The City of Alcoa is making its final preparations for FreedomFest 2023. The City’s 42nd edition of the tremendously popular Independence Day celebration is set for Saturday, June 24, 2023, from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. at the Alcoa Duck Pond. The entire community is invited to attend the exciting family fun filled event.
The world-renowned Pyro Shows, Inc., a fireworks production company headquartered in LaFollette, Tennessee, will again provide the event’s patriotic firepower.
The spectacular fireworks show will be choreographed to ever popular music for all ages ranging from patriotic to pop hits. The flurry of colorful explosives will include over 9,000 shells sized from 3” to 6”. To enhance their beauty and drama, individual fireworks are synchronized to specific elements in the music creating dramatic scenes that defy the imagination. The music will be broadcast by way of speakers along Springbrook Road bordering the Duck Pond.
In addition to the impressive display of pyrotechnics, Thor & The Reigns will kick off the entertainment on stage from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Headlining the evening’s entertainment is the local southern rock band The Dirty Gospel, whose music features renditions of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, The Black Crowes, BlackBerry Smoke, and original music. The Dirty Gospel takes the stage at 8:00 p.m. breaking for the 20-minute fireworks spectacle at approximately 9:45 to 10:00 p.m. Entertainers will return to the stage at the end of the pyrotechnic presentation to treat event goers to music and “dancing in the street”. Food vendors will operate on the same schedule, stopping only for the 20-minute fireworks display. Plan to stay and enjoy more music, food, and fun!
A children’s area will be located between the Duck Pond and Springbrook Pool. Activities will include a Knox Rocks Climbing Wall, as well as a Bounce House, Inflatable Slide, Obstacle Course, and face painting by Faces Gone Wild and Making Faces.
The Alcoa City Schools Foundation (ACSF) will be raising funds to benefit the Alcoa City Schools system through the sale of its FreedomFest t-shirt. The shirts are available in a variety of sizes and may be purchased for $10 the ACSF booth where they will also be doing temporary patriotic tattoos.
A wide variety of food will be available with 24 food vendors present. Food vendors and a sampling of their menus include:
- Snow Daddy’s – a variety of snow cone flavors, kettle corn, and drinks
- Southern Yankee Pizza – pizza, oven baked subs, calzones, desserts, and drinks
- Good Hombres Tacos, Tortas, and more – tacos, tortas, and sweet treats
- Tic Toc Ice Cream – cups and waffle cones with homemade ice cream
- Poynor’s Pommes Frites – bratwurst, schnitzel, pommes frites (fries), and more
- Hungry Hillbilly – burgers, chicken sandwiches, and more
- Red Box Burgers – burgers, cheesesteaks, and fries
- Blazing Farms Concessions – hotdogs, bratwurst, smoke sausage, nachos, and more
- Clean Smoke BBQ – pulled pork sandwich, street tacos, pulled pork nachos, hotdogs, and more
- Allysons Chimney Cakes – savory and sweet chimney cakes
- Mel-Dar’s Deluxe Pups – hotdogs, burgers, Polish sausages, chili, and more
- Smoky Mountain Kettle Korn – kettle korn, funnel cakes
- Sweet Tooth Ice Cream – novelty ice cream, funnel cake, nachos, hot dogs, coffee, lemonade
- Parrott’s Concessions – Italian sausage, cheesesteak, funnel cakes, corn dogs, and more
- Rainbo Ice & Funnel Cake – funnel cakes, fried Oreos, shaved ice
- Mother Shuckers – burgers, grilled chicken on a stick, iced tea, lemonade
- Rollin-On-N – beef gourmet hotdogs
- Food & Company – nachos, gourmet bratwurst, Polish sausage, Italian sausage, lemonade
- SnoBiz Maryville – shaved ice with 30 assorted flavors
- Rocky Top Korn – kettle corn
- Smoky Mountain Snow – snow cones with 30 assorted flavors
- Hot Dog Hut LLC –assorted hot dogs, Frito pies, nachos
We will also have the following craft vendors in attendance:
- Browns Clothing Creations
- CaliCountry Creations
- Not Merely Knots
- Pap-Paw’s Wood Craft
- Lanoria Studios
- Mauldy Hill
The City of Alcoa will set up an information booth at the intersection of Springbrook Road and Marconi Boulevard. The booth will also serve those with lost and found items and anyone needing emergency medical assistance.
Bicycles, skateboards, hover boards, roller blades and skates are prohibited in the event area. Those bicycling on the greenway are asked not to enter the event area due to the congestion and heavy pedestrian traffic. Attendees should not bring any pet or animal onto the event site other than service animals. Backpacks are not permitted on the event site, and all coolers are subject to search. Event goers are reminded that any type of fireworks are banned from the event area with the exception of those handled by the Pyro Shows for the show.
All entrances to Alcoa Elementary School will be barricaded and closed for event preparation. These areas will be closed to all traffic, both motorized and pedestrian. Anyone traveling in or around the Alcoa Little League Park and elementary school are asked to remain on the greenway trail outside the safety zones.
Beginning at 12:00 a.m., Saturday, June 24, 2023, Faraday Street between Vose Road and Springbrook Road will be closed along with the Alcoa Duck Pond parking lot; Springbrook Road between Faraday and Edison Streets; Marconi Boulevard from Tesla to Springbrook Road; Lodge Street between Marconi Boulevard and Alcoa High School (AHS), and the entrances to Alcoa Middle and High Schools. They will remain closed until no later than 8:00 a.m., Sunday, June 25, 2023. The Alcoa Duck Pond parking lot will remain closed until Tuesday morning, June 27.
Due to the construction of the new intermediate school, handicap accessible parking will now be located in the Alcoa High School parking lots. Please use Lodge Street from Faraday to enter this parking lot. Access to this handicapped area is on a first come basis.
Thanks to Alcoa Inc., attendees can again park in the company’s pasture located at the corner of Springbrook Road and E. Edison Street. It has been prepared by employees of the City of Alcoa Public Works and Engineering Department and should provide parking for 200-300 vehicles. The entrance gate is located along Springbrook Road across from the former fire hall. Also, along Springbrook Road. The parking lots of Alcoa High School off Lodge Street will be open. Entrance to the AHS lots will be accessed from Faraday Street. Nearby is a viewing area at the practice field between the back of the Goddard Field visitors’ bleachers and Alcoa Middle School.
Following the event, traffic from both exits out of the Alcoa, Inc. pasture will flow eastbound onto Springbrook Road towards N. Wright Road. “We are very grateful to our friends at the aluminum company for continuing to work with us to improve the parking and traffic flow for the community. We appreciate their community involvement by allowing us to again use their property. This should help tremendously with the ever-present parking crunch and post event traffic,” said City Manager Mark Johnson. Those exiting the AHS and AMS parking areas will exit onto Lodge Street, where attendees can either take Mills Street to exit onto Hunt Road or Faraday Street to exit onto Tesla.
The City of Alcoa wants to express gratitude for the support of the following sponsors: Presenting Sponsors –LDA Engineering and Blount Partnership; Aluminum Sponsor – Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union; Gold Sponsors—C2RL Inc., Denso Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc., and American Home Builders; and Silver Sponsor—Pinnacle Home Improvements. Without the aid of our local community, this event would not happen, so thank you!
For more information, please contact the Public Information Officer, Emily Assenmacher (865-380-4760) or visit www.cityofalcoa-tn.gov/freedomfest.