1st JOY of Freedom Festival kicks off Saturday and Sunday

WASILLA — The first JOY of Freedom Festival takes places Saturday, May 21, and Sunday, May 22 at the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

This two-day festival is a family-friendly event that serves as a fundraiser for JOY International and its efforts fighting for freedom and healing for children in Alaska and around the world. Proceeds from this event will also go toward Homes of Hope. There will be a Barefoot Mile fundraiser during both days of the event where attendees will be encouraged to kick off their shoes or boots to walk to end human trafficking.

Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to live bluegrass and country performances by Alaskan bands from across the state in addition to visiting Grammy-nominated band The Special Consensus. There will also be bluegrass jam sessions and workshops throughout the festival.

This event will also feature the Alaska State BBQ Championship, a local vendor market, a food truck rally, a beer garden, and a full array of engaging activities for all ages. The Aurora Borealis Alaskan Garrison will be making their way across the Fairgrounds for photo opportunities with iconic characters from the popular sci-fi film franchise throughout the event.

“It’s coming together,” event organizer Sara Post said.

Visitors will also have the chance to enjoy onsite camping during the event. According to Post, this will be a great opportunity for families to spend time together and local musicians to break into spontaneous jam sessions.

“The fun does not necessarily have to end when the festival closes,” Post said.

Post said their plan is to maintain and grow this annual event over time in order to unite the community under a common goal: ending human trafficking. She said that she’s already seen a surge of public interest and community support behind this new event and its noble cause.

“Once the community heard— of course, because of the cause— we had all sorts of people eager to jump in and be a part of this,” Post said. “I feel overwhelmed by how everybody is willing to get behind this. It kind of takes everybody working together to fight this horrific crime… We can truly make a difference.”

For more information, visit joyoffreedom.org or www.joy.org.

For more information about the Aurora Borealis Alaskan Garrison, visit ak501st.com.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com