Summerfest and Northcott Neighborhood House Detail Partnership for 2025
“A Taste of Juneteenth” Event, Scholarships, Food Donations Revealed for Juneteenth Celebration
MILWAUKEE – (May 16, 2025) – Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance and Northcott Neighborhood House are proud to expand its ongoing partnership through a variety of community initiatives that celebrate Milwaukee’s culture and legacy as the “City of Festivals.” The organizations are excited to introduce a new event on June 21- “A Taste of Juneteenth” celebrating food and culture with proceeds benefiting participating entrepreneurs and reveal details for scholarship support and food donations.
As an extension of the annual Juneteenth celebration on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Summerfest and Northcott Neighborhood House will debut a new ticketed event, “A Taste of Juneteenth” on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Summerfest, featuring a lineup of local food vendors. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample dishes from local entrepreneurs, chefs, and restaurants in the area. Proceeds from “A Taste of Juneteenth” will directly support the participating vendors, which include:
• Atwood Hwy BBQ Company
• Dear Florence Sweets
• Glad’s Kitchen
• It’s Smackn
• Jericho’s BBQ
• Johnny’s Kitchen Creations
• K’s Finger Food Catering
• Peachy’s Plates
• Pop’s BBQ Memphis Style
• Uyghur Grill
“A Taste of Juneteenth” will be offered twice, either at 11:00 a.m. or 12:45 p.m. with live music from a local DJ. Tickets are $100 and include same day admission to Summerfest. To purchase tickets, visit Summerfest.com.
For the past 34 years, Northcott Neighborhood House has proudly hosted a scholarship competition in conjunction with its annual Juneteenth celebration, honoring African American youth – Miss Juneteenth and Mister Juneteenth (ages 14–18), and Little Miss Juneteenth and Mister Jr. Juneteenth (ages 8–13). Summerfest is honored to support this program, which showcases leadership and achievement within the Milwaukee community, through a scholarship donation. The 2025 scholarship recipients will also be recognized during Summerfest’s official opening ceremony at 6:00 p.m. on June 19, 2025, at the Aurora Pavilion. The ceremony will also feature special performances by national artists and remarks from community leaders.
Additionally, as part of Summerfest’s traditional opening day admission promotion – Bush’s Beans Stomp Out Hunger Day with FOX6 Milwaukee- in partnership with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, a portion of food donations collected on June 19 will also benefit Northcott Neighborhood House’s food pantry.
“In the spirit of Milwaukee’s collective tradition as the City of Festivals, Summerfest is proud to partner with Northcott Neighborhood House to celebrate Juneteenth,” said Sarah Pancheri, President and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. “Together, we are committed to shining the spotlight on Milwaukee’s unique cultural celebrations.”
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge the value of our partnership with Summerfest. An appearance for the Juneteenth Court at the Summerfest Opening Ceremonies will add to cherished moments for our youth. It’s an opportunity for more community members to see young people who care about the direction of their future. The donations that will support our food pantry program and our mission to meet the needs of those we serve are greatly appreciated. I’m equally excited about the entrepreneurs participating in “A Taste of Juneteenth,” whose cultural cuisine will be available for the entire community and visitors to experience on Saturday, June 21, on the Summerfest grounds,” said Tony Kearney, Executive Director of Northcott Neighborhood House.
As previously announced, following the traditional Milwaukee Juneteenth Day parade and festival on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; Summerfest and Northcott Neighborhood House invite the community to join in celebrating music and culture with Juneteenth programming at Summerfest on the evening of Thursday, June 19, 2025. Dedicated programming and music during Juneteenth Day at Summerfest will take place across multiple festival ground stages starting at 6:00 p.m.
For more information about the traditional Juneteenth Day Celebration on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, visit JuneteenthMilwaukee.com and for more information on the Juneteenth Day Summerfest celebration visit Summerfest.com.
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