Dylan Scott to perform at 2022 Hilliard Freedom Fest
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Hilliard is to continue in its country music vein at this year’s Freedom Fest on July 2 at Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park, 3800 Veterans Memorial Drive.
Louisiana native and multi-platinum composer and country vocalist Dylan Scott is to perform at the festival, following performances by Frankie Ballard at Hilliard’s Freedom Fest in 2021 and Rodney Atkins in 2019.
Ed Merritt, director of Hilliard’s recreation and parks department, said Scott meets what the city searches for when choosing the concert headliner.
“(Scott’s) performances are high-energy and family friendly. He is a young up-and-coming country artist with top hits on the radio (and) is exactly what we look for when choosing a headliner for Freedom Fest,” Merritt said.
Scott first hit the county music charts in 2013 with “Makin’ This Boy Go Crazy.”
He notched his first No. 1 record in 2016 with “My Girl” and has a pair of No. 2 singles, “Hooked” and “Nobody,” each co-written by Scott and inspired by his wife, Blair Robinson.
Activities and entertainment at the 2022 Freedom Fest are to begin at 3 p.m. July 2 at Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park.
The Hilliard Family Aquatic Center is to open at noon, but food truck service is to begin at 3 p.m.
A ‘Kids' Zone’ featuring obstacle courses, inflatables and other games and entertainment is to be open from 5 to 9 p.m.
Wristbands for the Kids' Zone are required. Wristbands may be purchased in advance for $8 through July 1 at the Hilliard Community Center inside Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park.
Wristbands are to be sold for $10 on site July 2.
Limited parking is available, but the city is providing a shuttle service from 6 to 11 p.m. to and from the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia St., according to Anna Subler, community relations administrator for Hilliard.
Live music is to begin at 5:15 p.m.
Lee Gantt is to perform from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., followed by Alexandra Kay from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m.
Gantt is a country music singer and songwriter from Columbus.
Kay’s audiences have grown via Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and she has toured with country music artist Tim McGraw, according to Hilliard’s press release announcing Scott as the headliner.
Scott is to perform from 8:20 to 9:30 p.m.
The National Anthem is to be performed by Hilliard Davidson High School student Lisa Curtis at 9:45 p.m. in advance of a fireworks display.
Hilliard chose July 2 for Freedom Fest so as to not conflict with Columbus’ ‘Red, White & Boom’ on July 3.
“We thought it would be more convenient for our residents to have the fireworks on the weekend,” so the city opted for July 2 rather than July 4, Subler said.
The theme of this year's parade is 'Red, White and Together Again.'
The theme is a nod toward the having of what is expected to be a parade experience that resembles those from before the onset of COVID-19, according to Abby Bates, parade chairwoman, Franklin County Agriculture Society.
The decision to tweak the parade route is to make it more convenient for parade participants, according to Bates.
The parade route is to use Main Street, Cemetery Road, Norwich Street and Columbia Street in a circuitous route from and to the fairgrounds.
kcorvo@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekCorvo
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: July Fourth: Dylan Scott to perform at 2022 Hilliard Freedom Fest