During Food Truck Thursdays

Dates: Thursday, July 11th, 18th & 25th

Start Time: Dusk (approximately between 8:30pm and 8:45pm)

Location: Prewett Family Park Hillside (Located next to the Antioch Water Park)

This July, free outdoor movie nights are back! Grab your blankets and lawn chairs, and bring the entire family out to enjoy popcorn, kids’ crafts and a movie. Happening on the Prewett Family Park Hillside, next to the Antioch Water Park, movies will begin just after dusk (approximately 8:30pm-8:45pm depending on sunset).

Did we mention it will also be Food Truck Thursday, brought to you by FoodieCrewSF. Don’t forget to grab dinner before the movie begins! Visit @foodiecrewsf on Instagram to see the food truck lineup for each night!

Free popcorn, refreshments, and kids’ arts & crafts while supplies last.

This year’s lineup:

July 11th – Disney Pixar’s Elemental (2023) – Rated PG (Runtime: 101 minutes)
July 18th – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) – Rated PG (Runtime: 99mins)
July 25th – Matilda (1996) – Rated PG (Runtime: 98 minutes)

You won’t want to miss this.

Prewett Family Park is located at on Lone Tree Way.

*Dates and locations subject to change.

For details visit www.antiochca.gov/recreation.

In spite of two others being held in Antioch by non-profit organizations

Will include live music, rides, carnival games, food booths and activities

By Allen D. Payton

Confused by having three events in Antioch celebrating Juneteenth, again this year? According to the information from the City of Antioch’s Recreation Department, “This year marks the third annual city sponsored Juneteenth Celebration, where we come together as a city to honor freedom, culture, and community. Join us for a day of reflection that showcases the richness of African American heritage as we embrace the vibrancy and resiliency of Black culture. This event features live performances, music, food, activities for kids and adults, and so much more!”

The City’s event will be held on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16 from 12:00-5:00 PM at Williamson Ranch Park at the Corner of Lone Tree Way and Hillcrest Avenue.

Two Other Juneteenth Celebrations in Antioch, Again This Year

Yet, there are two other events being held in Antioch again, this year celebrating the final end of slavery in America, both by non-profit organizations and one is completely free to the public. The first celebration will be held this Saturday, June 15th at Grace Bible Fellowship Church of Antioch, organized by their affiliated non-profit organization, Grace Arms of Antioch, for a third year in a row.

The other non-profit organized event in Antioch, and this year’s third, will be held on the actual date of the national holiday, Wednesday, June 19th (thus the name) at Paradise Skate on the grounds of the Contra Costa Event Park (fairgrounds). It is organized by Claryssa Wilson, for a fifth year in a row (although the event in 2022 was held in Brentwood) and her 4 Ever Me Foundation.

The reason the event was held in Brentwood that year was due to a control issue by the mayor, Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker, then-Interim City Manager Con Johnson and Wilson and her mother, Velma, who was supporting the mayor’s recall at the time and her husband, Claryssa’s father, was the titular chairman of the recall committee. The three city officials took the event away from the Wilsons just two months before it was to be held, by withdrawing the permit to hold it at the City’s Waldie Plaza in downtown Rivertown. (See related article)

The Celebrate Antioch Foundation stepped up to help Claryssa by providing the needed liability insurance for the event.

That same year, Grace Arms worked with the City and they held joint events on Friday night and Saturday. But last year they held separate events on separate days.

The first two hours of the City’s event is also being held the same day as, and will overlap the last two hours of, the annual Rivertown Father’s Day Car Show in Antioch’s historic downtown organized by the Celebrate Antioch Foundation, as did last year’s City sponsored Juneteenth celebration.

“What is Juneteenth?

The City’s promotional information also includes a brief history of the holiday and event, as does Grace Arms’.

“Short for June Nineteenth, Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating the 1865 emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States– marking the day when federal troops arrived in Galvenston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure the freedom of all remaining enslaved people. Texas became the first U.S. state to celebrate Juneteenth in 1979. Officially becoming a U.S. federal holiday in June of 2021, the City of Antioch is proud to present our third annual Juneteenth Celebration taking place on Sunday, June 16, 2024.”

Questions for Council and Staff

All five council members, Acting City Manager Kwame Reed and Acting Assistant City Manager and Parks & Recreation Director Brad Helfenberger were asked if the City is using taxpayer funds to pay for this year’s Juneteenth celebration. If so, why the City is hosting and paying for one when there are two organizations each holding a Juneteenth event in Antioch. They were also asked how much is being spent on this year’s event if an organization was hired to organize the event or if is being handled by city staff.

Finally, they were asked, why the City didn’t just promote either the event organized by Grace Arms on June 15th and/or the event on June 19th organized by Claryssa Wilson and her 4Ever Me Foundation which would save taxpayer money.

District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock was the only councilmember to respond writing, “we set some funds aside for events, as we do for 4th of July.”

Helfenberger offered more details. He responded, “I can confirm that, as in 2022 and 2023, this year’s event is being funded from the general fund and will cost approximately $42,000.

The event is being organized by our dedicated City staff, without the use of an outside firm.

