iversity Parade and festival draw big crowds Taylor's Juneteenth Citywide Freedom Day Celebration has continued to grow each year and showcases the inclusivity of the community, according to organizers.

" "I think it's a testament to everyone being able to come together in the name of inclusion." - Nakevia Miller Mayor Jim Buzan, who attended the parade and brunch Saturday morning, reflected on the connections formed when people grow up in the same city with shared experiences. "A lot of people here either I went to school with or I went to school with family members.

It's a very close-knit community," Buzan said. Participation in the parade and festival, held June 20, increases each year and continues to attract regional interest, planners said. This year the event included a horse-mounted group from Elgin and a motorcycle club based in Killeen in addition to local groups. Nakevia Miller, executive director of the Dickey Museum & Multipurpose Center, presented three awards to parade recipients: * Best Driving Group: 290 Boyz Riding Club (gaited- horse club from Elgin) * Best Walker: Taylor's own Queen Lola * Best Overall: Taylor Youth Duck Nation Cheerleaders "I think it's a testament to everyone being able to come together in the name of inclusion," Miller said. The grand marshal was 99-year-old former teacher Lessie Givens. She taught Taylor students for 36 years, starting at the all-Black school, O.L. Price, before campuses were desegregated. A biker known as T-Bone, vice president and road captain of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club - Killeen Chapter, said it was a Buffalo Soldiers unit that brought word to Galveston on June 19, 1865, that slavery was ended in Texas. That event led to the celebration known as Juneteenth, which became a Texas holiday in 1980 and was named a federal holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021. T-Bone and seven other riders skipped the Killeen parade to celebrate with Taylor. He said the club president, known as Saddler, lives in Taylor. "It's important to celebrate historic events.