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
An amazing night of multimedia and live performance flowed through a packed house at the Charlotte Street Foundation, highlighting the imaginative world of artist Donald Ross, known popularly as "Scribe." screenshot from scribbleversestudios While most immediately recognize his work stretching across decades of Kansas City buildings and alleyways, his recent efforts are likely the most impactful. Larger-than-life murals commissioned by Children's Mercy Hospital throughout their campus inspire happiness and offer hope daily in children facing greater challenges than many of us will see in a lifetime. It is this visual storytelling that is celebrated in the film that was but one part of the audio-visual-lyrical trinity this evening. Produced by Kyle Dykes, "Enter the Scribbleverse" premiered at the Kansas City International Film Festival in March of 2025, after which Dykes and Ross began collaboration with the Charlotte Street Foun...
We had not been out to the bull riding spectacle in quite awhile, and the upcoming Professional Bull Rider Built Ford Tough Championships seemed to be as good of a time as any. It was in Kansas City, at the Sprint Center, and featured some of the best of the best. I took several photos throughout the night, and experimented with a feature I found on a small camera that I didn't know it had. Slow motion video of these rides is just the thing to do. I pulled all of those little videos together, along with the photos, laid in a track and created the YouTube below. view more photos from this event
Freedom Fest on the Lake turned out a little more inundated than anyone anticipated. A wetter normal spring and summer left Greers Ferry Lake higher than normal, with barely twenty feet of beach. In some places there none to be found at all. It is not as if that were a bad thing though. All of the surrounding communities continued alignment with the fourth of July, leaving this little resort town with Saturday the 5th all to itself. A shortage of beachfront pushed folks to improvise. They met the challenge and it did not become quite as overcrowded as in the past few years. Lining the edge of the parking lot offered space to dance. After the band, it enabled relocation for optimal firework viewing, and there was no shortage of space in the water or flotation devices of all sizes, complete with kids jumping from the trees.
Various rides and thrills stretched out along N. Holmes this evening for the first night of GladFest 2024. Below the ferris wheel, surrounding parking lots and a couple of side streets hosted tents full of a random assortment of trinkets, crafts, and of course, politicians. One can never seem to get away from that latter crowd, though most regulated to a lot more removed from the usual bustle. Also available for the listening pleasure of everyone, amateur talent played their hearts out on the main stage. The event picks up again with a parade on Saturday morning and more carnival and crafts through the remainder of the day into the evening, and on into Sunday. It did not appear much different than previous years, though with a few less folks, and a bit pricier.
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