Michigan City schedules Juneteenth celebration with music, vendors and family activities

Michigan City will hold a Juneteenth celebration at Guy Foreman Amphitheater on Friday from noon to 8 p.m., organizers said on the Access Port County program. "It's going to be a really exciting day," host Drew Way said, announcing the event and the guests who helped plan it.

Assistant Superintendent Will Walker, who said the city's Special Events office organized the program at the mayor's request, outlined the schedule and lineup. "It starts at noon at Guy Foreman Amphitheater," Walker said, and the headlining band, Dion and the Cool Cats, will perform a tribute set beginning at 1 p.m. Walker said organizers added an extra headliner this year so attendees who cannot arrive early still have a main act to see.

The celebration will include more than 40 vendors, a kid zone with a touch-a-truck, arts-and-crafts booths and free snow cones for children. Organizers listed several local performers in the daytime program, including community groups and talent-show segments, and evening acts described as modern R&B and soul.

Candace Adams, of the Anthony Adams House, joined the conversation to highlight the nonprofit's presence at the event and community work more broadly. "We offer street outreach, case work, a drop-in location where youth can do laundry and pick up necessities," Adams said, describing the group's services and its outreach to schools.

Organizers advised visitors about parking and payment. Walker said some lots will charge $5 per hour while the main lot will be $7 per hour and encouraged Michigan City residents to register their vehicle in advance to avoid fees; those without registration were told to use the ParkMobile app for hourly payment.

The program ends with a reminder to bring family and arrive early for the afternoon lineup. "We've got a lot more to talk about for that day," Drew Way said as the show closed. The event is scheduled to run noon to 8 p.m. at Guy Foreman Amphitheater in Michigan City.