Organizers of the 33^rd Annual Vallejo Juneteenth Festival and Parade announce they are relocating the event to the Barbara Kondylis Waterfront Green on Mare Island Way at Capitol Street.

The Juneteenth celebration takes place Saturday, June 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Formerly the site of the celebration was across the street at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park behind the JFK Library.

“City officials tell us the space that we’ve used for the past few years is currently occupied by a few campers and recreational vehicles which includes an adjacent parking lot,” said Gwendolyn White, president of the African American Family Reunion Committee which organizes the Juneteenth Celebration.

“We are all committed to providing a clean, safe environment for visitors to enjoy the celebration, and the Waterfront Green is a familiar location to people so we’re looking forward to a great time,” she said.

Organizers have extended the application deadline for vendors and exhibitors to May 15 because many of the participants typically need more time to get everything together to meet requirements to be part of the event.

The Juneteenth event includes a parade, and entries of all kinds will be accepted until June 2. The application is on the website to download at www.vallejojuneteenth.com.

Trending

Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

In addition to a variety of exhibitors and merchants, activities for kids, and a wide selection of food prepared by local vendors, the celebration includes an entertainment lineup featuring a range of music styles including funk, R&B, gospel, Latin rock, jazz, and Salsa.

Aspiring singers, dancers, musicians, orators, and other types of performers are invited to audition and must send an online link to a video of the selection they would perform if chosen for the entertainment lineup to aafrc@vallejojuneteenth.com by May 15 and include their contact information. Performances should be no longer than 10 minutes and must be appropriate for all audiences.

Festival seeks to showcase local, homegrown talent

Vallejo, Calif. | Aspiring singers, dancers, musicians, orators, and other types of performers are invited to audition for Vallejo’s Juneteenth Festival & Parade onstage entertainment. Auditions will be held virtually, and applicants must send a video of the selection they would perform if chosen for the entertainment lineup. The Juneteenth event will be held Saturday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park downtown behind City Hall at Mare Island Way and Capitol Street. The celebration will also feature a parade through downtown Vallejo.

“We’re looking for people of all ages with exceptional talent but have not performed professionally,” said Gwendolyn White, president of the African American Family Reunion Committee which organizes the Juneteenth festival. “There are a lot of local residents who are singing or playing music in their church choir and gatherings with family and friends or doing solo or choreographed dance routines and other types of performing. We’d like to give them some exposure in front a large, live audience which could help jumpstart a career in the industry.”

Anyone interested in submitting an audition video should send an online link to their performance to aafrc@vallejojuneteenth.com by May 5 and include their contact information. Performances should be no longer than 10 minutes and must be appropriate for all audiences.

Trending

Community Opposes High Rise Development That Threatens Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 which is recognized on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. It was on that date in 1865 in Galveston, Texas, when enslaved people were declared free in the aftermath of the Civil War under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Event planners are also seeking merchandise and food vendors, and exhibitors, in addition to corporate, business, and community sponsors. The online application is available at www.vallejojuneteenth.com. The application deadline is April 30. Anyone interested in participating in the parade should submit the application on the website by June 2. Information is available at aafrc@vallejojuneteenth.com.

The Richmond Standard

When Bob Gerner attended his first Organic Merchants meeting in 1970 on Mount Shasta, it led to creating the popular El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company, which he founded and has been dedicated to for more than 50 years.

“This was the start of the natural foods movement and we are still guided by the principles adopted by this organization,” said Laurie Wilt, a Kensington resident and spokesperson for the employee-owned company. “Their goal was to promote organic agriculture and to sell wholesome unrefined natural foods. The Organic Merchants defined these as foods without white flour, white sugar, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, artificial colors, or preservatives.”

From 1971 to 1980, Gerner changed locations and expanded offerings, including a bakery and café that had 50 unique vegetarian dishes and the first tofu burger in the U.S.

After an attempt to sell the store, Gerner and his wife Pattie regrouped and reopened the store in 1981 calling it Berkeley Natural Grocery Co., the beginning of The Natural Grocery Company at 10367 San Pablo Ave.  as it is known today, according to Wilt.

In 2002, the Natural Grocery Company became employee owned (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), and the following year the Employees of the Berkeley Store launched the Non-GMO Project with the People Want to Know Campaign, according to Wilt.

Trending

Community Meeting on Crime and Violence

The El Cerrito Grocery Store won the East Bay Express Reader Poll for Best Natural Food Store in 2021 and in 2022, due in part to its establishing personal relationships with vendors and farmers.

The worker-owned business doesn’t just sell food to make money. “We believe in caring for our resources and providing healthy, nutritious ingredients to our community,” Wilt said.

“I think that commitment to our ideals is what sets us apart,” she said. “It isn’t always about the bottom line. We are a community of individuals working towards the health of ourselves, our families and the population at large.”

That dedication is proven in the store’s product offerings. The store only sells organic produce. Its bulk foods department is almost all organic.

The store’s Café features Equal Exchange Organic/Fair Trade Coffee and Juice Bar that uses the same organic produce sold in its the stores, its Ice Cream Counter features Straus Ice Cream and Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Ice Cream, and its Bakery Department makes tasty organic treats, special order cakes and pastries, as well as morning baked goods like muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls and biscuits. Vegan and wheat free items are offered, although the store is not a gluten free facility, according to Wilt.

The store also has a Deli that prepares grab and go sandwiches, salads and dishes to eat in or take-out, a Wine & Beer Department focusing on natural, organic and craft beverages, and a Floral Department that was co-winner for Best Flower Shop in the 2022 El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce Best of El Cerrito competition.

Both the Berkeley and El Cerrito grocery stores are certified California Green Businesses.

“You may notice the solar panels that are on the roofs of both our San Pablo Avenue locations as well as over a portion of the parking lot,” Wilt said. “Additionally, we have an electric car charging station in our lot that provides an hour of free charging during business hours for customers.”

What customers don’t see are the beehives on the roof. The hives are maintained by Bay Area Bee Company, according to Wilt.

“When they produce enough honey, we get jars to sell in our stores that tell you it’s from our bees!” Wilt said.

Wilt also noted the store sells fresh ground-your-own peanut and almond butters. But you won’t find individual water bottles of less than one gallon, a decision the store made in 2019. The store only carries water in aluminum, paper or glass.

“We provide a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System for our customers who want to fill up their own containers and that is what we use to wash our produce,” Wilt said. “Recent audits of our composting show that we are doing a great job separating our waste and making sure it goes to the right place (compost, recycling, landfill).”

The Natural Grocery Store and Natural Grocery Preparation Food Annex open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.