Freedom Festival beefs up for June 30 celebration

LaFayette’s traditional Fourth of July celebration, the Freedom Festival, has grown by several activities this year, including wrestling, a hamburger-eating contests and games.

The festival will take place Friday, June 30 at the city’s Recreation Department, 638 South Main Street.

Parks and Recreations Director Jason Shattuck said the festivities begin at 5 p.m. The event has attracted more than 30 vendors so far, with more expected to commit.

“We are continuing our strategic plan in creating more robust community events for the city,” City Manager David Hamilton said.

This is the first city event to follow the highly successful Honeybee Festival, which was held June 3 and attracted more than 10,000 people.

There will be a “free swim” at the municipal pool from 5-8 p.m. Normally the cost to swim per person is a $4 charge.

There will be an old-timers baseball game at 7 p.m., in which 40-year-olds-and-up baseball alumni will take on the LaFayette Middle School basketball team.

What’s new this year?

The city has beefed up the free events for the 2017 Freedom Festival.

“Jim Powell Presents Southern Legacy Wrestling in LaFayette” will hold a free wrestling event inside the gymnasium, with a bell time of 7 p.m. This is the fourth wrestling event Powell has brought to the city.

It will be an action-packed card as the AIWF World Tag Team Champions Georgia Heat defend their titles against Sons of Kaos. In the main event, LaFayette’s Adam Jacobs will square off against former world tag team champion Francisco Ciatso, as well as various other matches. The entire event is free.

Krystal’s in LaFayette will sponsor a hamburger-eating contest. One winner will emerge out of the first 10 who register and will take home a trophy as the 2017 Freedom Festival Krystal’s eating champion.

Interested parties will need to register at 7 p.m. at the recreation center to take part in the two-minute contest, which begins at 8 p.m.

Jim Powell said one of the wrestling stars will also take part in the eating contest during the wrestling show’s intermission.

There will be “Bubble Ball” soccer games from 7-9 p.m. Participants will slip into a bubble ball and take on their friends — bouncing off one another — in short intervals. The event is free for people 15 years old and up.

There will be a free corn hole tournament for the first 20 teams who sign up from 7-8 p.m.

Mayor Andy Arnold will officially welcome the crowd at 7:30 p.m.

The local band Campbell Station will take the stage at 5:30 p.m. and the local band Aunt Betty will close out the night with a performance from 8:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The festival will conclude with the fireworks show, including patriotic music, at 10 p.m. (after dark).

Live music and fireworks