By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A month ago, Lydia Morgan wondered if Cincinnati's annual Juneteenth Festival at Eden Park might join the growing list of popular summer events no longer held in the city.

Organizers were struggling to find money to put on the celebration, which costs around $12,000. Budget cutbacks forced the Cincinnati Park Board to slash funding to the festival from $5,000 to $1,000. In addition, organizers didn't have a full slate of entertainers lined up.

"We were petrified," said Morgan, chairman of Cincinnati Juneteenth Committee Inc.

Morgan said organizers began writing letters and calling residents and businesses asking for donations. Corporate contributors such as WCIN 1480-AM, Kroger and UPS stepped in as co-sponsors. About $1,000 was raised from private citizens, she said.

And when organizers approached area entertainers, they agreed to perform for whatever price the festival committee could afford.

"Every entertainer we went to said, 'You can pay us whatever you can pay us.' They told us if we get the money, fine. But if we don't, they will still be there because it is such a great event."

Morgan said organizers went from an incomplete entertainment lineup Monday to a full slate Tuesday.

"This is an event people want to see happen," Morgan said. "We just appreciate everyone's help."

Cincinnati's 16th annual Juneteenth celebration kicks off at noon Saturday at Eden Park. The festival is part of a nationwide celebration that marks the end of slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth began in Galveston, Texas, when Union troops marched into the city June 19, 1865, and delivered the news that the Civil War was over. The date was celebrated the following year as Emancipation Day. Similar festivals took root across the country.

The family-oriented event began in the Tristate after Morgan visited a Juneteenth Festival in Phoenix. It now attracts more than 5,000 people yearly.

This year's festival will feature 17 musical groups including jazz musician Sheila Marshall, the gospel group Nu Family and the Parham Elementary School Steppers. Animals from the Cincinnati Zoo will be on display and there will be food, arts, crafts and free health screenings.

"It is very important to have it every year," Morgan said. "Juneteenth is a different kind of event in that it celebrates our country's history and something that impacts us all.

"The harmony among the people who attend Juneteenth is so thick you can practically see it," she said

The area's largest annual concert, JazzFest, moved to Detroit in February.

If you go

What: Cincinnati's 16th annual Juneteenth Festival

When: Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.

Where: Eden Park

Cost: Free

Schedule: Entertainment begins on stages at Mirror Lake and Seasongood Pavilion at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and will run until 8 p.m.

E-mail kaldridge@enquirer.com