JANS – On June 18, the Juneteenth program was held at the Medgar Evers Public Library. Ann Sanders is the librarian and event coordinator. Sanders said: “As we celebrated this past Juneteenth, the event was 100% successful. It was a joy to see the wonderful response from the community and look forward to a bigger and better celebration next year.”
The event included music, games, face painting, and food. Hinds County Supervisors Deborah Dixon and Wanda Evers made remarks. Jackson’s First Lady Dr. Ebony Lumumba read to the children.
Among the event’s activities was a long awaited highly competitive sweet potato pie contest. Only the best of the best were confident enough to submit an entry. Using only numbers (not names) to identify each contestant, five highly-experienced and completely impartial judges used six distinct criteria on which to base their objective evaluations. Up to five points could be awarded for each of the six criteria: taste, texture, smooth/creamy, appearance, crust, and clean cut capacity. After scores were assigned and tallied, the contestants were identified by name. The winners are: First Place, Brenda Walton; Second Place, Booker Walton; and Third Place, Lelia Harris. Congratulations to all contestants, which includes Kenya Jones, Erica Adams, Barbara Brown, Louise McDaniel, and Marlene Lewis. All pies were delicious.
