Juneteenth Arts & Jazz Festival Returns Honoring Kansas City Legends

KANSAS CITY, MO – The 3rd Annual Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival returns honoring Jay McShann and Horace Peterson of the Black Archives of Mid-America with National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) Chairman, Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., as a featured guest and performer. The event will take place on Saturday, June 12^th, 2010 at the Marriott Country Club Plaza Hotel, with a Concert Performance in Mill Creek Park at 6:00PM. Music and special activities, including the Art Exhibit by Aye Aton, will be open to the public with free admission from 1:00PM to 9:00PM.

Dr. Myer’s concert performance will feature other musicians Derrick Brown (Bass), Wilton Knott (Percussion), Aye Aton (Drums), Earlton Batles (Congas & Percussion), Eddy Dunn (Congas & Percussion), Horace Washington (Flute & Sax), and Noah Jelks (Drums). Performances are recognized as a part of the Juneteenth Jazz objectives, embracing the legacy of jazz as a part of Black Music Month and the ongoing efforts to educate the public about the significance of the Juneteenth. Featured Exhibit Artist, Aye Aton, in addition to being a world-traveled musician, is also an accomplished painter, designer and muralist with artwork that has toured museums, galleries, and civic institutions across the country, such as The DuSable Museum of African-American History in Chicago, Illinois, and The Masur Museum of Art, in Monroe, Louisiana.

More activities and participants to be announced. Sponsors of this special event include National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters, Kansas City Neighborhood Tourists Development Fund, and KC Jazz Ambassadors. For more information regarding the event including sponsorship and advertisement, contact (816) 309-2419, e-mail kansascity@juneteenthamerica.us or visit the organization’s website at kc.juneteenthamerica.us.

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Juneteenth America of Kansas City, Inc. (JAKC) is a non-profit organization with the objective to educate the public about the significance of “Juneteenth” June 19^th, 1865 in American history and to celebrate the Jazz legacy.  For more information about the organization, visit kansascity.juneteenthamerica.us.