Join us in the Tennessee Room from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 15 as we honor Juneteenth with a pop-up history lesson in African American music and explore homemade instruments like cigar box guitars. Guests will trace the historical roots of this instrument through the lens of the slave trade and the subsequent freedom gained by black Americans in 1865. 

Guests will dive into the instrument’s history back to its African roots. You’ll get a glimpse into the resilience and creativity necessary to keep cultural traditions alive under the intense repression of slavery and post-slavery America. 

Guests will also get a hands-on look at the science behind a string instrument, looking at the acoustics and physics behind different musical pitches. 

This lesson is FREE with membership or park admission.

Stick around Discovery Park after hours for a special Juneteenth celebration of Black American Freedom from 5-9 p.m. brought to you in part by the Weakley County Reconciliation Project and the Tennessee Arts Commission.