Thousands visit Fort Lewis for annual Independence Day celebration

Light up the night

Daylong event includes carnival, entertainment and fireworks

Northwest Guardian

Thousands of visitors descended on Fort Lewis July 4 for the annual Freedom Fest celebration.

With scheduled activities beginning mid-morning and lasting until a fireworks extravaganza after dusk, the day provided all the expected trappings of an Independence Day celebration, from food, to entertainment, to carnival rides.

“I have been to about five or six Freedom Fests,” said retired Army Maj. Jack Ziemke. “I’ve noticed that the size of the festival has really increased and there’s something for everybody.”

Much of the day was marked by threatening skies and occasional showers, but while the weather might have held participation short of the record crowds of Armed Forces Day, it was still shoulder-to-shoulder on the area around Cowan and Memorial Stadiums.

There was a definite family focus to many of the events. Some families enjoyed picnics on the lawn, while they listened to live music and entertainment. Others enjoyed children’s play areas or a variety of displays.

One highlight was Don Riggs, who calls himself the Reptile King. Riggs displayed a variety of scaly specimens, from pythons to lizards on display.

Some of them could even be handled by visitors.

Other attention grabbers were the ongoing battles performed by the Society for Creative Anachronism. An annual feature of Freedom Fest, members of the society wear medieval armor and combat one another with rattan “swords.”

“We had about 30 people and about eight fighters,“ said Ross Walker, who dresses as a 16th Century Scot and takes on the name of Andrew McClanie for the society’s tournaments.

Rides were also available: inflatable tunnels and slides, a mechanical bull, and pony rides were especially popular with young children.

Among the many booths offering food, entertainment and information, were a variety of unit fund raisers. One that attracted special attention was 508th Military Police Battalion. The MPs hosted a mock jail. People paid $5 to have their friends locked up for 15 minutes. The prisoners could pay for an early release. At the same time, those who made the initial complaint could keep the prisoner incarcerated with an additional payment.

“We have had people pay as much as $50 to keep somebody in jail,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Wood. Other units sold food or hosted contests.

The crowds swelled at the end of the long day, in expectation of the traditional Freedom Fest concert and fireworks display. As has become a tradition, the 56th Army Band entertained an overflow crowd in Cowan Stadium. The lights dimmed as the band performed Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with artillery fire from a battery of howitzers. The day ended with the fireworks display.

Some of them could even be handled by visitors.

Other attention grabbers were the ongoing battles performed by the Society for Creative Anachronism. An annual feature of Freedom Fest, members of the society wear medieval armor and combat one another with rattan “swords.” “We had about 30 people and about eight fighters,“ said Ross Walker, who dresses as a 16th Century Scot and takes on the name of Andrew McClanie for the society’s tournaments.

Rides were also available: inflatable tunnels and slides, a mechanical bull, and pony rides were especially popular with young children.

Among the many booths offering food, entertainment and information, were a variety of unit fund raisers.

One that attracted special attention was 508th Military Police Battalion. The MPs hosted a mock jail. People paid $5 to have their friends locked up for 15 minutes. The prisoners could pay for an early release. At the same time, those who made the initial complaint could keep the prisoner incarcerated with an additional payment.

“We have had people pay as much as $50 to keep somebody in jail,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Wood. Other units sold food or hosted contests.

The crowds swelled at the end of the long day, in expectation of the traditional Freedom Fest concert and fireworks display. As has become a tradition, the 56th Army Band entertained an overflow crowd in Cowan Stadium. The lights dimmed as the band performed Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with artillery fire from a battery of howitzers. The day ended with the fireworks display.