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Not
Just the
Fishers Freedom Festival.....
We are best known
for the annual Fishers Freedom Festival, which is always held the last full
weekend in June, but I bet you weren’t aware of the other events, projects, and
programs we provide for the residents in the Town of Fishers the rest of the
year.
Community
Service/Outreach Programs
● “Roy Holland Backpack for
Kids” Program
This program
provides less fortunate students within our school district the needed school
supplies and backpacks that they otherwise would not be able to afford.
● Boy Scouts Venturing Crew
0199
The Fishers Parade and Festival, Inc. is the chartering organization for
Venturing Crew 0199.
● Fishers Police Department
D.A.R.E.
The Fishers Parade and Festival, Inc. is the sponsoring organization for the
annual Fishers Police Department D.A.R.E. Golf Outing in the fall. All of the
profits are used for the Hamilton Southeastern School District’s D.A.R.E.
Program.
● Scholarships
The Festival
Committee offers two separate scholarships
“Ken Wright” Community and
Life Scholarship -
Two high school seniors from the H.S.E. school district are
selected annually to each receive $1000. This scholarship is based on community
service, extra curricular activities, and participating in not-for-profit
organizations.
“Roy Holland Memorial
Scholarship” -
This scholarship is for a full-time employee of the Town of
Fishers, their spouse, or children. One scholarship is awarded annually to
either a full-time student for $2,500 or a part-time student for $1,250.
●
Volunteers of Fishers Organization (www.volunteersoffishers.org)
“The Mission of Volunteers of
Fishers is to actively work and partner with individuals and organizations in
the community in an effort to enrich and make a significant impact on the lives
of our citizens and the success of our businesses. We will accomplish this by
setting a positive example for others to follow in keeping the Town of Fishers
an ideal place to live and raise a family through encouraging members of the
community to volunteer their time to serve others, promoting strong family
values and advocating healthy lifestyles”.
This organization is currently in the early stages of being
formed. The purpose of this organization is to seek out volunteers and place
volunteers in the appropriate positions to work with other not-for-profits,
organizations, and companies in Fishers and visa versa. Volunteers are currently
needed to help set guidelines, goals and objectives, and work on a database for
this new organization.
Fishers Freedom
Festival – June 28 and June 29, 2008
Newcomers to the
Fishers area might ask, “What is the Fishers Freedom Festival”? But those of you
who have attended might agree that it is as close to Uncle Sam and homemade
apple pie as you can get.
The annual Fishers
Freedom Festival, which offers multiple activities, events, and food for all
ages, is held at the Roy G. Holland Memorial Park (1 Park Drive) off Holland
Drive & Ellipse Parkway in Fishers. This free event offers fine arts & crafts,
food & business vendors, live music, 5K walk/run, K-9 demonstrations, children’s
tent, teen tent, street dance, children’s parade, main parade, fireworks, and
much more to the 45,000+ attendees who come from all over the U.S. each year.
The Festival occurs
annually on the last Saturday & Sunday in June. It kicks off on Saturday morning
with the 5K Walk/Run. The public may park at Holland Park at a small cost per
vehicle. Free parking is available at Town of Fishers Municipal Complex with a
free shuttle running approximately every 15 minutes during Festival hours.
Even though the event
is at no charge, the Festival encourages participants to donate canned foods,
baby food, nonperishable goods, disposable diapers, cleaning supplies, school
supplies, and/or toiletries for admittance. These items go to various
non-profits organizations, such as Third Phase, the Festival’s “Roy Holland
Backpacks for Kids” program and the Good Samaritan program of Hamilton County.
The Festival also accepts donations year-round of items to be used in the
Children’s Tent for different crafts. Those items include buttons and clean
baby-food jars with lids; please remove the labels.
In 1989, the founders
of the Fishers Parade and Festival decided to have a community gathering to
celebrate Independence Day. With the help of volunteers, the event originated as
a one-day community picnic, parade, and a few games for the children. Due to the
overwhelming participation by the public, this event grew to its present two-day
event status.
The Fishers Parade and Festival was incorporated, as a private not-for-profit
volunteer corporation in 1991. In 1998, Fishers Parade and Festival Inc. d.b.a.
Fishers Freedom Festival became a 501C-3 charitable private not-for-profit
volunteer corporation.
