Greenwood Life July 2020

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FREEDOM FEST CANCELED but Greenwood keeps on

By Scott Cutlip On May 26, in what was surely a disappointment to the Greenwood community and surrounding areas, Mayor Doug Kinslow announced that this year’s Freedom Fest had been canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus. The mayor announced that fireworks would still occur, but all other activities would be canceled. This did not apply to the

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Freedom Fest Run. “This was not an easy decision to make, to cancel the Freedom Fest,” Kinslow said in a video announcing the decision. “It’s a huge event. A lot of people work very hard to put it on for you every year, and this year is obviously very different than every other year that we’ve experienced.”

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The precautions needed with COVID-19, including social distancing, and the desire to protect citizens and visitors, was the impetus for the cancellation. “We are contained in that small area by the square,” said Parks Director Tammy Briley. “We can have anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 people,

depending on the weather.” While other Freedom Fest activities have been canceled, the Freedom Fest Run, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, still occurred. Social distancing was applied, including staggering the runs into small groups. The fireworks display was still


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