This year's Emancipation Festival in Owen Sound will be virtual.
In the interest of safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, a You Tube based celebration will take place August 1st at 11 a.m.
The 158th festival will have an opening address by Bruce Kruger, the Official Crier of the Emancipation, followed by greetings from Mayor Ian Boddy, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard and a number of speakers and performers who have taken part in the festival over the years. Memories of past festivals and events in the form of photos, video performances, a Taste of the Festival Jam and Gospel in Moreston Village will be part of the online celebration.
The Emancipation Day Picnic, Cairn Celebration and other gatherings that are staples of the festival are already rescheduled for next year, 2021.
Owen Sound is considered the Northern terminus of the Underground Railroad, a secret network of routes and safe houses that enabled some Black people to escape slavery in the United States by traveling to free states or in this case, to Canada.
The Emancipation Festival's website outlines this history and says many of them came to Sydenham (Owen Sound) from about 1830 to the mid 1860s. They say this is where they found work and raised families, some of which have descendants in the area today. A visit to the Emancipation Festival's website offers more information on the local history.
Meanwhile, City Council recently voiced its support for a Private Member's Bill by Richmond Hill Liberal MP Majid Jowhari to make August 1st Emancipation Day Canada wide.