Freedom Fest adds attractions

Lawton prides itself with offering the largest fireworks display in Southwest Oklahoma, and this year’s Freedom Fest at Elmer Thomas Park will double down on that.

“There will be a bigger fireworks,” Jason Poudrier, administrator from the City of Lawton’s Arts & Humanities Division, promised.

The firework will take place at 9:30 p.m. Saturday as a culmination of two days of celebrating Independence Day. Two contests, 20 bounce houses, two stages and seven bands, as well as 57 food and sales vendors — almost double the amount of vendors as last year, which was 31 — promise to make this year’s festivities special.

The Freedom Fest will kick off at 5 p.m. on Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Music will be provided on Friday on stage 1 by Senseless (5:30-7 p.m.) and Gavin Talor (7:30-9 p.m.), and on stage 2 by Trible B Jazz Band (5-7 p.m.) and Kat Pratt Band (7:30-8:30 p.m.). On Saturday, entertainment will start at 6 p.m. with Princesses, Cam Allen and the 77th Army Band.

Twenty bounce houses will provide activities for children for a $5 entry fee per kid for the entire day. An interactive Pop-up Play in the Park with family fun and games starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday and lasts until noon.

At 6 p.m. Friday, the Inaugural Classic Chevrolet Soapbox Derby, sponsored by Ace Hardware, will transform Elmer Thomas Park into a racetrack, at least partially. Participants will race their custom-built soapbox cars and compete for first, second and third place to receive a trophy. Poudrier said that 50 people showed up on the so-called build day. The Classic Chevrolet Soapbox Derby is open to all ages 8 and up.

After the Soapbox Derby, the Bar S Hotdog Eating Contest will start at 7 p.m.

Visitors who don’t want to look for a parking spot at Elmer Thomas Park can look forward to a shuttle service that will connect the festivities’ location with the parking lot at Central Plaza. The shuttle service will run every 15 minutes, Poudrier said.