It was a day for celebrating freedom here Friday, as Fort Polk opened to the public and played host to its annual FreedomFest celebration.
Friday’s afternoon showers cleared just in time to provide great weather for the event and the crowds openly appreciated it. While military families made up the majority of the patrons, many civilians also came out to enjoy the live music and good food and praised the convenience of the buses that shuttled patrons to and from their vehicles.
There were many vendors on hand to offer the festival goers a wide variety of food from traditional funnel cakes and candied apples to shrimp baskets and even deep-fried Oreos. Two large tents covered seating areas for families who wished to sit down and enjoy their meals while others set out blankets and chairs to soak up the sun and music.
Local group Bayou Katz was the early evening entertainment. Performing from 5:30 to 8 p.m., the group easily kept spirits up and bodies moving by covering such classics as “Sweet Home Alabama” and the Reggae hit “Suicidal." The group originated in Oakdale and has been growing in popularity, but the true entertainment came when headliner Neal McCoy took the stage.
On tour promoting his album, The Very Best of Neal McCoy, it was no surprise that McCoy took the time out to celebrate the holiday with military families. McCoy has made many trips overseas to entertain troops and makes a point to do so whenever he can.
The country crooner has become known for his enjoyable performances and on this night he showed the Fort Polk crowd exactly why he has earned that reputation. While performing such hits as “Billy’s Got his Beer Goggles On," he also performed more contemporary numbers while dancing across the stage and engaging the crowd. Often, he would pause between songs to comment how much the industry was changing and remark about his younger years, managing many times to bring the entire crowd to laughter.
Amongst the musical entertainment, there was much for the children in attendance to do. Many games and activities were provided for them including ring tosses and face painting, and even a dunking booth.
There were several large inflatable slides that were never short on attendants and for the younger ages there were moon walks available. Rock walls and spring jumpers were especially popular. Safety was an assurance since each slide or jumper was carefully monitored at all times by a staff member and security officers made their presence known by making continuous rounds around the area.
The finale of the evening was of course the fireworks. Shortly after 9 p.m. the display began and the crowds came together to watch as colorful blasts accompanied various patriotic songs. No moment was more moving than when the fireworks coincided with the song “Proud to be an American” and the crowd slowly began to sing along. As the crowds dispersed it was clear that FreedomFest 2008 was a family – friendly success.