Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Carrie Hudson

Intern Reporter

For the Hervey Town Neighborhood Association, three years of hosting the Jessamine Juneteenth Festival is just the beginning for the group.

The festival occurred on Saturday, June 17 at Clint-Hayden Park in Nicholasville.

According to their website, the mission of the Hervey Town Neighborhood Association is “to empower and uplift the African-American community through education, advocacy, and cultural enrichment.”

Founder and president of the association, Tamar Sanders, stated the goal of the festival was to bring people together and provide information on the holiday.

“They get free entertainment, education about Juneteenth, and a free meal,” Sanders said.

The festival consisted of locally-based vendors and organizations, a DJ, a live band, food and activities for children.

Sanders revealed that ensuring the vendors and business were local was a priority in the event’s planning.

“Everything we have out here is local. We try to stay local and look at minorities. So, really everything here is local and has a specific reason to be here,” Sanders said.

At the festival, the 1963 class of Rosenwald-Dunbar Elementary School was recognized.

During the acknowledgment, any graduates of Rosenwald-Dunbar during that specific period were invited to the front and presented with a gift.

Planning an event like the festival required a lot of support, and for that Sanders and the Hervey Town Neighborhood Association are greatly appreciative, specifically to the city of Nicholasville and Nicholasville Parks and Recreation.

She said this is the first year working with the City of Nicholasville, but Park and Recreation have always helped bring the event to life.

“This is the first time the City of Nicholasville has gotten involved with us, and Parks and Rec has always been supportive. They provide the park to us, they cut the grass and provide the porta potties. When we leave here, we want it to look like we were never here,” said Sanders.

Moving forward, Sanders hopes to establish monthly activities for the community and one day have a community center in Hervey Town.

“That requires a lot of grants and fundraising, so that is a long-term goal of ours to finally have a community center in the neighborhood,” Sanders stated.

For Sanders, her overall goal in her work with Hervey Town is to create a strong sense of community and togetherness.

“I have been trying to figure out how to bring back the family-vibe, events, get-to-togethers. The Hervey Town Neighborhood Association is how I do it,” she said.

To learn more about the Hervey Town Neighborhood Association and their Juneteenth Festival, please check out their website: https://herveytownky.org/.