Oregon
‘It’s time that we link our arms together’: Juneteenth Central Oregon Jubilee returns to Bend
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/TDOUEDKOV5CAPFYQBDYMCNEBMQ.jpg?ssl=1 "‘It’s time that we link our arms together’: Juneteenth Central Oregon Jubilee returns to Bend")
When Kenny Adams joined The Father’s Group in 2021, he was a concerned father, hoping to create solutions for racism in central Oregon schools. Fast forward to 2024, and Adams is the organizer behind the largest cultural festival in central Oregon: the Juneteenth Central Oregon Jubilee.
“There’s not really any other cultural festival that’s geared at the Black community that happens in central Oregon right now,” Adams said. “So, if we’re gonna have a big festival, we want to blow it out and give people the chance to feel relaxed.”
The fourth annual Juneteenth Central Oregon Jubilee will take place 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. June 15 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. June 16 at Drake Park in Bend. The event will feature African, Caribbean and African American cuisine, art, music and education.
“Our theme is Jubilee and we want to make sure that we get a chance to just revel in freedom and legacy, but also it’s a reminder that it also took this country two years to actually let everyone know that they were free,” Adams said.
Juneteenth is a national holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people on June 19, 1865. This occurred more than two months after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered and two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Union troops arrived in the coastal city of Galveston, Texas, to enforce the emancipation order.
Known as America’s second Independence Day, Juneteenth has been celebrated by the Black community since its inception and was declared a federal holiday in 2021. Officially recognized in Oregon in 2022, Juneteenth celebrations take place across the state from early to mid-June.
The Father’s Group, a Black-led nonprofit, was established in 2018 following the death of 14-year-old Deshaun Adderley, a Black student at Summit High School in Bend who had been bullied and racially harassed before he died by suicide.
“There were also several other Black community members that were dealing with several levels of racism in the school systems,” said Adams, who is now executive director and board president of The Father’s Group.
A group of Black fathers came together to discuss these issues and find solutions. It was originally a sort of support group, said Adams. But the organization has since grown to create its own programming, educational resources and the annual Juneteenth festival.
“We went from just doing backpack drives and things of that nature to having a full scale afterschool program that we meet multiple times during each semester,” Adams said.
Their most populous event is the Juneteenth festival, which has grown into a two-day event.
“It’s really nice to see everyone come together, of every color, of every race, just come together, eat food, participate in all of the dancing that they’re doing on the stage,” said Jermaine Ellis, a food vendor at the festival. “It really just feels like it’s a start to building the community together.”
One of the main attractions of the festival is its celebration of food. This year, the festival will feature a blend of African Caribbean and African American cuisine.
Ellis said he is excited to return as a vendor this year. He is in the process of transforming his business into a food truck: Jermaican Jerkculture, offering Jamaican Jerk food inspired by his cultural heritage.
“It’s one of the first events in central Oregon that I’ve ever been to [where] I’ve seen that many people of color in one location,” Ellis said.
Since relocating to central Oregon in 2017, Ellis has observed a positive shift in the area’s diversity. Although Deschutes County, which encompasses Bend and the surrounding area, is over 85% white, the population has steadily grown more diverse over the past decade. Between 2010 and 2022, the Black population doubled from 531 to 1,094 residents.
“We make up less than 1% of the population in this area,” Adams said. “So being able to find people within our community was kind of few and far between.”
Many vendors and performers come from out of state to participate in the festival, which serves as both a celebration and an educational event.
“We not only break down stereotypes that are usually pushed upon the Black community, but we also help people learn and understand what we’ve actually contributed to this country,” Adams said.
During this year’s festival, an expanded pop-up museum exhibit dives into multiple facets of Black history in partnership with the High Desert Museum and other local Black, Indigenous and People of Color organizations. Some of the exhibits focus on Black inventors and influences in arts and culture.
“We really take this absolutely seriously with a call to the reverence and respect of our heritage and the promotion of true history,” said Adams. “The people that come out, not only are they going to have a good time … but they’re also going to learn something.”
Adams hopes to eventually coordinate with other Juneteenth celebrations across the country to include live broadcasts of their events.
“It’s time that we link our together and really show that unification not just in Oregon, but across the country,” Adams said.
Learn more about Juneteenth celebrations across Oregon here.
— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiara_profenna
The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content.
Video shows rafting Oregon’s iconic Wallowa-Grande Ronde River
Learn about an overnight rafting trip on a famous 40 mile stretch that includes both the Wallowa and Grande Ronde rivers.
The beloved Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest returns for a series of events from June 19 to June 21.
In 1964, this event was founded by four locals to lift community spirits after a tsunami washed out the Elk Creek Bridge. Now, the event draws thousands of tourists and is recognized as the first and oldest sandcastle contest in Oregon.
Registration for the contest is available online through the Cannon Beach events site.
To start off the weekend, contestants can pickup their competition materials from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on June 19.
