Jones Lake State Park to host Juneteenth event with food, music and more

ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (WECT) - North Carolina State Parks is inviting the community to a Juneteenth commemoration event at Jones Lake State Park on Sunday, June 18.

From 2 to 8 p.m., the family-friendly event will include corn hole, swimming, music, a bounce house, food trucks and more. The event will also honor Dewitt Powell, the first Black superintendent at Jones Lake State Park.

“Superintendent Dewitt Powell served as the first Black superintendent of Jones Lake State Park. He spent his 31-year career as the person in charge onsite at the park, beginning in 1953 when it transitioned from a recreational area to a state park and he became a ranger. At the time, Jones Lake was one of only two state parks open to Black North Carolinians, the other being Reedy Creek State Park in Raleigh,” states a booklet provided by NC State Parks.

Jones Lake State Park is located at 4117 NC-242 N., Elizabethtown. You can learn more about Powell in the booklet below:

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