Former Civil War battlefield to host 'Freedom Fest'

May 16—The Promise Seekers Riders Motorcycle Ministry (MM), based out of Sacramento's Promise Seekers Church, will host "Freedom Fest" starting at 9 a.m. June 25 at the Sacramento Battlefield.

Bradley Clement, vice president of Promise Seekers Riders MM and creator of the event, said that he has held a similar event at his home in Millport the last four years under the name "Lighting Up Millport," which has gained traction and attendance.

"Last year, we had over 130 people in my backyard, and I've outgrown (that space)," Clement said.

Clement came up with ideas for expanding the event, such as having a 100-mile motorcycle ride to kick off the event, which is to make its way from the battlefield through Sacramento and Buttonsberry before going through Central City, Dunmor and Greenville before arriving back in the county at about 12:30 p.m.

Eventually, the event turned into a collaborative effort, with The Dixie Flyers Motorcycle Club in Madisonville sponsoring a bike show, which will be hosted by Mike (Pig Pen) Shannon.

A car club will also come on board to hold a show on the same day.

Entertainment will be provided by three to four Christian praise bands, and food trucks will also be on site offering festival-type staples. The church's youth group will be selling snow cones.

A fireworks display will also take place starting at approximately 9:15 p.m.

The Muhlenberg County History Group, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, both out of Calhoun, and Sons of the American Revolution from Owensboro will also be on site, as Clement is involved with all organizations.

The Sons of the Confederate Veterans will be firing their cannon periodically throughout the event and will also lead the first blast of the nighttime fireworks show.

Sons of the American Revolution will hold a live reading at 5 p.m. of the Declaration of Independence and have an unsigned copy of the document along with a quill for attendees to sign.

They will also offer a flag-folding program to explain what each fold stands for.

Additional plans include vendors that offer shirts, tumblers and different crafts.

"We just kind of (threw) ideas out and this thing just continues to grow," Clement said.

One of the big parts of the event is "Kids Que," a pork chop cooking competition between 30 children divided into two age groups between 8 to 11 and 12 to 15.

Participating youths will be allowed to keep the grill and utensils that they use in the competition, and prizes will be awarded to those who place first and second in their respective age groups.

Clement said the move from Millport to Sacramento for this event was because of both the expansion of the fireworks show and his involvement in The Battle of Sacramento Reenactment with his wife, Stacy Clement, secretary of the ministry, and their daughter, Ashlynn Clement, for several years, and he felt the event would help rejuvenate the space that has not been utilized since the cancellation of the reenactment last April.

"We hate to see that ground just sit there," he said.

The event is to be in line with the motorcycle ministry's mission and values, which became official in October 2021.

Stacy Clement said the ministry is about promoting "good, clean, family Christian fun" while also raising funds for the Christian nonprofit organization Set Free Mission Bible Training Center in Greenville.

"This motorcycle ministry has opened up a tremendous amount of doors for us to be able to do that (and) minister outside of the church," Bradley Clement said.

He looks forward to the big day and the continued support that the ministry has received thus far.

"Hopefully, this will be such a good hit that it will be an annual event that we can get more of the community and the public to back," he said.

If interested in registering a child for the "Kids Que," contact Johnny Speight at 270-871-3107.