Rainsville to host Freedom Fest this Saturday

Rainsville to host Freedom Fest this Saturday

Featured image: The 2016 Rainsville Freedom Fest will be held this Saturday, June 25 at the Rainsville City Park from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m.


By Joseph M. Morgan

joseph@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — The City of Rainsville is hosting it’s annual Freedom Fest this Saturday, June 25 at the Rainsville City Park from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. Event organizers are expecting record crowds at the the all-day, action-packed event sponsored by the city of Rainsville.

The festival is an early Independence Day celebration with lots of entertainment, games, live music and other events for the entire family that will take place throughout the day and well into Saturday evening.

“We have another great festival planned for the 2016 Freedom Fest,” Rainsville Mayor Nick Jones said. “We have more music, entertainment and activities planned for this year’s event than ever before. I hope that everyone who is able will come down to Rainsville City Park on Saturday and enjoy the festivities.”

When the city began Freedom Fest six years ago, event planners came up with the idea of holding the festival each year a few days before the actual July 4th holiday so that the event would not have to compete with the dozens of other festivals and events held throughout DeKalb County the same weekend. Hosting Freedom Fest before the actual holiday also helps avoid conflict with family vacations during a week in which many residents are traditionally out of town.

“The strategy has been very successful and because of the unique date of Freedom Fest, we are able to bring tourists and visitors to Rainsville from all over DeKalb County and Northeast Alabama,” Jones said. “It’s a real shot in the arm each year for Rainsville businesses and our local economy.”

Freedom Fest is planned with the entire family in mind and city official say you can rest assured that there is plenty to do to keep the kids occupied throughout the day. This year there will be pony rides and inflatables as well as two magic shows from Madison Hagler and a puppet show featuring the A team from the Hope Puppet Ministries, all performed at the Tom Bevill Enrichment Center (TBEC). Hagler will be in the park demonstrating a sampling of the magic tricks before and after the shows at TBEC.

The city pool will also be open for free swimming from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. From 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m., there will be car, truck, and motorcycle shows with registration for the show beginning at 3 p.m. The music throughout the day, shows, entertainment, games and fun all build up to a grand finale fireworks display at 9 p.m. The Rainsville Freedom Fest fireworks show is one of the largest fireworks displays in the region each year, and event organizers say this year’s show is going to be bigger than ever before.

Freedom Fest continues to grow and become more popular every year. The event is rapidly becoming more than just a city of Rainsville crowd as people from throughout DeKalb and surrounding areas attend.

This year’s performers include Molly Veal, 4N Accord, Hugh Jack Bell, Hayden and Baley Young, Denise Bearden, Wayne Wilson, Shadows of the Cross, Robert Lee, Ryan Watkins, Brad Durham and Still Kickin.