2014 festival Buttons The 2014 Freedom Festival button is your ticket to all things Freedom Festival. With a 2014 button you will have FREE admission to Freedom Festival produced events like Balloon Glow, DockDogs, Movies at the Ballpark, Lego Extravaganza and numerous 4th of July activities. You also receive discounts at all Freedom Festival affi liated events. If that wasn’t enough, you get money-saving coupons from our presenting sponsor HY-VEE worth $25! Did we mention that with each button you have a chance to win great prizes? Here are just a few: Trip for two to Mexico compliments of Pearl Necklace and Earrings $100 Hy-Vee Gift Cards 4 – Kansas City Royals Tickets Stop by any local or to buy your button. We are sure it will be the best you spend $3 this summer. Also, remember that any active, reserve, guard duty, or veterans can receive a button for Free at the Linn County Veteran Affairs offi ce or at the Freedom Festival offi ce with a military ID. A big Shout Out to for being the 2014 offi cial Button Outlet — Thank You for Your Support! 0 LU8170 With Hy-Vee’s coupon book included in each $ f button envelope ofr of 3 ry orde xt groce your ne re ($25 value) — the $ 50 or mo button pays for itself! Limit $3 off with coupon. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Good at all Cedar Rapids and Marion Hy-Vee locations through Sunday, July 13, 2014. Exclusions apply. See stores for details. Donate to the Festival Did you know that it takes over $400,000 to produce the Freedom Festival each year? Did you also know that the Freedom Festival is a 501c3 nonprofi t corporation that is paid for by button sales, corporate, and private contributions? Freedom Festival relies on you and our community. Go to freedomfestival.com, and click on “Get Involved” for complete details on how to become a Friend of the Festival. 2 319 365 8313 • 609 1st Avenue SW • Cedar Rapids, Iowa • 52405 Sponsored by Clean Up CR Managing the trash at events is a mammoth task and several volunteer teams will help again this year to Clean Up CR. The Festival’s Clean Up CR program, sponsored by Cargill, diverts a substantial amount of garbage from landfills and focuses on promoting recycling at our events. Win–Win–Win Volunteer Program Sponsored by Toyota Financial, this award winning program helps Freedom Festival recruit needed volunteers and, in return, thousands of dollars are donated to the volunteers’ charity of choice. It’s a win-win-win! Safety First! The behind the scene logistics of putting on a festival are complicated and costly. Managing street closures, directional signage, safety, medical personnel, building security, and disaster plans are key to a successful and safe event. Freedom Festival is grateful for the sponsorship of MidAmerican Energy and ITC Midwest to underwrite this critical part of the festival. Ride the city bus for free A partnership between Freedom Festival and CR Transit makes it possible for the Freedom Festival button wearers to ride the bus free during the festival. So, grab your neighbor and some friends and ride the city bus to the events. Executive Director FreedomFestival.com • Presented by 3 Robyn Liz Neff Rieckhoff Freedom Festival, Freedom Festival, Executive Director Events and Marketing Director As a lifelong resident of Cedar Rapids, It is gratifying to observe how the festival I take pride in our community and has developed into a community tradition. am delighted we can bring families Our nonprofit corporation provides the together at this series of great events opportunity for residents, businesses, and — The Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival. public organizations to unite and celebrate our Enjoy! nation’s birthday. Staff Mark Hixson Board of Erika Elles Business Solutions Group, Inc. Directors Cargill, Inc. 4th of July Celebration, what an What is your favorite I cannot pick a awesome opportunity to bring the community together in a Freedom Festival event? favorite event — I LOVE THEM ALL! family friendly atmosphere while celebrating the freedom to do so! Executive Committee Stephanie a. Edson Jonathan Cormier GE Capital Toyota Financial Services It is very hard to choose one, so listed are a few of my favorites. If I had to pick a favorite event, it would be the Balloon The Balloon Glow, Freedom Parade, downtown on the 4th of July, Glow because its a great scene with families sitting on and Tribute to Heroes. The entire festival is very impressive. It the front lawn of Historic Brucemore, listening to live is wonderful to see all the people enjoy the events and how we music as the balloons fill up and light up the night sky! come together as a community. angela Josh Jordan Streets ITC Midwest US Cellular I enjoy the pancake Our family enjoys the breakfast early kid friendly activities like morning on the 4th Imagination Square spending of July. time having