LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mayor Linda Gorton will outline the city's Juneteenth celebration plans at a news conference Thursday at Charles Young Park, according to a press release from the City of Lexington Mayor's Office.

The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the historic park, located at 540 E. Third St., which will serve as the site of one of the celebrations. Representatives from Juneteenth events are expected to participate in the announcement. The press conference will be livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel.

Charles Young Park was named after the third African American graduate of West Point, honoring his legacy as the highest-ranked African American to serve in the segregated United States Army. The park's community center, opened in 1935, was the first in Lexington for African Americans.

Lexington has hosted expansive Juneteenth celebrations in recent years. The city coordinates with organizers behind SoulFeast Week, a ten-day celebration of Black culinary culture, which highlights Black-owned restaurants, farmers, and chefs. Events typically include live music, cultural performances, food vendors, and community fellowship.

Juneteenth, also recognized as Emancipation Day, became an official federal holiday in 2021, and the June 19 holiday honors the day all enslaved people in the United States were legally freed.