New name, new place, familiar mission for fair

By: Rebecca Weltmann
   ALLENTOWN – On its fifth anniversary, the annual Freedom Fest Fair will be bigger, better and include a new name and venue. The fair, which began Tuesday, runs until Saturday at the Horse Park of New Jersey, on Route 526.
   Freedom Fest Fair, a mission of the Allentown Presbyterian Church, was renamed from Freedom Fest after it took on its new status as a New Jersey State Agricultural Fair by the state Department of Agriculture and the Monmouth County Board of Agriculture. In addition to its new name, the fair will find itself in a new location this summer in an effort to offer a larger variety of activities and services for people of all ages.
   "We feel honored to highlight Allentown and Upper Freehold with this big of an event," said Nick De Mauro, founder and co-chair of the Freedom Fest Fair committee. "We’re trying to keep a hometown feel. We’re really going out of our way to keep a local feel."
   In moving to a larger venue, the Freedom Fest Fair hopes to expand the attractions it offers as well as add new ones. Last year’s attraction, The Great American Frontier and Wildlife Show, will return with its bears, big cats and wolves. The fair will also include an agricultural museum and other performances each night.
   "Freedom Fest is entering its fifth year and truly has become one of the largest events in this area," said Kevin Dreher, event co-chairman, in a news release. "This year’s event will offer more than double the amount of fun and family-friendly entertainment for all of our guests."
   Shuttle buses will run continuously from the Horse Park to Byron Johnson Park and Allentown High School.
   "I’m really looking forward to having people from outside this area see what this area – Allentown, Millstone and Upper Freehold – is about," Mr. De Mauro said. "It’s going to be a state-level fair. This is the first time in this area we’ve had a fair this big since the state fair left 25 years ago."
   Freedom Fest Fair’s mission is focused on providing a unique festival event for Central New Jersey while providing a way for many area churches and non-profit organizations to promote and expand their own missions and services in the community.
   Tickets to the indoor benefits concerts are $35 and $25 for .38 Special and $40 and $30 for Third Day. Those tickets also include a fair admissions waiver as well as a $5 discount on rides.
   The fair will open at 5 p.m. daily and at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Saturday’s festivities will conclude with fireworks. Parking for Freedom Fest Fair is free, but the fair includes a $5 entrance fee. The event is a mission of the Allentown Presbyterian Church and money goes to benefit many charities throughout the region.