Freedom Festival: Celebrate an old-fashion Fourth of July

American Press

a day ago

Gracelynn Bass of Lake Charles and Birelle Doucet of Lake Arthur were among the young contestants in the watermelon eating contest during last year's Freedom Fest in Lake Arthur. This year's festival, which will be held 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday in Lake Arthur Park, will feature sack races, greasy pig contest, cardboard boat races, a parade, live music, food vendors and more. (Doris Maricle / American Press)
The town of Lake Arthur is buzzing with excitement as it prepares to host its third annual Freedom Fest, a celebration of community spirit, patriotic pride and good old-fashioned family fun.
This year's star-spangled event will take place 10 a.m.- 10 p.m. Saturday in and around Lake Arthur Park.
'The old-fashioned Fourth of July was very popular in Lake Arthur in the years past,' Alderwoman Debbie Abshire Sonnier said. 'It was a fun, family-day event to celebrate Independence Day, and when we rejuvenated this event, we wanted it to be like the old-fashioned Fourth of July.'
The free festival promises a nostalgic Fourth of July experience for everyone, she said.
'We invite everyone to come out and enjoy this great festival that we have to honor our independence and our veterans,' Sonnier said.
The celebration will feature old-time games as attendees can look forward to a variety of activities and entertainment for all ages.
The celebration will include a cornhole tournament at 10 a.m. jump-rope contest at 11 a.m., sack races at noon, watermelon eating contest at 12:30 p.m., greasy pig contest at 1 p.m. hula hoop contest at 2:30 p.m., cardboard boat races at 3 p.m., tug-of-war at 4 p.m., limbo contest at 7:30 p.m. and glow sticks at 8 p.m. All activities are free, except for a $20 cornhole entry.
'The cardboard races are normally our biggest event,' Sonnier said. 'It's fun to see how creative people can be with cardboard and what they do to make it float, along with all the designs they have.'
The parade is set to begin at 6 p.m., with lineup at 5:30 p.m. on Arthur Avenue between Third and Fourth streets, near the JD Bank. The parade will feature golf carts, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles, classic cars and decorated floats.
This year's grand marshals are Ronald Joe Guidry, who served as a U.S. Army Specialist 4th Class, and Barbara Conner, who served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. The junior grand marshals will be Gold Star family members Carleigh and Justin 'J.J.' Everett, whose father, Justin, was an active-duty service member killed in a motorcycle accident.
Live entertainment will kick off at 10:30 a.m. with the lively sounds of Phil Hebert and the Crazy Cajuns, followed by T.J. Gautreaux and Louisiana Soul at 2 p.m. Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners will close out the evening with a performance from 6:45-9:30 p.m.
'We've spaced the entertainment out this year so that it will give people a chance to go and watch their children and youth in the activities,' Sonnier said.
Food vendors will also be located throughout the park, offering a variety of food and drinks, including barbecue plate lunches, turkey legs, hamburgers, hot dogs, Frito pie, egg rolls, dumplings, funnel cakes, pretzels, edible cookie dough, ice cream and snow cones, lemonade and cotton candy and more.
As the day draws to a close, a fireworks display will illuminate the sky over the lake at 9:30 p.m., providing a memorable finale.
Families are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets to comfortably enjoy the celebration. Ice chests are permitted, but no glass containers will be allowed.