Mountlake Terrace plans June 15 Juneteenth event at library plaza; organizers seek volunteers and vendors

Organizers and members of the Mountlake Terrace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Commission discussed detailed plans for a Juneteenth community event set for June 15 at the Mountlake Terrace Library plaza.

Commissioners and meeting participants described a program combining panel discussions with youth participation, children’s art activities inside the library, and booths and free food outside on the plaza. Project Access will serve as a fiscal sponsor to pay vendors so food will be free to attendees, organizers said. Sno-Isle Libraries, Project Girl and local partners are listed as sponsors and participating organizations.

Planned programming includes a panel format mixing adults and youth so both groups can share experiences; organizers discussed a possible structure of three adults paired with three youth for each panel. The library’s indoor space will host the panel discussions and art activities while the plaza will host up to about 15 booths, music from a DJ, and food trucks. Vendors mentioned by organizers include local food trucks and small catering vendors; the final vendor list and order of events were not specified in the meeting record.

Volunteers are being recruited for 10 a.m. set-up shifts, two-hour staffing slots and tear-down; organizers asked commissioners and community partners to help recruit students for tabling and photographer volunteers. The commission discussed providing printed surveys and an activity poster at the commission’s table to prompt conversation and capture feedback from residents who do not complete online surveys. Organizers said they do not expect volunteers to work more than two hours at a time.

Logistics still under development include final event time and length; meeting participants discussed running the event in a late‑morning/early‑afternoon window (a number of participants suggested 11 a.m.–2 p.m. or 11 a.m.–3 p.m.). The event team said it would finalize and publish volunteer sign-up links once Snow Isles (Sno-Isle) and other vendors confirm details.

Why it matters: commissioners said Juneteenth is a high-profile, community-facing event and a chance to reach residents who do not regularly attend city meetings. The commission intends to use the event to gather input on civic engagement and to introduce residents to boards, commissions and city services.

Organizers stressed this is a collaborative effort: Sno-Isle Libraries is providing space and staff coordination; Project Access is handling vendor payments for free food; Project Girl and other nonprofits will staff informational booths. Several commissioners offered to reach out to local schools and community groups to identify students and volunteers to participate.

Next steps: organizers will confirm vendor and volunteer sign-up links and share them with commission members; they will also coordinate with district and park staff about tables, folding chairs and bulletin-board style backdrops for booth displays. The event team asked commissioners to forward contacts for potential vendors, photographers and student volunteers.