Berkeley Celebrates Juneteenth This Sunday

Berkeley's is coming this Sunday, a week later than usual, but organizer Sam Dyke thinks it will be just as spirited.

"When you get lemons, you make lemonade," said Dyke, who said the police department would not approve the event on its historical date, June 19 — the day slaves in Galveston, Texas learned they were free in 1865 — because it coincided with Father's Day this year.

Juneteenth will be celebrated on June 26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Adeline Street between Alcatraz Avenue and Ashby.

After 23 years of the festival in Berkeley, the date change is a little jarring for some. A passerby to , Dyke's antique store, greeted him on Wednesday afternoon to double-check that they hadn't missed the event.

Having owned his business on Adeline Street since 1972, Dyke started Berkeley's Juneteenth Festival in 1987 with his late partner, R.D. Bonds, "to bring some of the city back to the neighborhood."

"We've been tagged as a tough hood here, so it's been tough for the merchants," said Dyke. "Most merchants do a landslide business on Juneteenth. They ask, 'Can we have another one next week?'"

His favorite memories from previous festivals are the aromas from African, Indonesian, Filipino and Japanese food vendors — "it's a culinary delight," he said — and children's smiles. 

"You know a kid's chuckle?" he asked. "It's a good one! I like to see those harmonious things continue."

The festival will have a children's area near at Fairview Street, with balloon animals and face painting.

Dyke said there will also be a ferris wheel, slides, a bounce house and a climbing wall.

For Juneteenth, AC Transit's 12 and F-line routes will have detours on Adeline and Martin Luther King Jr. Way from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dyke said holding the festival helps the neighborhood put its best foot forward. "Attention is being paid now," he said. "Merchants are sweeping up in front of their stores, and not waiting for the city."

He also enjoys the community element of Juneteenth. "It's a chance for the neighborhood to have a front yard picnic," he said. "When you get to know your neighbors, you get a better neighborhood."

If you would like to volunteer for Juneteenth, call (510) 655-8008 or e-mail berkeleyjuneteenth@sbcglobal.net.

: This article originally said that tours of Ed Roberts Campus would be given during the Juneteenth festival, but the campus will be closed. The article has been updated to reflect this.

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