The HEART of a Seguin TRADITION Seguin’s non-profits back again for KWED Freedom Fiesta

Story by

Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

Courtey Photos with additional photos by Lizz Daniels

Seguin celebrates the 4th of July better than any other small town. Each year, the community comes out decked in red, white, and blue to line the streets of downtown for the Biggest Small-Town Fourth of July Parade in Texas, but Seguin’s independence celebration doesn’t stop there. There are patriotic concerts, flag raisings, and fireworks. For four days, various 4th of July events will be going on in town, and kicking it all off this year is the KWED Freedom Fiesta.

The Seguin tradition brings the community to the downtown square, where live music echoes through the streets, and kids play while parents peruse the food trucks and enjoy a cold one. The traditions of the KWED Freedom Fiesta would not be as deeply ingrained in the community if it wasn’t for the non-profit folks who continue to come out and make themselves a part of the event.

Following COVID-19, many of the non-profit food vendors who participated in the event have since been replaced with the more convenient food trucks. Yet, those groups still continue to set up their tents and booths in hopes of raising some much-needed dollars for their respective organizations. Those who have ever operated a food booth know it’s not easy. However, if you ask members of the Order of the Eastern Star, they’ll tell you it’s much more than just a fundraiser.

In fact, member Santa Smith says she still remembers jumping at the chance of hosting a food and drink booth when the longtime tradition was put in the hands of the local radio station.

“At that time, I was driving just across your radio station going to downtown and I heard you were going to be in charge of Free- dom Fiesta again and I just turned around and went back and Priscilda Rodriguez (KWED office manager), she was the mother of one of my students at St. James was there and so I talked to her and told her I heard you guys were going to be in charge of Freedom Fiesta and that they were looking for vendors. I said ‘we would love to be a part of it,’ and I said ‘but something we don’t have to cook. I don’t want to cook,’” Smith laughed.

In fact, Smith says the group didn’t hesitate to jump at the chance of doing something new to raise money.

“One of our fundraisers was a spaghetti dinner, so this idea came into my mind that if we do these sodas at Freedom Fiesta, we don’t have to cook our spaghetti dinner. We will put this in place of our spaghetti dinner, and everybody said, ‘Oh yes,’” Smith said.

Members of the Order of the Eastern Star are open to both men and women and are a Masonic appendant body of the Masons, the fraternal organization.

Smith, who became a member thanks to her late husband’s membership as a Mason, says the group prides itself in its ability to give back.

“This year, we gave four scholarships to four high school graduates, and most of the money raised goes to our scholarship fund,” Smith said. “But we also have a Love fund, and that is for some people that we encounter -- a family in need or someone who needs help. Most of the funds we raise are for charity.”

Being out in the community during Freedom Fiesta also makes it more special to group members, especially when folks come up to them -- thanking them for awarding a scholarship to someone in their family.

“When we are at the Fourth of July Freedom Fiesta, we are helping the community, and the community is helping us, and the fellowship that the members have right there because we all help, it’s fantastic,” she said. “We just look forward to the Freedom Fiesta. It’s hard work because it can be really hot there, but it’s just wonderful the fellowship that we have around the members when we are taking care of Freedom Fiesta.”

However, the group’s participation in this year’s Freedom Fiesta will be bittersweet as they march forward without their club secretary Ethel Dammann. Smith says the loss of Dammann this past year has been difficult. Yet, she knows that she’d be right there along with them if alive.

“She had a heart of gold when it came to the Order of the Eastern Star,” Smith said. “She couldn’t do enough to keep this organization moving. We are going to miss her dearly. She was a close friend of mine besides being in Eastern Star.”

Over the years, Freedom Fiesta traditions have also equated to the aroma of hot-powered sprinkled funnel cakes. Serving them fresh one by one are members of the local chapter of Catholic Daughters of America.

DeeAnn Kypfer Jimenez was among the members who first gave fundraising a try at Freedom Fiesta.

“From the beginning, we were all in, and we rented the machine, and I think we did that for two years, so after about the third year, one of the husbands said, ‘hmm, you know you are spending money on renting the machine even though they gave us a special deal,” Jimenez said. “The people were very nice. They brought it to us, and they came and picked it up. We were blessed in that, but he was like, ‘I can make that.’ So, the machine that we have now is ours.”

When we are at the Fourth of July Freedom Fiesta, we are helping the community, and the community is helping us.

The charitable organization raises money to help support local, state, and even national charities and projects. Local groups that have benefited include The South Texas Pregnancy Care Center, the Christian Cupboard, and the Guadalupe County Children’s Advocacy Center.

“We wanted to be in the community to let people know we are around and that we are there to help not just state but local charities as well,” Jimenez said. “We have to fundraise because we don’t make any money any other way and we’ve continued to do what we are doing because we’ve enjoyed it. It’s a way for the ladies to come together. Even though it’s work, we get to see people that maybe we have not seen in a while and we get to then bond with each other.”

Jimenez says members look forward to gathering each year and participating in the community celebration.

“I’ve been there every year since we’ve started and when it’s really hot, it’s hot. But again, I enjoy it,” she said. “It’s a time when a lot of the husbands do come not just mine and then the husbands get to bond as well as getting to know some of the ladies.”

As for this year’s event, Jimenez says the group is already gathering ingredients for another successful fundraiser.

“We’ve had an awesome experience from set up to tear down,” Jimenez said. “Again, we have good participation from the members, and we’ve got nothing but great camaraderie with KWED staff and those that are helping. Everybody has been super, and that’s part of the reason that I would say we continue because everything flows so well.”

The non-profit organizations will be serving up their best and tastiest alongside several food trucks during this year’s Fourth of July celebration. This year’s Freedom Fiesta will also include the Guadalupe County Republican Women Kiddie Parade, vendor booths, bounce houses, and live music featuring Country music singer-songwriter Jesse Raub Jr. The free event will be held Saturday, July 1, from 6 to 10 p.m. in downtown Seguin. •