Edmond Life and Leisure - June 20, 2024

LibertyFest celebration to begin

From Edmond Life and Leisure Publisher Ray Hibbard

Our Edmond community is thrilled to host the biggest and best 4th of July festival here in Edmond, Okla. It is the 52nd Anniversary of LibertyFest and events start on June 27th with the LibertyFest concert in the park at the University of Central Oklahoma. It is an honor that Edmond Life & Leisure has once again been selected to produce this official program for LibertyFest and it is inserted in this week’s newspaper. You can also read it online by going to our web site, www.edmondlifeandleiure.com. We look forward to seeing you at all the magnificent events for this fantastic celebration.

This is one of those times during the year that makes me think how quickly the year has gone by. It seems like just last month we were celebrating the birth of our country. LibertyFest, for those of you new to the community, is not a one-day event but it happens over 10 days with a multitude of events

We also owe a giant thank you to all our sponsors for this year’s event. Most have been supporting LibertyFest for decades. They make it possible for most events to occur without charge to our guests for these many events. A special new group of volunteers has stepped up to help keep the tradition alive and we hope you will consider being a volunteer for next year.

Edmond’s July 4th Festival is a non-profit 501(c)3 operation made up of individual volunteers from the Edmond area. Its purpose is to produce a series of family-oriented events around the 4th of July to celebrate the birthday of this great nation and the heritage of Oklahoma. As the host city of LibertyFest, Edmond highlights a series of events that help enhance the quality of life in Edmond, show pride in the community, support for non-profit and civic organizations, and provide educational opportunities.

The big heroes for LibertyFest are all the volunteers. They contribute hundreds of hours to making this celebration easy for Edmond to enjoy. The work and planning for LibertyFest events go on year-round. Volunteers take time away from their families and other responsibilities to make sure we all have a pleasant and safe experience at these events. They are all folks who love their community and our country. It is truly a labor of love for our LibertyFest volunteers.

Last year was a pivotal year for LibertyFest. After the 2022 LibertyFest all the committee chairs who had been organizing the big event decided since they had just finished the 50th year anniversary, it was time to retire. Most had been volunteering for 30 years or more. Being out in the heat all day is hard for anyone but when you are in your 80s I assume it is even harder. They deserved a break.

Our friend and longtime LibertyFest volunteer June Carwright assured me she would stay on and walk us through the process of getting new committee chairs on board. She was truly Miss LibertyFest and knew all there was to know about every event. This calmed me down until God had other plans for our June and called her home far too early. I think there is a saying that if you think God does not have a sense of humor, tell him your plans. This left us on our own and I was not sure we could pull it off. I did not want to be the newspaper guy who let LibertyFest go away. It is also true that God provides.

For 2023 we had to recruit an entire new group of committee volunteers. Headed by then president of LibertyFest, Eriech Tapia, the group not only got things organized and happening, but they took the workings of the organization into the new millennium and modernized it all. It has been fantastic.

Even though Tapia graduated with his doctorate and moved to Washington, D.C. he has continued to volunteer and help with so much. A giant thank you to him and all the committee members for their hard work and stepping up to the plate to fill some big shoes.

The theme for this year’s parade is “Year of the Volunteer.” It seems appropriate and I hope you will consider becoming a volunteer, especially at the committee level. We will probably not see chairs stay in place for 30 or more years. We are a bigger community and people move in and out these days. Also, we need back-up volunteers to collaborate with current committee chairs. You never know when a chair might not be able to do the job next year and it would be great to have a back-up chair for every committee just as insurance that each event will take place.

Here is the order of events:

The concert in the park is Thursday, June 27th on the UCO campus adjacent to Mitchell Hall. Back again as band conductor is the famed Dr. Brian Lamb, Directory of the University of Central Oklahoma Bands. The event is free, and ice is served after the concert.

Annual LibertyFest Rodeo will be June 28th and 29th starting at 8 p.m. This is one of my favorite events. Nothing beats a local hometown rodeo. It is being held in the Carl Benne Arena at 300 N Kelly. There is a small charge for this event, but it is well worth it. Bull Riding, Bareback Riding, Barrel Racing and all the usual stuff. My favorite thing to do is to stay after the rodeo and watch them run slack. If you know, what slack is you are a real cowboy.

E-mail me at ray@edmondpaper.com if you think you know what it is, and I will pick a winner and come up with a prize. You are on your cowboy honor to not google it.

The car show and parkfest is at Hafer Park on June 29th from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tons of fun for car buffs and the kids. The public is invited for free and lots of activities for the kids.

Liberty Sprint Run was just added last year. It is on June 30th and check-in is at 7 a.m. in Mitch Park. The 5K benefits the Edmond Veteran’s Memorial project planned for Bickham-Rudkin Park. Songs & Stripes: Big Band Show at the Edmond History Museum on July 3rd with two shows. One is from 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. and the second is from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. You can buy tickets in advance or get them at the door for a slightly larger charge. There are forty tickets reserved free for active military or veterans, but you must RSVP and reserve in advance. It is the big band sound and patriotic songs that we love so much.

Three big events on July 4th. This is the only day that most communities celebrate but we start way in advance in Edmond and that is why LibertyFest is one of the best celebrations in the country.

We have the giant parade that starts at 9 a.m. in downtown Edmond. During the parade there will be a VIBES art event put on by the Fine Arts Institute of Edmond and it will be an art market downtown.

Then the big one, the LibertyFest 52nd Annual LibertyFest Fireworks that evening located at Hafer Park and should begin around 9:30.

We wish you and your family a safe and happy Fourth of July and hope you will join us in our Edmond LibertyFest Celebration. It is certainly a fitting tribute to our fine nation. It is one of the best celebrations in our great United States.

Our family looks forward to seeing you along the parade route and at all the other events.

(Ray Hibbard may be reached for comment at ray@edmondpaper.com.)