GENTRY — Though it was still raining a bit in the morning, the sun came out in the afternoon, and so did the crowds, to Gentry's annual Freedom Festival in the city park. It was, perhaps, the biggest crowd to attend the Gentry festival in recent history.
Though the ground was wet and muddy in spots, the walks were lined with booths and vendors. Car show entries reached around the circle in spite of the rainy weather early which often discourages car enthusiasts. By mid afternoon, the park was beginning to fill and a large crowd attended the Little Miss and Little Mister Gentry pageants at 3 p.m.
Eli Whitaker and Paige Carter, both 4, won the Little Mister and Miss Gentry titles for 2016, though the competition was not far behind either of the winners and the judges had a tough decision. Other contestants were Whitney Knox (second runner up), Mya McKnight, Juliet Smartt, Samantha Martin, Avery Helms (first runner up), Grace Hughes and Wylie Gardisser (first runner up).
By the time Kaitlin Carlson took the stage to entertain with her guitar and folk-style music, the crowd extended a good way across the park. It grew during the performance of Kaylin Cripps and her band, and finding a place to sit or stand was getting a little tough during the Barrett Baber concert.
By the time the fireworks display got started, there were people everywhere in the park and on surrounding streets, sidewalks and yards to watch the lights fill the sky.
And no one was disappointed. All rose for the singing of the National Anthem and then the sky was filled with brilliant colors behind the large flag which flies near the center of the park. The display, sponsored by McKee Foods and set off by the Gentry Fire Department, was the largest ever and the crowd clapped and cheered at its close.
View more images of Gentry's Freedom Festival here.
General News on 07/06/2016