The same day, Bill Rose will provide a live sandcastle demonstration on the beach off Second Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then, the kickoff celebration will take place at Steidel Community Hall from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Competition day starts 8:30 a.m. on June 20 when the beach opens for parking. During the time of the contest, parking is allowed in every public parking lot, on the beach and the sides of the street.
The contest will be on the beach west of Ocean Avenue near Madison Street.
The artists can begin crafting their masterpieces at 9 a.m. when the sandcastle building starts. Only natural materials native to the beach can be used.
Final judging takes place at 2 p.m. Judges are looking for team effort, enthusiasm, composition, detail, adherence to the rules and final appearance.
Spectators and competitors can celebrate from 7 to 10 p.m. with s’mores and music on the beach at the west end of Second Street. There is free admission for the party.
For those looking to get their steps in, the weekend wraps up with the Singing Sands 5K Fun Run at 9 a.m. June 21.
Registration for the run is on the beach at the Tolovana Wayside entrance at 8 a.m.
The Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce and Information Center is available to answer any questions at 503-436-2623.
Makenzie Stamets is an outdoor intern at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at mstamets@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @MakenzieStamets.
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 18 drawing
1PM: 2-7-1-6
4PM: 4-7-3-2
7PM: 3-7-5-1
10PM: 2-1-7-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A Benton County man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after prosecutors say he held his brother at knifepoint inside their family home, a confrontation that ended with police shooting the wrong person as the victim tried to escape, the Benton County District Attorney’s office said in a media release.
On Thursday, June 18, John Dakota Lyon pleaded guilty to Attempted Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Coercion, according to a news release from the Benton County District Attorney. He was sentenced to a total of 77 months in prison and two years of post-prison supervision.
The case stems from the morning of Jan. 6, when Maverick Lyon was home visiting his parents during winter break from college. Prosecutors said Dakota Lyon, his brother, was living at the home after recently being released from the Department of Corrections.
In February 2023, Dakota Lyon was sentenced to 58 months in prison for convictions of Attempted Assault in the First Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, the release said.
On Jan. 6, prosecutors said Dakota Lyon accused Maverick Lyon of conspiring with their father to do harm to him. Dakota Lyon armed himself with a large kitchen knife and, while holding onto Maverick Lyon’s shirt, pulled him throughout the house, implying he would harm him with the knife, according to the district attorney’s office. Despite Maverick Lyon’s pleadings, prosecutors said Dakota Lyon refused to release him or put the knife down.
Prosecutors said Maverick Lyon convinced Dakota Lyon to allow him to grab his own kitchen knife under the guise that they would leave the residence to confront their father together. Their father, who saw and heard what was happening through a surveillance system set up at the home, called 911 to report the crime, the release said.
Multiple Albany Police Department officers arrived and were able to see two men through a back door window, including one with a knife, according to the district attorney’s office. After a brief conversation between officers and the men, prosecutors said Maverick Lyon broke free and rushed out the back door.
The district attorney’s office said Maverick Lyon still had a knife in his hand as he began to break the plane of the door, and officers were standing near the door. Prosecutors said Maverick Lyon began dropping the knife, but officers, fearing for their lives and the lives of other officers, fired their weapons. Maverick Lyon was struck several times.
An earlier Officer Involve Shooting review by the Benton County District Attorney’s Office found the officers’ use of force was justified, the release said.
Officers rendered first aid, and while being treated, Maverick Lyon said, “You shot the wrong guy,” according to the district attorney’s office.
Dakota Lyon was taken into custody without further incident, and the knife he was believed to have been possessing was located near him, prosecutors said. He has been in custody since Jan. 6.
After surgery and a lengthy recovery period, Maverick Lyon “appears to be doing well,” the release said.
The district attorney’s office said methamphetamine may have played a role in Dakota Lyon’s actions. A urine sample taken from him that day tested positive for methamphetamine, and he was known to use methamphetamine in the past and was believed by those close to him to have recently begun using methamphetamine again, according to the release.
“The tragic shooting was a direct result of Dakota Lyon’s actions. As Dakota marched Maverick around the house at knife point, Maverick feared for his life and wanted nothing more but to escape his drug crazed older brother. But for Dakota’s actions, police would not have been called, Maverick would not be a victim of kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon, and coercion, and the police would not have shot Maverick,” Chief DDA Amie Matusko, who prosecuted the case, said in the release.
At sentencing, Dakota Lyon’s attorney, Christian Strahl, acknowledged Dakota Lyon’s responsibility in Maverick Lyon’s shooting, the release said. Strahl indicated the remorse Dakota Lyon felt, saying Dakota Lyon wished he could have taken the bullets instead of Maverick, according to prosecutors.
“While this sentiment is appreciated, true accountability would be remorse in having raised a knife towards his brother and regret that the lives of Maverick and the family are forever changed,” Matusko said.
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