Early 2000s R&B singer J. Holiday came to Ogden to perform at the 35th anniversary of Ogden’s Juneteenth Festival on June 17. J. Holiday, along with other attending local performers, praised the audience for the dedication they have shown for the historical federal holiday.

“Juneteenth is a time where we can celebrate the history of the holiday and the unity that brings us together,” Betty Sawyer, the executive director of Project Success Coalition, said.

Sawyer has been one of the leaders to organize this event since its start in 1989. Sawyer’s focus for this year’s Juneteenth was to have good music, good food and to gain a family.

Attendees Timmy and Vicky Hill have been coming to the Juneteenth Festival for 10 years.

“We’ve seen people who have grown up in Ogden move away … On Juneteenth, they come back, which makes it feel like a family reunion,” Vicky Hill said.

Candace Marshall, an associate pastor from Juniper Tree Church in Clearfield and vendor participant at this event, said “It has grown so much from when I first came here. I’m excited about meeting new people and hearing their experience.”

What started in the late 1800s after the freedom of Black slaves from Texas has grown into the most recently implemented federal holiday as of 2021 and a Utah state holiday as of 2022.

“There has been big growth with different communities in the state celebrating Juneteenth, and we want to make it grow even more,” Sawyer said.