Those who have official business to take care of — or a need to visit a liquor store this weekend — might want to plan ahead for closures. State liquor stores, post offices and local governments are shutting their doors Monday to observe Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is a state and federal holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865,when a group of enslaved people in Texas were emancipated by Union soldiers. That day was more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that legally freed enslaved people held in Confederate states.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday June 17, 2021, and a Utah holiday earlier this year.
Local libraries are also marking the day. The Park City Library held a Juneteenth story time this week and will be closed Sunday the 19th. It will also close at 3 p.m. Monday. The Summit County libraries will be closed Monday. Other businesses, like grocery stores, will remain open.
There are Juneteenth celebrations planned in larger cities on the Wasatch Front. Park City Councilor Max Doilney said he would attend some events this weekend to celebrate the progress the country has made. He addressed the holiday during Wednesday’s city council meeting.
“I'm going to go with my quote, this one's from Barack Obama. ‘Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. It's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible, and there is still so much work to do,’” Doilney said.
Doilney said he looks forward to seeing what Park City plans in the future.