A lot of folks braved the high temperatures to celebrate at two Juneteenth events held yesterday in Akron. 

Downtown at the John S. Knight Center, the Akron Urban League and the city partnered to present an event intended to at least partially make up for the celebrations canceled last weekend because of security concerns.

In East Akron, the 5th Annual East Akron Juneteenth Festival was held at  B&V Family Community Resource House on 7th Avenue. 

Signal Akron was in attendance – check out our photo gallery from both events.

Your weekend plans

Makeshift Theater will stage three rehearsed dramatic readings of “Looped” this weekend. Directed by Matthew Wilks, the comedy stars Dede Klein as famed actress Tallulah Bankhead as she works to complete her final movie — while highly intoxicated. The readings are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. at 833 Carroll St. in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood. Tickets are $10, and parking is free.

Saturday’s Downtown Akron Juneteenth Celebration will feature food, music, activities and vendors from 3 to 7 p.m. at Cascade Plaza. (Signal Akron will be at the event, along with other community organizations. Swing by our table and say hi!) At 7 p.m., head to Lock 3 Backyard for a free concert featuring The After Party and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Beat the heat Sunday and cool off in the Tuscarawas River at Summit Metro Parks’ Crayfish Creek Adventure. Participants will be provided with nets and buckets as they explore the river’s waters at Firestone Metro Park. Closed-toe shoes are required. The free event goes from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Afterward, choose from one of three hiking trails and explore the rest of the park.

Looking for more things to do this weekend and throughout the summer? Check out our guide to summer events in Akron and the surrounding area.

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Culture & Arts Reporter (she/her)
Brittany is an accomplished journalist who’s passionate about the arts, civic engagement and great storytelling. She has more than a decade of experience covering culture and arts, both in Ohio and nationally. She previously served as the associate editor of Columbus Monthly, where she wrote community-focused stories about Central Ohio’s movers and shakers. A lifelong Ohioan, she grew up in Springfield and graduated from Kent State University.

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.