Chamber pulls out all the stops for Freedom Fest ‘22

“We are super excited to give our county, and towns within the county, the best old-fashioned Fourth of July event possible; something like we remember having when we were kids. We are thrilled to be able to bring these lost memories to life,” said Seminole Chamber of Commerce president Shelby Concotelli about Saturday’s upcoming Freedom Fest ‘22.

Concotelli attributes her current board of directors with planning an event that will have something for everyone. “I have a board this year that has brought a lot of new ideas and energies to this... I don’t want to make it sound like I’ve had a better board of directors than I have had in a long time. It’s just that a few of the new board members are younger, they have small children, and they know what kids want to be a part of. They bring a whole new facet of ideas.”

There will be tons of kids’ activities for those ages ten and under taking place throughout the first part of the day with a coloring contest, a pageant, and a kiddie parade. Also, for the younger set, Reeds Ranch and Rescue will provide a duck pond and ring toss. Junior high and high school students and young adults will enjoy a video game truck with 32 different games available, axe throwing, and a dunking booth featuring local celebrities. “We have things for all different age groups,” Concotelli said, adding bingo, hot air balloon rides, an exotic petting zoo, and various contests to the list.

The chamber president explained that the kiddie parade would consist of children dressed in patriotic attire riding bikes, riding in wagons pulled by their parents, sporting small motorized vehicles, and other safe means of transportation. No ATVs will be allowed.

Residents can compete in a pie contest, ice cream making contest, coloring contest, and art contest. “Of course, at 2 p.m. is when the ice cream judging begins. The ice cream, I think, starts coming in all day. They will come in, and we will take them (the ice cream) and the coolers down to the pavilion. We can put their ice cream in the freezer or inside where the ice won’t melt.” Concotelli said that pies for the pie contest would include apple, cherry, peach, and other pies as long as they don’t have eggs, milk, or dairy products.

The evening will feature the Twisted Still Band; the Master of Ceremonies is Rob Franklin. “They are all local guys, and we are excited about how many local people have approached us and said, ‘Hey, I can do this.’” In addition to the band and Franklin, Coach’s Guitar Studio students will perform as well as a dance group. After dark, a fireworks spectacular by Rich-FIRE LLC will conclude the celebration.

This year’s event is a joint project involving chambers from Seminole, Seagraves, and Loop. Seagraves has always helped monetarily, but in 2019 they became more involved when Seagraves took over both the Seagraves and Loop Area Chambers of Commerce. “I reached out to them and asked them if they wanted to be part of our party, and they said, ‘Absolutely!’ I have five volunteers from there coming to help, and they are also helping monetarily; they are a huge sponsor along with us,” Concotelli said. “We want this to be truly a county-wide celebrated event.”

Concotelli said she is probably more excited about this year’s event than she has been in 24 years. The community has pulled together to make Freedom Fest ‘22 the best July 4th event the county has ever seen.

“We are super excited to give our county, and towns within the county, the best old-fashioned Fourth of July event possible; something like we remember having when we were kids.”