The Father’s Group in Bend launches ‘Journey to Juneteenth’ multi-month scavenger hunt
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Father’s Group, a Black-founded and led nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the community, successfully produced their second annual Juneteenth celebration for Central Oregon.
In 2022, the Father’s Group grew the event into a multi-day celebration spanning multiple counties across Central Oregon, bringing over 11,000 people to Drake Park. Beginning with the pop-up event held on June 14 at the Kickoff Event in Prineville, The Father’s Group culminated the Juneteenth Celebrations with the two-day Festival in Bend’s Drake Park!
This year, the organization is kicking off the exciting programming early with a fun, interactive scavenger hunt that will help raise awareness for the upcoming festival, educate the community on the history of Juneteenth, and provide ways for the community to interact with supporting vendors and sponsors.
Kenny Adams, executive director of The Father’s Group, gave his thoughts on the multi-month community challenge.
“We wanted to do something both fun and educational for the community that would be an entertaining way to learn about this important and historical holiday and at the same time, help the community get to know some of our past and present vendors and sponsors.”
The community is invited to get early-bird access to the first clue, which is set to be revealed at the “Family Night” get together hosted by The Father’s Group at Open Space Event Studios on Saturday, February 11, some time during the event's runtime between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
“This is going to be epic! And if you want to get ahead of the game, you have to come out to the free event on Saturday night! Bring the kids, play some games, eat some good food and at some point, in the evening, the first clue will be revealed. You won’t want to miss it!” said David Merrit, president of The Father’s Group Executive Board.
Each month from February through June, new clues and challenges will be “unlocked” for participants.
The Juneteenth Central Oregon celebration, themed “Discovering Our Roots” for the 2023 event, will be hosted at Drake Park beginning on Saturday June 17th, where the final clues for the Journey to Juneteenth challenge will end after participants find multiple clues hidden at the park. The first to complete all legs of the challenge will win a large prize pack, with supplementary prizes for second and third place.
The Father’s Group looks forward to Juneteenth 2023 as planning has already begun. Be sure to check in at www.thefathersgroup.org and www.juneteenthcentralor.com for more information and opportunities to volunteer and support.
