The 26th annual Walk to Dorchester hits the pavement Saturday morning.

The walk begins at 6 a.m. at Briar Bay Park and participants retrace the steps Black students took to walk from their homes in the Riceboro area to attend the Dorchester Academy.

Dorchester Academy was founded in 1871 as a school for freed slaves and by 1917, it was fully accredited and had an enrollment of 300 students. It was the first high school in Georgia to go to a 12th grade — all others ended at 11th grade. Its entire graduating class of 1934 was accepted into college, and Dorchester Academy was regarded as one of the best high schools in the state.

It closed its academic programs in 1940 but it later hosted civil rights leaders and the Southern Chrisitan Leadership Conference’s citizens education program.

The annual walk is the primary fundraiser for the Dorchester Improvement Association, which maintains and improves the Dorchester Academy and its offerings.

For more information, contact Dr. Clemontine Washington at (912) 6579533.

A Juneteenth celebration will be held Friday from 4:30–9:30 p.m. at Susie King Taylor Park on the Isle of Wight. The event includes a freedom light show, a Susie King Taylor recitation contest, a fashion show and a concert. The event is open to the public.