By Matt de Simone
Freedom Fest 2021 kicked off last weekend at New Freedom Farm in Buchanan.
Special guest Tim Finley spoke during last Saturday’s festivities. Finley is a combat-decorated Air Force veteran hailing from America’s heartland. Mountaineer, race car driver, survivalist, and endurance rider, he conquered the highest peaks, toughest tracks, harshest environments, and the longest, toughest horse race in the world, the Mongol Derby.
The festival also featured a dove release, 13 crosses dedicated to the fallen, and a special LOVE sign for photo opportunities.
A new feature at Freedom Fest this year gives attendees the opportunity to learn about the wild mustangs that live at New Freedom Farm. Visitors will be able to scan QR codes linked to the Bureau of Land Management’s wild mustang registry to access the mustangs’ specific stories and paths to their homes at New Freedom Farm.
Wild mustangs are free-roaming horses in the Western United States that were descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Their population is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustang).
“We are excited to host this year’s Freedom Fest to raise awareness of the 22 veterans and five first responders that commit suicide each day and for the wild mustangs that help them heal,” Executive Director Lois Fritz stated. “Partnering with the Beaver Dam Sunflower Festival, which is only five miles away, we hope to have around 20,000 visitors to the farm during Freedom Fest, raising funds to help us continue our mission of healing heroes through horses.”
Freedom Fest continues this weekend (Sept. 18-19) and next weekend (Sept. 25-26). For more information, visit https://www.newfreedomfarm.org/product-page/freedom-fest-2021-tickets.
