and James Hanner, also known as DJs Chaz and Jazzy Jay, said the day started off great and promised to get even better.
"I tell you, this is going to be fantastic," Barclay said. "This is the biggest event in Anniston, and it is awesome. We always try to provide a venue for local talent, and we have a great amount of local talent here today. The weather is good, and we have a good turnout today too. We're expecting about 3,000 to 4,000 people today."
Barclay's godson, 9-year-old Joraneous Woolverton, watched with wide eyes as Barclay got the crowd moving with music and welcomed guests to the stage, asking for and receiving cheers, amens and applause for every act.
It was Linda Davis' first time at the festival. She said she was overwhelmed by the turnout and welcome she received from the community.
Davis grew up in Anniston, but now lives in Columbus, Ga. Her sister had persuaded her to come sell her perfumes at the festival, where vendors of all kinds lined up their wares for prospective buyers.
"It's just nice to be fellowshipping with people," Davis said. "The weather is cool and the crowds are good. I wish we could have more of these. I'm looking forward to meeting some old friends here today."
Around noon, Poet Darlene A. Scott from Richmond, Va., took the stage.
As people gathered to sit and listen, she softly spoke, and sometimes almost sang, three of her poems about family, love and the hard times African-Americans have endured.
Afterward, she said she was amazed at the Anniston community for having such a wonderful celebration.
"Everyone has been so friendly," she said. "I'm from a small town originally, and so this feels almost like home. I was telling my sister that she should come here."
Meanwhile, throughout the poetry reading and music, Elder Terrence Gowdy, from the Assembly of Divine Reality Inc., of Saks, stood watch over sizzling burgers.
Gowdy said he has been coming to the festival for the last four years or so, and always has a good time. This year he's enjoying it even more than normal, however, since he is training two younger members of his Bible school class to flip the burgers.
"They're doing great," he said. "They're allowing me to sit down a bit and enjoy it all."
