The Pea Island Preservation Society will host its annual Juneteenth celebration at the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum on Wednesday, June 19.

Event Details and Activities

The Pea Island Preservation Society invites the public to the Cookhouse Museum in Manteo at 5:30 p.m. to hear Tshombe Selby, a renowned opera singer and Roanoke Island native, perform the “Sounds of Freedom.”

Selby grew up singing at Haven Creek Baptist Church, a church with historical ties to the Civil War era. He graduated from Manteo High School and Elizabeth City State University and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

2024 marks Selby’s fourth return as the headliner for the Juneteenth program. This year, John Buford, a celebrated Dare County School music teacher, will accompany Selby on piano. Buford was named the district’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Location and Parking

The Cookhouse Museum is located at 622 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, opposite downtown Manteo. Parking is available at Haven Creek Baptist Church and the Head Start building nearby.

Seating and Merchandise

Outdoor seating will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. The museum will sell Juneteenth T-shirts from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and at the 5:30 p.m. event.

Additional Highlights

National Park Service Representatives will present the new Freedom Trail at the Fort Raleigh Historic Site, opened on June 1. It showcases the stories of the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island through educational signs and steel silhouettes.

The celebration will also feature The Echoes of Heritage, a local group known for spiritual songs, and Linwood Bennett, a dynamic preacher and descendant of Reverend Zion Hall Berry.

Historical Significance

The Juneteenth celebration highlights local connections to the history of the enslaved and free. The Cookhouse Museum honors Keeper Richard Etheridge, the nation’s first black commander in the US Life-Saving Service, and his all-black crew.

Sponsors and Contingency Plans

Thanks to sponsors like the Don and Catherine Bryan Cultural Series, Towne Bank, the Town of Manteo, and Surfin Spoon, this event continues to be a beloved celebration. If bad weather occurs, the event will move inside Haven Creek Baptist Church.

Join the celebration to learn, reflect, and honor the past while looking toward the future.