Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard has proclaimed June 19 as Juneteenth Day in the city, and a local men's group is inviting everybody to celebrate at the first ever Soulfood Festival in St. Mary Parish.
The group hosting the festival is the St. Mary Parish chapter of a National Organization, 100 Black Men.
"This group does great work for our community. They give back. They volunteer. They are helping us to move things forward and bring lots of positive things to Franklin," says Mayor Foulcard.
J Ina is the president of 100 Black Men St. Mary Parish, and he is excited to announce all this festival will have to offer.
"We have a 5k run, then starting at 9 we have a health village and we have a ton of free health screenings. Then we have a children's village. Then we have the kick off at noon with our entertainment and that will last on through the night. Food wise, we have over 30 vendors there," says Ina.
A full schedule of events and performers can be found here.
Mayor Foulcard says all this action is exactly what Franklin needs this summer.
"We're in a revitalization mode right now so we're doing all we can to promote our city, give off good energy and good vibes and do some positive things throughout our community," says Foulcard.
With all of the fun, there will be a reminder and a commemoration too, of how this community came to be.
"You have to know where you came from to know where you're going in the future, so it's not just a party. We're going to have a historical exhibit where people can learn about Juneteenth," says Ina.
All of the entertainment, entry, the health and childrens villages will all be free.
The only fee for the festival will be for 5k runners. If you are interested, sign up here.