Helena Mobilizes Municipal, State Resources for Coordinated Multiday “Juneteenth” Observance

HELENA — A coalition of five government and cultural institutions will coordinate “Juneteenth” programming across multiple venues June 18-19, marking the federal holiday established in 2021 with what organizers describe as “community celebration and education.”

The City of Helena, Montana Historical Society, Holter Museum of Art, Myrna Loy, and Alive at Five have jointly planned activities ranging from spoken word performances to “community artmaking opportunities” and food trucks.

Programming includes events at the Myrna Loy and County Courthouse lawn. Proceeds from the events will benefit “Black History education,” according to organizers, though it was not immediately clear what criteria organizers used to determine qualifying educational content.

The coordinated programming spans two days of activities around the recently established federal holiday in a state where black residents comprise less than 1% of the population, according to U.S. Census data.

City and state officials did not immediately respond to questions about the cost of coordinating the multi-agency programming or which budgets would cover the expenses.

The Montana Historical Society, which is organizing educational programming for the “Juneteenth” observance, has not announced similar institutional coordination for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, established June 14, 1775.