{"id":211693,"date":"2024-06-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=211693"},"modified":"2024-06-27T23:44:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T23:44:18","slug":"music-food-fun-more-in-store-for-fort-cavazos-freedom-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=211693","title":{"rendered":"Music, food, fun, more in store for Fort Cavazos Freedom Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Bowling for Soup lead singer, Jaret Reddick, listens to the crowd cheer during the band’s performance at the Freedom Fest celebration June 23, 2023, at Phantom Warrior Stadium at Fort Cavazos, Texas.
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\n Fireworks light up the sky to cap off the Freedom Fest event June 23, 2024, at Phantom Warrior Stadium at Fort Cavazos, Texas.
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\n Rap artist Vanilla Ice performs for an excited crowd during the Freedom Fest celebration June 23, 2023, at Phantom Warrior Stadium at Fort Cavazos, Texas.
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FORT CAVAZOS, Texas \u2014 <\/strong>With just over 24 hours left until the Great Place holds its annual Freedom Fest celebration in commemoration of the Independence Day holiday, Soldiers and military family members are anxiously awaiting this year\u2019s lineup of events.<\/p>\n

The crew of the Great Big Podcast sat down with representatives from the Fort Cavazos Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation to talk about why the celebration is such an anticipated event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great for the morale of our community and our Soldiers and for the quality of life,\u201d said Norma Hernandez, DFMWR special events coordinator, \u201cand at the end of the day, it will be filled with patriotism and fireworks. So, it\u2019s good to bring it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Peter Craig, director of DFMWR, agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to kick back, relax and enjoy the freedoms they all fight for. Take the afternoon and the evening off and just revel in the freedoms that we have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A huge draw of the event is the musical performances and this year\u2019s lineup features award-winning singer-songwriter Gavin Degraw, country group Parmalee and emerging artists Alto Moon, YSA and Matias.<\/p>\n

Craig explained this year\u2019s event features two stages, one within the stadium and one in the parking, so patrons can listen to live music while getting food or visiting vendors, a concept he says was modeled after the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and a first for Freedom Fest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve done it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s going to be interesting, it\u2019s going to be fun. The music won\u2019t be overlapping, so you\u2019ll be able to hear one or the other. It\u2019s a great concept, and we\u2019re hoping that it\u2019s received well.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to music that showcases a myriad of genres, the festival features more than a dozen different vendors selling everything from tacos and burgers to ice cream and funnel cakes.<\/p>\n

Patrons can look forward to organized children\u2019s activities courtesy of Fort Cavazos Child and Youth Services, including face painting, arts and crafts, lawn games, ceramics and rock painting. Some new additions include rock climbing, a four-station bungee trampoline and inflatable axe throwing.<\/p>\n

Craig explained having the event prior to the holiday benefits Soldiers and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do it so we give our Soldiers and our families an opportunity to enjoy their own Fourth of July events in the local community,\u201d he said. \u201cThis way our folks, if they split their time between it, they can come and enjoy ours, and they can enjoy the local community on the Fourth of July itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freedom Fest kicks off at 4 p.m. June 28 at Phantom Warrior Stadium. If guests can\u2019t park at the stadium, there is limited parking at the Clear Creek Commissary and Military Clothing and Sales.<\/p>\n

Courtesy six-person golf carts will pick up and drop off at the stadium entry\/exit, in the commissary parking lot, Bldg. 50001, and between Military Clothing and Sales and Community Events and Bingo Center.<\/p>\n

Patrons who prefer to trek to the venue can use the well-lit walking path starting from the east side of the Military Clothing and Sales parking lot.<\/p>\n

Some do\u2019s and don\u2019ts to remember:<\/p>\n

Do:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Prepare in advance to secure a visitor\u2019s pass on post if needed.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Bring water, sunscreen and bug repellent.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Bring chairs, umbrellas and blankets.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Take advantage of the cooling stations at the venue.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Bring tents.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Bring alcohol.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Bring pets.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Bring grills.<\/p>\n

A full list of permitted and prohibited items, as well as an itinerary for the event is available at\u00a0https:\/\/cavazos.armymwr.com\/calendar\/event\/freedom-fest\/6481681\/89982<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Craig said although the event is just once a year, the support for military families is ever present.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The event) is just really reinforcing everything that we always do,\u201d Craig expressed. \u201cMWR \u2014 we\u2019re in the business of supporting our Soldiers and our families, and that\u2019s what we do every day throughout the year. It\u2019s our chance to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Bowling for Soup lead singer, Jaret Reddick, listens to the crowd cheer during the band’s performance at the Freedom Fest celebration June 23, 2023, at Phantom Warrior Stadium at Fort Cavazos, Texas. (Photo Credit: Photo by Blair Dupre, Fort Cavazos Public Affairs) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 \/ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211695,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=211693"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211699,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211693\/revisions\/211699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/211695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=211693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=211693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=211693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}