The annual Freedom Festival at Goodridge Veterans Memorial Park is an entire day filled with artists, performances and art. People from throughout the Goodrich area gather for the event, which also honors Veterans from the community.
Transcript
Opening: This is Minnesota’s Legacy: A look at the organizations and people who have benefitted from Minnesota’s unique Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
BRITT AAMODT: Goodridge is a town of a little over a hundred in northwestern Minnesota. But the population explodes for two days every summer when Freedom Fest arrives. SFX festival sounds, music
ERIC MICKELSON: Back in 2011 the community began working on the Veterans Memorial.
AAMODT: Erick Mickelson is talking about Goodridge Veterans Memorial Park. Ground zero for the annual event, thanks to its band shell and acres of open space. The festival began not long after the memorial park was finished. Since year one, Mickelson has served as Freedom Festival emcee.
MICKELSON: It's probably some of the older generation that kind of starts the day at the band shell, and then as the day continues, there's the kiddie game, so you get whole families participating and then by evening, usually there's a band that finishes off the evening. So then you probably have a little bit younger crowd.
AAMODT: With the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, this small town with the big festival is able to bring in a number of musical acts, food vendors and artisans demoing everything from blacksmithing and wood burning to hardanger fiddle and water colors. There’s a 5K run and, every year, three or four veterans are honored and gifted with a handmade quilt.
Music patriotic, fiddle
MICKELSON: So it's a great, great mix of people that get to come out and have a little fun.
Closing: Minnesota’s Legacy is a production of AMPERS, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, more at ampers dot org.