When the event budget was established in 2022, we placed a strong emphasis on creating community-wide special events that hold cultural significance. Our goal is to foster a sense of belonging within our community and ensure that our events reflect the diversity of our residents. While we deeply appreciate the efforts of various community groups in organizing events, we believe it is important for the City to host its own events with these objectives in mind.”

Juneteenth: A Free Celebration Details

The City of Antioch’s Juneteenth: A Freedom Celebration will include live musical performances by Ariel Marin Band from 12:30-1:30 pm, Nzuri Soul from 2:00-3:00 pm and The Curtis Family C-Notes from 3:30-5:00 pm.

In addition, a variety of activities are planned, including Ballistic Swing Ride, Carnival Games, a Dominoes Tournament, Father’s Day Card Creation Station, Juneteenth Crafts, Photobooth, Rock Climbing Wall and a Super Fun 90’ Slide plus, food vendor booths. To learn more about the event visit www.antiochca.gov/juneteenth/.

Free Community & Family Event

Victory Outreach Antioch presents Unleashed, A Community and Family Event on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Enjoy a custom car show, free haircuts, live hip hop music concert featuring artist EGR and a food giveaway. The event will be held at Antioch City Park on the corner of A and W. 10th Streets from 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Victory Outreach Antioch is located at 2400 A Street on the corner of Rossi Street in Antioch. For more information about the church visit https://voantioch.com.

Come see scholars from the city of Antioch shine in this amazing production for three shows only!

Set during the last years of New York City’s celebrated High School for the Performing Arts in the early 1980s, Fame JR. is the bittersweet, but ultimately inspiring, story of a diverse group of students who commit to four years of grueling artistic and academic work.

In the theater at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center, 213 F Street in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown. Presented by Aspire Youth Programs in partnership with the City of Antioch. Follow Aspire Youth Programs on Facebook.

Admission is free. To reserve your seat, visit Fame Jr Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite.

The Contra Costa County Fair will be held at the Contra Costa Event Park, 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch. For more information visit Contra Costa County Fair 2024 (contracostafair.com).

By Courtney Emery (Trantham), Music Department Lead, Antioch USD, Music Teacher, Antioch High School and Antioch Middle School

The Antioch High School Marching Band and Choir are planning an educational trip to New Orleans, LA in March 2025. We chose New Orleans because of its rich musical history and culture, especially as New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.

The trip will be five days and four nights and will include a performance in Jackson Square, a clinic at Loyola University, viewing a private jazz performance at the historic Preservation Hall, a visit to the New Orleans Jazz Museum, a steamboat dinner jazz cruise and more. 

The students will be traveling from Antioch to New Orleans via airplane. Many of our students have not been out of the state before, let alone on an airplane. This is sure to be an experience they will remember for life.

As many of our students are unable to afford the cost of the trip, we are holding several fundraisers to help raise money. They include:

• Car Wash on 5/25/24 from 9:30am-2:00pm at Les Schwab Tire (89 Carol Lane, Oakley) (Weather permitting – will cancel if it rains).

• Walkathon at AHS on 6/1/24, more details TBA

Any person wishing to sponsor a student in need through a financial donation is welcome to email me at CourtneyEmery@antiochschools.net.

Get free passes for donating to Maya Community Foundation

By Greg Heckman, Director of Marketing, Maya Cinemas

Maya Cinemas, known for developing movie theatres in underserved communities with state-of-the-art presentation, first-class amenities and community involvement, is offering free movies passes for donations to the Maya Community Foundation. Beginning on April 1st and running through April 15th, movie-goers can make a donation at any Maya Cinema and receive 1 free movie passes (valid 4/1/24 – 5/15/24) for every $10 they donate and 3 passes for every $25. One hundred percent of donations will be granted as college scholarships to members of the communities surrounding the theaters. Scholarship applications are live at wearemaya.org/scholarship-applications.html and will be open until May 30^th.

The Maya Community Foundation is dedicated to the development and enrichment of the lives of people in the community in which Maya Cinemas’ theatres serve. The foundation is dedicated to fostering and supporting under-served, low-income communities through a variety of programs.

Donations can be made in-theatre at any of Maya’s six locations:

Pittsburg, CA – 4085 Century Boulevard

Salinas, CA – 153 Main Street

Bakersfield – 1000 California Avenue

Delano, CA – 401 Woollomes Avenue

Fresno, CA – 3090 East Campus Pointe Drive

North Las Vegas, NV – 2195 North Las Vegas Blvd.

“Support of higher education is an important building block. The Maya Community Foundation and Maya Cinemas endeavors to enrich the community through several efforts with education being a primary focus.” said Heidi Garcia, Maya Community Foundation. 

ABOUT MAYA CINEMAS

Maya Cinemas was chartered in 2000 with a mission to develop, build, own and operate modern, first-run, multi-plex movie theaters in underserved, family oriented, Latino-dominant communities.  Maya Cinemas offers first-run Hollywood movies and unique content through its Canal Maya program in high-end theaters focused on quality of design, state-of-the-art film presentation technology, and providing first-rate entertainment with superior customer service.  The Maya Community Foundation is dedicated to the development and enrichment of the lives of people in the community in which Maya Cinemas serve.