Downtown Goldsboro will be the place to be over the next three days as Freedom Week celebrates military personnel and first responders.
The festivities get underway on Thursday evening from 5 to 7:30 with the United Way of Wayne County’s 33rd annual Taste of Wayne at The Hub. The list of vendors scheduled to participate includes Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Artis Daily Bread, Eagletown Grill, Cry Freedom Missions Cafe, Zaxby’s, Texas Roadhouse, Hydrant Church, Great Harvest Bread Company, and numerous others.
The band 581 South will be providing live music at Taste of Wayne, while Curtis Media on-air personalities Jeff Farrow and Averil Williams, will be broadcasting live. Tickets are required to attend Taste of Wayne.
Following Taste of Wayne the Paramount Theatre will be showing “Top Gun,” at 7:45 p.m. Attendance is free but a ticket is required for admission. Tickets can be obtained by visiting the Paramount Theatre website.
“It’s really cool that we have United Way as a partner of NC Freedom Fest, so they’ll kick off on Thursday with Taste of Wayne at The Hub,”said Freedom Fest organizer Doug McGrath in a recent interview with Farrow on WGBR. “That will be from 5 to 7:30 and then the Paramount (Theatre) is showing the original “Top Gun,” at 7:45, free to the first 500 people. So, Thursday is going to be incredible.”
Freedom Week continues on Friday evening at Freedom Field as Joe Brown & The Band will delight the crowd with their party style approach from 6 to 9.
“On Freedom Friday, we have Joe Brown & The Band,” McGrath said. “It’s kind of a Center Street Jam on steroids if you will. We are encouraging everyone to wear red. So, red that night will become Remember Everyone Deployed. So, we’re having this big event to thanks those who serve, but right now there are people who are halfway around the world. We want to reach out to them so they know we’re thinking about them as well.”
The third annual Freedom Fest begins at 3 on Saturday afternoon, and will feature a car and bike show, courtesy of Wayne County Cruisers, a free kids zone, static displays, military appreciation awards, street vendors, and a wide variety of food and beverage options.
Freedom Fest will also feature musical acts spread across three stages beginning at 4 p.m., and culminating with a performance by Elvie Shane at 8 p.m. A native of Kentucky, Shane’s hit single “My Boy,” has topped the country charts and was certified platinum by the RIAA . Shane’s style can be described as crunchy hooks of classic rock, the nostalgia of country music, as well as the emotional electricity of Gospel and R&B.
Shane has opened for notable artists including Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Brothers Osborne, Brooks & Dunn and Lady A.
“We’re really thrilled to have Elvie Shane coming in,” McGrath said. “This past week he was in New York. About six weeks ago he was touring in Europe, So, a really big catch for us in Goldsboro to get Elvie Shane.”
Also performing at Freedom Fest will be the Pink Slips Band, Wood & Steel Band, The Soul Psychedelique Orchestra, and Goldsboro native T. Davis and Company.
“Saturday is kind of the big show if you will,” McGrath said. “Saturday we will close downtown to car traffic. We will have a car and bike show, we have a new element which is an art contest, which will be really cool. We will have craft vendors, a family-inclusive area, we have a kid zone, we have food trucks galore, and five bands on three stages, so we will have something for everybody. This is all about thanking those who serve.”
For more information on Freedom Fest, including helpful parking tips, visit ncfreedomfest.org.
