Juneteenth Opening

On Friday,June 20,the Hayner Center will host the Juneteenth Opening party with a very special concert, hors d’oeuvres and a children’s art exhibit. The concert will feature the Deron Bell Band with the “History of Gospel Music.” Deron believes that gospel music played a very important role in the history of many genres of music. “All good things come from gospel music,” he says. “So many things came out or those gospel traditions. Talking about gospel music and playing gospel music is one of my favorite things in the world to do. There is a rich and powerful history here and it is important to understand these connections.”

Deron Bell is the drummer at Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio and is the Music Director for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Since 2009 he has assisted in coordinating musicians and community choir members for the inspirational production “In The Spirit Of.” Bell is a well-known music-maker in Dayton and has been recognized both regionally and nationally. Throughout his long career he has performed with Boney James, Walter Beasley, Peabo Bryson, James Brown, The Manhattans, ZAPP, Shirley Murdock, Pamela Wilson and Bootsy Collins just to scratch the surface. He has performed with the Dayton Philharmonic and pre-show entertainment for the Blue Man Group and the Lion King at the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center and for Naturally 7 and the Magic of Motown at the Arbogast Performing Arts Center in Troy, OH.

The Juneteenth Opening concert will be at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center on Friday, June 20. Doors will open at 6:00 pm for a special art exhibition by Troy City School students called, “Before, During, After…Historical Influence of African and African American music on United States history.” It will be curated by the outstanding art instructors at the Troy City Schools. The concert will start at 7:00 pm. No reservations or tickets are necessary. The Troy-Hayner Cultural Center is proudly supported by the citizens of the Troy City School District through a local tax levy and generous gifts to the Friends of Hayner. For more information regarding these free events and to receive a complete listing of Hayner Events, please call 937-339-0457 or visit our website at www.TroyHayner.org for complete details.