About this festival
This twenty-eightyear old event annually offers attendees a relaxing, family oriented, affordable and fun-filled weekend which includes: 80 hot-air balloons (balloonists from all over the country) competing daily for various prizes, nationally renowned recording artists performing each evening, food from local and regional restaurants, fireworks, Disc Dog Competition (now a national qualifier (one of six) with over 100 teams), interactive sponsor displays, children-s amusement rides, continual daytime entertainment (field days, bike rides, fitness walks, home run derby, etc) and kid zone designed for the event-s younger audience, two regional music stages, beach blast complete with sand, dancing, and many contests i.e., limbo, hula hoop, shagging, arts and crafts, and much, much, more. FWA is always creating new activities such as an annual run, home run derby, golf tournament, extreme sports, cooking and eating contests, competitions for the children, etc that are in the early planning stages for 2009. The Freedom Weekend site is approximately 90 acres with a 16,500 seat grass amphitheater, soccer or football fields that are used for the balloon launch field, softball and baseball fields, tree lined paved walkways, permanent restrooms, picnic shelters, a replica miniature steam engine, and much more.