SCREEDS AND SCRIBBLES | JUNE
Notable June Birthdays:
June 1: Morgan Freeman and Marilyn Monroe
June 4: Oona Chaplin
June 7: Prince
June 8: Sonia Braga
June 11: Peter Dinklage
June 14: Boy George
June 16: Tupac Shakur
June 22: Bruce Campbell
June 19: It’s Juneteenth. Thanks to the current administration, as of June 17, 2021, this day marking the end of slavery is a national holiday. As a first-order of business it’s important to note that last year the bill to make Juneteenth a holiday passed the U.S. Senate unanimously; it might have passed that way in the House, too, except for 14 representatives who voted no. All naysayers were Republicans. (Any surprise there?) To reestablish who those legislators are, here’s the shameful lineup: Alabama Reps. Mo Brooks, and Mike Rogers; Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar; California Reps. Tom McClintock and Doug La Malfa; Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde; Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie; Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale; S. Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman; Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais; Texas Reps. Ronny Jackson and Chip Roy; and Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany.
Now that that roll call has been reestablished, let's think about better things — like how to celebrate our newest national holiday. There are plenty of suggestions online. Most recommend lots of cooking and eating. That, of course, turns Juneteenth into any other American holiday — like, perhaps, Independence Day. And, well, it is independence day for a large portion of Black Americans, given that their ancestors were still enslaved on July 4, 1776. Instead, Juneteenth honors the day in 1865 — more than two years after President Lincoln signed of the Emancipation Proclamation — when Black people in Galveston, Texas were actually granted their freedom. It's Independence Day.
So, eating barbecue, shooting off fireworks and drinking a beverage or two might top the list of ways to celebrate with family and friends. But it's a day to remember the history, too. We're not just celebrating the lives of people who were taxed without representation. Also, remember to wear masks if you're planning to celebrate indoors. Make sure they’re red. It's the traditional color for the holiday. It symbolizes perseverance and the spilled blood of African Americans during hundreds of years of forced slavery.
Here are a few events tied to the official holiday:
June 17: Juneteenth Freedom Celebration at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. From 1 to 7 p.m. enjoy music, food trucks and vendors. It’s free. Info: juneteenthfreedomcelebration.com/
June 17: Global Grub and Groove starts with a Juneteenth celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. at Village Green Park in Issaquah. Info: issaquahhighlands.com/event/global-grub-groove-juneteenth/
June 17-19: Festival Sundiata Black Arts Fest at Seattle Center. Info: festivalsundiata.org/
June 18: The city of Kent and the Kent Black Action Commission has a yearly celebration at Morrill Meadows Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: facebook.com/events/1615707335470732/
June 19: Capitol City Golf Course in Olympia is having a Juneteenth Celebration and Father’s Day Golf Tournament. Break out those special red balls from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: allevents.in/olympia/juneteenth-celebration-and-fathers-day-golf-tournament/200022374598445
June 19: Mazigazi at Spanish Ballroom Elks Temple, Tacoma. Doors open at 4 p.m. $7 advance, $10 DOS. Info: mcmenamins.com/events/233393-mazigazi-at-spanish-ballroom-juneteenth-celebration
June 19: Olympia’s Juneteenth Festival. 1 to 5 p.m. at Rebecca Howard Park in Olympia. The event is hosted by the Women of Color in Leadership Movement and Media Island International. There will be live music, food and festivities. Info: cms7.revize.com/revize/olympia/calendar.php?view=day&month=06&day=19&year=2022&calendar=&id=194
Here’s how not to celebrate Juneteenth:
June 18 -19: Union Gap Old Town Days Civil War Reenactment. Fullbright Park, Union Gap, Washington. There’s nothing like wearing a gray uniform and flying a Confederate flag to destroy this joyous holiday weekend. We’re not sure what the town of Union Gap was thinking when they planned this. Maybe they were trying to lure those 14 members of the U.S. House of Representative to town?