fun with family/ friends. Lisa McMillen- Bose Lori arbuckle Prairie Ridge Estates Sam’s Club Tribute to Heroes Dinner — there I love the DockDogs event. I helped to get Sam’s Club to are so many unsung heroes in sponsor the first year in 2012. I work with rescues and the community working hard but shelters to foster dogs to get them a forever home and don’t always get the credit and have a love for dogs. recognition. Their stories are always inspirational and heartwarming. Jessica fergesen Kristy Staker Jody Donaldson Cedar Rapids Kernels Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids and My favorite event is Marion Hy-Vee My favorite Freedom Festival event is the Movie Night at the fireworks. It is the grand finale, the best It’s tough to pick just one, Ballpark. It is great to ending after two weeks of fabulous activities. but I’m a fan of the 4th. see families enjoying I love the energy it brings to downtown, the I love the atmosphere a movie at Veterans array of people that come and the firework downtown and of course, Memorial Stadium under show itself is always spectacular. the night sky! the fireworks! 4 319 365 8313 • 609 1st Avenue SW • Cedar Rapids, Iowa • 52405 Jason Pasker Farmers State Bank io The Balloon Glow is my favorite event because we have attended this event every year since our first C child (Ava) was born. We really enjoy the live music i and the atmosphere that comes with that! Off Clinton Peter R. Brady teahen Northwestern Mutual Sarika Teahen Funeral Home Bhakta Ex- I really enjoy the The Celebration of fireworks on the 4th…. Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Freedom. I love the It is a great atmosphere sense of community downtown with the Favorite Freedom Festival as thousands gather music and all the people. event is a tie between the together to celebrate spectacular Fourth of July July 4th with fellowship, fireworks and the exciting music, and fireworks. Balloon Glow. ann Virden Merrill Lynch My favorite Freedom Festival Jonathan event is Balloon Lam Glow. I love seeing Schneider Electric the colorful balloons Freedom to Build — Lego lit up on historic Extravaganza: This event Brucemore lawn. provides a great opportunity It’s great to see Sam Jones for kids to showcase their thousands of people Shuttleworth & Ingersoll creative side and help come out for the cultivate team work and event and enjoy Balloon Glow. It is very cool to see communication skills as what Cedar Rapids 15,000 people listening to music, touring they work to complete the has to offer. Brucemore, and generally having a challenge in a group. What great time. a great event to engage the Eastern Iowa community through this safe and fun Laurel learning experience for kids Day and parents. Cedar Rapids Community Heather Wilson School District The Eastern Iowa Airport My favorite event is Balloon My favorite Freedom Festival event is the parade. Glow because it’s a time I remember growing up in a smaller town that where families come together had HUGE parades. It was such a wonderful for good old fashion fun, part of my childhood that I love continuing a picnic on the grounds of that tradition in Cedar Rapids. I love looking beautiful Brucemore, great at the kid’s faces along the street light up. music, and the sound/color Parades truly create a sense of community in an of the balloons as they light immensely positive and tangible way. up the neighborhood! mission Statement interns The Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival, Inc., Brooks Kehoe • University of Iowa a non-profit organization, celebrates the Kady Light • University of Iowa quality of life in Eastern Iowa by providing safe, affordable, and fun annual events Dylan Youel • Coe College that embody the spirit of patriotism and a sense of community and family. FreedomFestival.com • Presented by 5 2014 Schedule June 20 – 22 Jump for Freedom of Events — DockDogs Saturday June 14 Five Seasons Ski Team – Water Ski Show Aquatic Dog Jumping 7 PM - 8 PM Competition Flag Day – Freedom Festival’s Flag Cedar River • Ellis Park Kirkwood Community College Raising Ceremony Five Seasons Ski Team • 5sst.com FREE 9 AM – 6 PM 9 AM - 9:30 AM R&L Marine, Evinrude Outboards, Z102.9 and Downtown CR • across from Vets Memorial Cedar Rapids Photocopy Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival freedomfestival.com THE MIKADO FREE 7:30 PM - 10 PM Brucemore on the Lawn Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre Wednesday June 18 cr-opera.org Cedar Rapids Municipal Band $20 / $1 off with button Great America Leasing Corporation, Giacoletto 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Foundation, Alliant Energy, ACT Inc, and Bowman Woods School Margaret Haupt City of Cedar Rapids • crmuniband.org FREE Friday June 20 Thursday June 19 DockDogs Tribute to Heroes 9 AM - 6 PM Photo by Jim Zelasko Kirkwood Community