By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
The annual Freedom Fest celebration in Junction City attracted an estimated attendance of 50,000 over the five-day event. The summary for the celebration was presented to the Geary County Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Committee on Wednesday.
Some of the facts:
--There were 19 food vendors and 30 craft vendors.
--There were 55 cars in the car show.
--466 registered runners in the Freedom Run.
--80 room nights were contracted to accommodate entertainers.
--255 people used the contracted ATA Bus to travel to and from Fort Riley
Families from Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri and Oregon attended.
Freedom Fest generated local revenue, with WEEE Carnival alone reporting over $200,000 in revenue for the week. There were economic benefits for local vendors, hotels, restaurants and service providers.
In pre-event fundraiser attendance exceeded 1,500 people for Balloons, Bands and BBQ and the Mudd Bogg event on Grant Ave, recorded the highest attendance in recent memory.
The dates for Freedom Fest JC in 2026 are July 1-5. It coincides with the 250th birthday of the United States.