Freedom Fest is Saturday, September 10
Sep. 6—Hopefully, you have not forgotten about the Drum Circle, Cake Walk, or Silent Auction that will all be featured at this year's Friends Of Carthage sponsored Fall Freedom Festival, and while those events will all be exciting there is still more to write about.
Let's start with FOOD! At 7:30 a.m. the Community Center will open its doors for breakfast. FOC members Mike and Debbie Gibson will be serving up sausage gravy and biscuits and hash brown bowls, along with Ayrica Adams' amazing pancake roll ups! Breakfast will be served until 10:30 a.m. (unless they sell out before then).
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Library Guild will man the Community Center for lunch. Walking tacos are being offered with proceeds going to the library. The Community Center closes at 1 p.m. during the parade, but don't worry, more food will be on the way! After the parade the Community Center will reopen allowing for bidding to resume at the Silent Auction, and loaded nachos, baked potatoes, and ice cream will be available for purchase. Last year, this fair type food was a huge hit so the FOC had no choice but to bring it back. All of the proceeds will go toward funding next year's Fall Festival.
Food and other vendors will also be available during the day. The amazing Jennifer Noland who heads the FOC fundraising efforts has secured 50 vendors to set up on Mill Street. There you will find Knightstown FFA selling pork burgers, chips, and water and Up In Flames will be serving pizza and pop. A farmer's market area will also be set up with offerings that include mums, dried flowers, vegetables, pumpkins, lamb, jellies, baked goods, cinnamon rolls, and lattes! Handmade goods will also be abundant. Where else can you find handmade metal and wood yard decorations, alpaca wool items, jewelry, baby clothes, T-shirts, spices, bird houses, collectibles, and leather works (to name a few) all in one place? Don't forget Christmas is right around the corner and this will be a perfect place to find the perfect gift for that hard to buy for person on your list.
The Carthage Volunteer Fire Dept is striving to bring back its traditions of yesteryear. Remember the Community Days they sponsored years ago? Expect more of the same! They will be set up on the corner of Main and Mill in the car wash lot and you are going to want to make a point of spending some time with them. Here is a rough list of what they already have set up: Snowie of Indy will be there selling snow cones and lemon shake ups, there will be a dunk tank, a vehicle extrication demo and an interactive search and rescue activity for children (with prizes), and T-shirt sales.
The CVFD is also sponsoring a blood drive just like the old days. The bloodmobile will be parked on the other side of the old Variety Store. If interested in donating, a sign up sheet can be found on the department's Facebook page. All updates for the day will be posted there as the webpage is being redone.
For the best news, fireworks are back to end the evening! Donations will be accepted all day to help offset the cost.
One last thing, don't miss the slideshow that the department has put together highlighting the stellar accomplishments and improvements that the department has made over the past few years. The continued success and importance of this vital organization is paramount to our community. If you have ever thought about being a volunteer of this group, now is the time to get information and ask questions!
Believe it or not there are still more activities and events to let the public know about. Look for my next article highlighting the parade and Kidz Korner!
September 10 is going to be a red letter day for Carthage and we want you all there for it!
