A community celebration becomes more meaningful when people understand the story behind it.
For the City of Stafford’s 3rd Annual Juneteenth Festival, that story is close to home. Held June 15 on the grounds of a former sugar plantation, the festival gave the community a chance to celebrate Juneteenth in a place shaped by that history.
As the City’s PR and advertising vendor of record for this year’s festival, Sur-Ryl Marketing helped bring that story to audiences across Greater Houston.
Finding the heart of the celebration
The City hoped to welcome its biggest turnout yet, and we had about five weeks to help spread the word. During an early conversation, Councilman Will K. Bostic, the festival’s lead organizer, shared the history of the festival grounds. That detail helped shape our approach.
The free event, held June 15 at the Stafford Centre, offered families an opportunity to celebrate while learning about the history surrounding them. The program included a Buffalo Soldiers presentation and appearances by the Texas Black Cowboys. African dance and drum performances brought energy to the celebration, while a vendor market highlighted Black-owned and Stafford-based businesses.
A tribute to Stafford native and Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre added another reason for the community to come together.
Bringing the story into the community
Our Marketing Communications Manager, Lauren Precker, led media outreach, pairing broad press release distribution with direct pitches to Houston-area outlets. We worked with the Houston Texans to help share the tribute to Pitre and reached out to local churches and community organizations.
That outreach was part of a shared effort. Alysia Minor of Greenwood Walker led the campaign’s creative and local coordination, helping shape the messaging and event graphics. She also secured a dedicated festival web address to make event information easier to find.
Savvy Henderson of Savvy Relations supported the campaign with video content and social media setup. Her work included preparing promotional videos and helping audiences discover the celebration through its online event pages. Her videos helped people get a feel for the celebration before attending.
The City’s own communications channels helped carry the message further, giving residents more opportunities to hear about the celebration.
The campaign generated 170 media placements in the weeks leading up to the festival. Coverage included KPRC’s Houston Life and Houston Public Media’s Juneteenth guide. The Houston Texans also shared the event across three platforms.
We’re grateful to the City of Stafford for trusting us with a celebration rooted so deeply in its community. Thank you to Fervent Designs for bringing us onto the project, and to Greenwood Walker and Savvy Relations for their partnership.
