"Juneteenth: Bridging Communities — Community Day at Whiteside Park" will bring the community together on Friday, June 19, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Whiteside Park on East MLK Blvd.
This free public event is a first-year community celebration honoring the rich African American history, culture, and legacy of Chattanooga, with special recognition of Lincoln Park, Orchard Knob, Bushtown, and surrounding neighborhoods.
Designed as a joyful and welcoming gathering, the event will feature food, vendors, music, family activities, and community fellowship, while also helping shine a light on the importance of preserving, revitalizing, and reinvesting in historic Black spaces in the city.
Hosted by PAAMHA (Preservation of African American and Multicultural Heritage in the Americas) and The Art Haus Project, Juneteenth: Bridging Communities is intended as both a celebration and a call to action.
PAAMHA’s work centers on strengthening African American and multicultural communities through preservation, economic empowerment, and investment in people of all ages. The Art Haus Project uses art for good by building connection, creativity, and community through public engagement, conversation, and creative programming.
Organizers describe this year’s event as a soft launch for what they hope will become a larger annual Juneteenth tradition in Chattanooga. The long-term vision is to grow the celebration into a multi-day community activation, with indoor programming and speakers during the week leading up to a major outdoor event.
The event also seeks to spotlight the historic importance of Lincoln Park, a significant African American public park in Chattanooga that was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. Historic documentation tied to that process notes Lincoln Park’s importance as a recreational and cultural gathering place, including its baseball field and a Works Progress Administration-built Olympic-sized swimming pool that opened in 1938.
Historical research connected to Lincoln Park also links the site to Black baseball history, including likely play by Satchel Paige, underscoring the park’s importance as a place of community pride, recreation, and historic memory.
Whiteside Park, where this year’s event will be held, sits beside the long-standing work of Good Neighbors, a Chattanooga organization founded in 1952 that continues to provide emergency assistance and support to people in need. Organizers say the event is also meant to honor and build upon that spirit of neighborhood care and community service.
Community participation is now being welcomed. Organizers are currently seeking vendors, food trucks, financial sponsors, and in-kind donations to help make the event possible. Vendor spaces are $15, food truck spaces are $25, and space is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.
In the event of severe weather, the rain date will be Sunday, June 21, 2026.
For more information, sponsorship opportunities, or vendor participation, contact thearthausproject@gmail.com, visit arthausproject.com, or follow facebook.com/juneteenthbridgingcommunities.