Happy birthday to nation & festival

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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While we celebrate America's birthday on July 4, we should also send a big slice of cake to the Freedom Festival.

It's been 30 years since the “Celebration of Freedom” Fourth of July fireworks in 1983 gave birth to what we now know as the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival.

The city's summertime celebration grew from humble beginnings and a handful of events to what is now a two-week parade of attractions that draw more than 300,000 people and pump an estimated $12 million into the local economy. The festival now includes concerts, glowing balloons, dock-jumping dogs, sand sculptures, multiple salutes to our men and women in uniform, lots of food and, of course, the big Independence Day fireworks display and concert downtown.

The Freedom Festival is also an annual exercise in community building and cooperation, with legions of volunteers working at events sponsored by a long lineup of local businesses, attended by scores of residents and visitors. Robyn Rieckhoff, the festival's executive director said more than 900 volunteers take part annually. Sponsoring businesses match those volunteers' efforts with donations to the charities of their choice.

“We never have trouble getting volunteers for the festival,” Rieckhoff said.

Rieckhoff said sponsors donate $500,000 toward festival costs, with another $80,000 to $100,000 coming from individuals who buy festival buttons. Those buttons provide access to many festival events, and the more buttons are sold, Rieckhoff said, the more events the festival can hold each year without additional entry charges.

“Our turnout has been fantastic this year,” Rieckhioff said, despite some inclement weather. She said the Balloon Glow event at Brucemore Monday night was the event's largest ever.

We think big crowds over the festival's final two days would be a perfect birthday present.

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