Midtown Square (Image: CHS)
By Hannah Saunders
A REVIVAL: Juneteenth Pop-Up Market at the Central District’s new Midtown Square will be part of a weekend of events marking the federal holiday in the United States commemorating emancipation of enslaved African Americans and celebrating Black culture. Meanwhile, the City of Seattle will mark the holiday in a new way starting in 2022 as employees will enjoy a day off Monday as part of the June 19th celebrations.
Other Central District celebrations include the Africatown Community Land Trust’s parade and festival at Jimi Hendrix Park and the NAAM: Juneteenth Celebration, Skate to Freedom Party & Community Day at Judkins Park.
At 23rd and Union, the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict’s is sponsoring its first ever Juneteenth event with the purpose of celebrating and supporting Black owned businesses and organizations in the heart of the Central District at the new Midtown development.
Donna Moodie, executive director of the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict, said the project’s central plaza set to be surrounded by an art gallery and neighborhood businesses is also a perfect space for communities to gather.
“I really like the open space that it offers,” said Moodie. “It seems perfect for events, I think this event in particular.”
The centerpiece for the commercial tenants in the new development, Black gallery and arts community center Arte Noir is organizing the Juneteenth market.
(Image: CHS)
According to Jazmyn Scott, Arte Noir executive director, the project is still in the process of construction and getting operations up and running at the location, however, part of the developer agreement she signed includes activating the outdoor space at the square.
“When Donna presented the idea to host this Juneteenth market here I said ‘Yeah lets go ahead and do that so it can kind of be my test run’,” said Scott.
Scott is excited to make the connection between the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict and Arte Noir, and hopes to bring additional visibility to the space. Moodie leads the EcoDistrict effort and is also on the board for Arte Noir, as well as running her E Union restaurant, Marjorie.
Event attendees can expect to see about 25 vendors, said Moodie, which will include art, streetwear, food, and health and body care products, among others in the plaza of the Midtown Square development and its 428 market-rate and affordable apartment units and mix of organizations and businesses the developer Lake Union Partners says will better represent the surrounding communities than the original plans for a big chain pharmacy.
“We basically aim to get pretty small vendors, many of whom don’t have brick and mortar established yet, although that’s not an exclusivity,” said Moodie.
In addition to the vendors, KEXP’s DJ Riz will be turning tables to create music for the crowd, and will be stationed in front of the large outdoor mural. KEXP’s Larry Mizell will also be onsite recording a live broadcast of the event to assist with increasing turnout, said Scott.
“It’ll be nice to draw people in with music and the sounds of activities happening in there,” said Scott.
Scott said Arte Noir will have a late summer opening that will take place in late August or early September. Scott is most excited about activating the Midtown Square space because of its potential, and bringing more Black businesses into the space before all of the retail spaces are occupied.
For the rest of summer, the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict will host two more markets under the REVIVAL name. One will take place in July at Cal Anderson Park, and the other will be a night market at Cal Anderson Park in August.
The events will join the ongoing On the Block street festivals on 11th Ave and the upcoming slate of Capitol Hill area Pride events in efforts to keep area streets and business districts bustling though the summer.
Meanwhile, honoring Juneteenth will extend into the work week as Seattle City Hall, for the first time, observes the holiday on Monday, June 20. Many city offices will be closed. Juneteenth was officially made a City of Seattle holiday by legislation passed last year.
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