PLATTSBURGH — The 2025 Juneteenth Colors of Freedom in the Adirondacks Celebration highlights past and present struggles, resilience and triumphs.
The festivities begin with two art exhibits at the SUNY Plattsburgh Art Museum from 5-7 p.m. Friday.
HISTORICAL TOUR
On Saturday, the day starts at the North Star Underground Railroad Museum at Ausable Chasm.
“It will be a mini-bus tour of some of the Underground Railroad sites in Keeseville, and then we will go out to Peru,” Jacqueline Madison, president of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, said. “From there, we will have the reenactment of Samuel Keese (Peter Slocum) at the Quaker Union. Peter’s wife Ann will do a reenactment of Jane Keese. Then, we will go to the Stephen Keese Smith farm. Neal Burdick and his wife Barbara will do reenactments of Stephen Keese Smith and Catherine Keese.”
In the afternoon, the bus tour swings to the John Brown Farm Historic Site in Lake Placid.
“There, we will have the celebration,” Madison said. “There is a DJ there. You will also have a People’s Choir. They will be out in the audience with freedom songs, and then we will all sing together.”
There is a Harriet Tubman Book Walk for children as well as bean bag toss and face painting.
“Of course, we will have Bob Andrews, who will do John Brown’s last speech in the courthouse,” Madison said. “There will be a “Jeopardy” game hosted in the barn with prizes. We will also do a presentation on Juneteenth, slavery and the abolitionist movement.”
There will also be a Colors of Freedom Award ceremony at which recipients will be honored.
“SUNY Plattsburgh will have what they call a Healing Circle,” Madison said. “Anyone that wants to will be able to sit, and they will have prompts, questions that people can answer if the want to. This isn’t something that is required. Some refer to it as more a conversation/discussion.”