Local residents gathered Saturday to remember their heritage — and to have some fun — for the annual Juneteenth celebration, a commemoration of the day slaves were freed.

And while many people failed to show for a morning memorial walk from the Forks of the Road slave market site to Melrose, many families came to a family fun day at the antebellum mansion.

As perspiration beaded on the faces of those gathered around the Forks of the Road sign on St. Catherine Street, Dr. Charles Bartley prayed.

&uot;Give us the spirit of strength, the spirit of endurance and the spirit of fortitude that made our foreparents thrive in the midst of dehumanization,&uot; he said.

Bartley’s prayer was the conclusion to the opening ceremony of the one-mile memorial walk from the site of the former slave market to Melrose. But some were disappointed by the turnout for the walk — just six people.

&uot;I can’t say that we’re not disappointed, we were expecting many more,&uot; said Ozelle Fisher, who had delivered the talk on the history of the Forks of the Road before the walk. &uot;I don’t know what we will have to do to get the people of the community involved, but I think that we have to take responsibility for that.&uot;

But all was not lost because as the small band was about to disperse, a group of 45 young people from an NAACP youth organization in McComb joined the organizers to walk a mile in their ancestors’ footsteps.

Eight-year-old Whitney Boygents was among them. &uot;I’m here because it helps us learn about our heritage,&uot; she said.

&uot;It made us think for awhile,&uot; said Portia Holmes, 15, of McComb. &uot;We were just walking along and having fun and then reality check — we were walking the same route as our ancestors did.&uot;

&uot;They had no choice but to walk it,&uot; Robin Brumfield, another McComb student, said. &uot;And they had no idea where they were going.&uot;

Robert Jackson watched the walk from the porch of his home at Cedars Apartment complex. &uot;My auntie was a little bitty girl during that time. She used to tell us stories about being 2 or 3 years old and her mama walking her through where they sold them. It was right up there on that hill,&uot; Jackson said, pointing in the direction of the Forks of the Road sign. &uot;Her name was Classie Green and she was born in 1845. She lived two months shy of being 113 years old.&uot;

Participants also enjoyed the family fun day at Melrose Saturday afternoon, although rain clouds dampened much of the fun. And a rodeo was scheduled for Saturday night at the Liberty Park arena.