Freedom Fest draws about 1,000 people

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Even severe flooding that caused several road closings in Fort Scott and Bourbon County last weekend could not stop the annual Gunn Park Freedom Fest from taking place.

The Independence Day Festival, which took place Wednesday at Gunn Park, was a success, with early estimates indicating that at least 1,000 people entered the park to enjoy a full day of events planned by the Fort Scott Park Event Committee and the City of Fort Scott, organizers said.

Several games and attractions took place throughout the day to provide fun and entertainment for people of all ages during the third annual event.

"It was awesome, I can't believe how it did," committee member Diana Mitchell said. "The water played a part, but it didn't affect us at all."

Mitchell said she became nervous earlier this week when she and other committee members checked out the park on Monday morning to find that floodwaters were still high inside the park, creating the possibility that the event would have to be canceled. There was also no way to drive down inside the park, she said.

Rain had soaked the event the past two years, but planners still conducted the festival and didn't want that to change this year, Mitchell said.

"We didn't want to have to cancel it," she said.

Other committee members told her not to worry, and to wait patiently and the waters would subside in time for the festival, Mitchell said. By Tuesday morning, the committee got their wish, as all of the floodwaters had receded, allowing entry into the park, she said. The road into the park was finally opened, and city workers and other volunteers began the process of cleaning debris out of the park to get it in festival shape.

"It was meant to happen," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the committee would not have final attendance and revenue figures until next week, as officials still have much post-event clean-up and discussion to complete.

She said at one point during the festival, she looked out at the crowd and was quite impressed with the amount of families -- many of whom were parents with small children -- who turned out to enjoy the festival before witnessing the city's fireworks display Wednesday evening.

"I was overwhelmed with the number of people who showed up," Mitchell said. "I could see that it was families, and that's what we wanted. It was a gathering."

Mitchell, who said she spent a tiring day working at the festival, said she also received a comment during the event from a Nevada, Mo. resident, a father of small children who took his kids on canoe rides on lakes inside the park during the festival. The father said his family had nothing else to do that day, and thanked her for putting on the event, which allowed he and his family an opportunity to spend the Fourth of July holiday participating in various activities together.

The event was free to the public, but some games and rides required participants to pay small fees. All proceeds from the event help fund similar events planned by the Fort Scott Park Event committee throughout the year.