This year, Freedom Fest fell a bit flat. Entries and attendance were both down. Some blamed the heat wave that had passed through, while others put more faith in the string of unpredictable weather events preceding the event. Something in the air played a larger role though; likely, nothing more than poor marketing and promotion. Folks were still getting used to the idea of the annual cardboard regatta occurring on the 4th of July weekend.
Mostly clear skies offered up another beautiful day splashing about in and around Sandy Beach. The only five entrants to the contest offered amusement in the late morning hours on the beach, intertwined with contestants face down in watermelon. Rain threatened as the day wore on, and a bit of lightening eventually chased most out of the water.
Hunger eventually pushed our party towards other points on the map of this little town, along with the promise of a cool pillow in a darkened room for a few hours. Foul weather eventually gave up on the region and a little nap time renewed vigor towards additional beach activities later in the day. Arriving just before sundown, the lawn chairs had already begun to litter the sand in anticipation of the coming show.
The rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in the air eventually pulled through and lit the night sky, raining down electric streamers, reflecting across the water in a festival of lights comparable to few. A view from the sand or down in the water could only be bested by one floating in the middle of the small inland ocean. We had missed the music, the races had flopped, but none of it really mattered among family, friends and few hundred acquaintances, under sparkling night skies.
While visiting the great state of Arkansas, we had the opportunity to check out this event, which had been elusive for several years. The endurance of some of these hand manufactured boats was quite surprising, and amusing at times. Apparently, the theme of the year was Star Wars, and there were quite a variety of flotation constructions about the landscape of Sandy Beach. All of the contraptions endured the warm waters quite well, and really did not take on any water. It was quite surprising, considering the construction materials permitted. A few, while water tight, contained a few minor design flaws that caused disintegration under pressure. One almost fell apart at the starting line, and eventually did, prior to the finish line. It was quite a lot of fun though, and a full house on the beach in spite of threatening rain. We look forward to getting back to it again. view more photos from this event or add your own to the mix
image borrowed from KATV A beautiful weekend unfolded in north central Arkansas for the Fourth of July holiday. The promise of mostly clear skies, hot and steamy weather, and yet another edition of the World Championship Cardboard Boat Races ensured a good time for all involved. While many delayed their journey until that Friday afternoon, we got a jump on things and made it down Thursday evening. This offered up the opportunity to squeeze in a little hiking about, visiting with family and friends, and general relaxation, prior to the main event. It also enabled us to catch a late evening performance at Sandy Beach by a couple of stars from "The Voice." Cory Jackson and Marybeth Byrd took the stage, aka flatbed semi-trailer, in the parking lot overlooking the beach and a fantastic sunset at 7 pm. Cory led off with a string of well known tunes mixed in with a few of his own. He has got a voice that pairs well with the tunes he chose to croon, never missing a beat. The sma
The final night was finally here, and all the winners from the previous weekends, alongside their runner-up made one last appearance in their finest, then their own swim wear, and finally in swimwear provided by Hawaiian Tropic. Only one would go on to the regional contest. Shotgun Jackson provided his usual distractions on the microphone, with drinks and dancing, courtesy of beats from DJs Steve Thorell and Bill Pile, all around for those that stayed to the very end. view more photos from this event ... and if you want to see what led up to this date, the preliminaries ... Week 5 Week 4 Week 3 Week 2 Week 1
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