Founding Fathers’ Day
June 18: Rise Up! The Music of Hamilton on Broadway, 7:30 p.m. Pantages Theater, tickets: $96 to $240; info: tacomaartslive.org/events/calendar/eventdetail/1885/9/rise-up?filter_reset=1
If you leave Manhattan through the Lincoln tunnel, you drive more than a mile under the Hudson River; at the first sign of daylight — assuming you’re leaving Manhattan during the day — there’s an exit sign for Weekhawken–Hoboken. Yay, you’re in New Jersey! It’s hard to drive by that sign without chanting “Weehawken–Hoboken” a few times fast.
“Weehawken–Hoboken,
Weehawken–Hoboken,
Weehawken–Hoboken…”
It’s got such excellent cadence, right? It’s entirely possible that road sign is what inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to rhythmically ponder the history of the area. Once, while leaving town, he may have asked, “What’s Hoboken known for?” Well, Frank Sinatra, for one… But Frank’s never done Broadway — he just made films that got their start on the stage. Won't work. So, what’s up with Weehawken? Ah yes, it’s where Alexander Hamilton spent his final ten dollar bill in a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804. Wouldn’t that juicy bit of history make a great Broadway musical? The rest is history — sort of… Speaking of history (real history), Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. Looking back on more than 200 years of U.S. fiscal policy, it’s safe to say that the guy on our ten dollar bill wasn’t just a founding father for our country — he was also granddaddy of The Man. So, if you’re interested in the tunes from the man-dad musical, “Hamilton” — as well as other recent Broadway hits, lay down some Hamiltons to go see “Rise Up!” at the Pantages Theater.
Steam Punk Apocalypse
June 17 - 19: Brass Screw Consortium: Post-apocalyptic festival, Port Townsend
One of the mystifying things about writing the Screeds and Scribbles monthly calendar is that it’s nearly impossible to schedule the apocalypse. Many have made predictions about the day and time; so far they’ve all been duds. It’s frustrating. For those of us who are anal about keeping accurate schedules, finding a good spot to pencil-in the final day that works for everyone is nearly impossible. It’s worse than trying to schedule a staff meeting. When it comes to the apocalypse, there have been so many false starts. According to timeanddate.com, Nostradamus predicted an object from space would impact the Earth this year. But when? He’s made that claim before and we haven’t gone the route of the dinosaurs yet. There are so many questions and so few answers. Will the apocalypse let us know we’re doomed by creating slow-moving fireball? Will everyone rise up into the heavens except those unlucky souls who are left behind to build the Thunderdome? Is the apocalypse quietly walking among us right now? If so, is it responsible for slowly turning up the thermostat so that we’ll all cook like a vat of human frogs? If that’s the case, it’s likely we are our own apocalypse and it will have nothing to do with the Mayan calendar or comparing Jewish feast days with the lunar calendar like some have predicted. Nonetheless, at some point most of us will be toast. What happens after that is left to the creative folks who put on the Brass Screw Consortium in Port Townsend. The yearly steam-punk gathering has scheduling the post-apocalypse for June 17 through 19 this year. Be assured, there’s no place nicer to ride out the apocalypse than Port Townsend.
You Dance the High Road ….
June 25: 2022 Tacoma Highland games Dance competition, Frontier Park
21718 Meridian Avenue East Graham, WA Info: eventbrite.com/e/2022-tacoma-highland-games-dance-competition-registration-311560324317
The difference between Irish and Scottish dance — beside the obvious fact that Irish dance comes from Ireland and Scottish dance comes from Scotland — is often in the hand gestures. The Scottish use hand gestures and Irish dancers don’t. As far as feet, Irish dancers often use hard shoes to stomp out the beat, while Scottish dancers almost exclusively use soft shoes — called ghillies — made of thin leather. Now we’ve exhausted all we know about dancing from the United Kingdom. If you want to learn more, go to the Tacoma Highland games Dance Competition beginning June 25. It sounds like great fun.
— Jon Williams
