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.
The annual Freedom Fest on the Lake stood in stark contrast with all prior versions of the event, nearly to the point of being a non-event. Day time activities were limited to a couple of vendors showcasing products, a bouncy house by the Arkansas National Guard and four or five food vendors overcharging. Cardboard boat races, which had taken center stage for the last several years, failed to make an appearance due to lack of support. That probably should have been left for the end of the month anyway, rather than trying to combine it with the fourth of July. Participation had declined significantly since combining it with Freedom Fest. A hot day at the beach on Saturday ended with music from local area talent Sophie and the New Relics , playing their hearts out to a good crowd gathered on the asphalt, as well as the masses littering the beach and soaking in the lake. The whole affair culminated with the usual massive display of fireworks li
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
Stacey East ~ Interview with Heather Heart ~ Heather Heart and I sat down for coffee. It was almost 4:20 and we began the interview. I was looking at a publisher, DJ, record store owner, label owner, producer, and mom. This small dynamo created the first static global forum for the underground to meet, through the only underground manual "UnderOneSky" or "UOS." "I put my entire being into the music to educate and give voice. Publishing grainy interviews from Underground Resistance to letters from Moby, UOS was the only "zine" of its kind. There was always some rage, people were very candid with me and I printed a lot of controversial letters. Record labels, DJ's and fans alike would battle on the pages of UOS. All the important record stores in England, Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Holland, to name some, sold copies. The world was behind my effort. I mean this was when the scene first blossomed, just before all the politics came into
A couple of folks from our crew participated in a run out at a local elementary school. The entire schools showed for this one, lined up and ready to be splashed with some colored powder or another. The more they ran the more colorful they became. Beats all around set a festive tone for everyone. Those of us participating chilled on the playground after a few laps, then joined back in for another lap or two to close out the day. Free drinks and snacks refreshed those otherwise banned from enjoying the ice cream truck.
The Saturday Open Jam has been missing from our agenda for quite some time now. It is one the best ways to burn up a Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, listening to some of the best rock and blues musician in town. This particular occasion featured the return of a longtime resident of the event who had been off the roster for more than year following multiple personal crises, one of which nearly ended his ability to perform at all. Taking his spot behind the drums once again for a couple of tunes, "D" picked up right where he left off, keeping cadence as if nothing had ever happened. There were tears among some of the crowd that were closer to him, understanding the extent of his dilemma. After playing, he admitted stumbling a few times, but everything sounded great from our side of the stage and we look forward to seeing him play again more often.
Very likely one of the biggest, and most looked forward to event to hit Kansas City in a long time, Chaos Theory descended on the Uptown Theater bringing Baby Anne, Charles Feelgood, Dara, and John Kelley to play for a packed house. Supporting cast consisted of Stan Doublin from St Louis, along with local talent DJ Bounce, Zak C, Jimminy Kickit, Sydeburnz, Paul Wicked, cQuence vs Skizm, DJason, and DrumLoc. It was wild night, and there was not an unhappy soul in the house. The crowd stayed until last beat dropped, and had to be told to get out. Nobody wanted the night to end. It was that good. view more photos from this event
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