Responsibility for the
Festival is in the capable hands of Jennifer Kehl, as Executive Director, and 40
volunteers who serve as event coordinators, co-coordinators, and currently has a
five member Executive Board of Directors. During the actual Festival weekend,
additional 250 or more volunteers are hard at work.
Many committee members
donate up to thirty hours per week for at least three or more months of the year
to make the Festival a success. Several other committee members donate time
during the entire year to provide the community with a safe and fun-filled
family-oriented weekend with a strong Americanism flavor.
Funding
● Sponsorships
● Grants ● Monetary contributions (residential and corporate) ● Booth rentals
(craft booths, business booths, and food booths)
● Fundraisers (T-shirt
sales, Fishers Freedom Festival Guide to Family Fun Booklet (advertising sales),
silent auction, raffles, fall fundraiser which include: “Christmas in October”
Craft Show, Classic Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show, and the Freedom Run. We are
currently in the process of working on a Golf Outing). ● The Town of Fishers
financially contributes one-third or less of the annual Festival budget. The
2007 budget was $263,000
The Fishers Parade and
Festival, Inc., dba Fishers Freedom Festival is a private not-for profit
volunteer organization and is not affiliated with any other organization or
governing body. However, the Town of Fishers and the Fishers Town Council
continues to support the annual Festival through financial contributions, public
relations, and with their town departments, such as the police, fire, public
works, and parks department, and for that we are very grateful.
The committee is always
looking for volunteers who can donate as much or as little time as possible and
is always looking for suggestions to improve our annual event.
“The
mission of the Fishers Freedom Festival is to encourage community pride and a
sense of community through civic partnerships and citizen involvement. We
promote a safe, secure community environment, while developing community
services, and promoting family integrity. We continue to strive for excellence
to improve the overall quality of life for all facets of our community by
investing in human potential.”
For more information
call or office (317) 595-3195 or email us at
freedomfestival@sbcglobal.net
Upcoming Fishers Freedom Festival dates:
June 28 and June 29, 2008 - 20th Anniversary
June 27 and June 28, 2009
June 26 and June 27, 2010
Monday, August 11, 2008
Fireworks Scramble Golf Outing
Location: Hawthorn Golf and Country
Club Course
October 11, 2008
17th Annual
“Christmas in October” Craft Show 9am-3pm Admission: $5 Over age 19, $2 Students
and Senior Citizens over 60,
Under 12 Free
Over 140 Juried Arts
and Craft Vendors will be present. Food will be for sale bythe High School P.T.O. and all proceeds from the raffle will benefit the "Roy Holland Backpacks
for Kids" program.
Bring canned goods to the show to benefit the Hamilton County Good
Samaritan program and receive a free raffle ticket.
6th
Annual Fishers Freedom Run/Walk
This is a 5 Mile Run
and a 3 Mile Walk. Pre-Registration is available online for $15 through
September 15th and registration the day of the event will be $20 at Fishers High
School from 7:00 a.m. until 8:45 a.m. The Run will start at 9:00 a.m. and the
Walk will start at 9:05 a.m. Registration fees include a T-shirt (while they
last), snacks and awards.
Proceeds from this
event will go to the Roy Holland Memorial Fund to support the scholarship and
“Backpacks for Kids” program, and other programs and Projects of the Fishers
Parade and Festival, Inc.
9th
Annual Classic Car Truck and Motorcycle Show
The Classic Car, Truck
& Motorcycle Show will be held in the Fishers High School parking lot. Vehicle
fees are $15 per vehicle. First 50 entrees receive a dash plaque. Includes door
prizes and awards.
As you can see, we are more
than just a festival.
We hope that the information we have provided has been helpful, as well as give
you a better understanding of our organization and the services and events we
provide for the community. The committee of volunteers takes pride in Fishers
and in all of the events and programs we support. This volunteer organization
contributes many hours, special talents, and energy to the community. The
satisfaction we receive cannot be measured in dollars and cents, but rather in
the smiles we see on each and every one of your children or grandchildren’s
faces during the Festival weekend, or when a child receives a backpack full of
items that they may not have been able to afford for school.
Donations
are always welcome and can be mailed to: P.O. Box 930 Fishers, IN 46038. You can
receive additional information by calling the Festival Hot Line at 595-3195.
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