By Max Mogensen,Staff Writer

AUBURN – This year’s Liberty Festival will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Veterans Park in Lewiston, with a flag-raising ceremony administered by the Franco-American Color Guard.

Following the ceremony, entertainers Nick Knowlton and Bette Sanborn will perform. A cheerleading demonstration and a performance by the Liberty Festival Dancers will follow. The musical groups Dirty McCurdy, the Mike Willette Swing Band, and special guests are also slated to appear. The Broad Street Band and Dirty McCurdy will also perform in Auburn, according to the Liberty Festival’s official Web site.

Fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. in the Veterans Park and Great Falls area.

Dick Martin estimated that between 20,000 and 40,000 people watched last year’s fireworks, which cost about $20,000.

Not many people know what goes into planning the local Fourth of July fireworks show. Then again, the Liberty Festival is not your ordinary local fireworks show.

Last year, the two-day event drew thousands of spectators, enticed by musical groups, a color guard, rock climbing, dancing, guest speakers, and of course, the unmistakable aroma of fried dough. This year, according to Martin, the festival will “at least meet, if not succeed, expectations.”

Martin is president of the Independence Day Committee, a local nonprofit organization that has worked for the past 10 years to organize and run the Liberty Festival. The goal of the committee, according to Martin, is to represent the community, while “celebrating our national heritage.”

Martin sees the importance of working to host this patriotic event. “It should be done,” he says.

But it isn’t easy. The Independence Day Committee begins creating each year’s Liberty Festival just a month after the close-date of the preceding festival. With only a month of rest, the committee works nearly year-round putting together this extensive event. This year, that meant 11 months of booking musicians and entertainers, organizing concerts, scheduling the flag ceremony and aiding in the design of the fireworks display.

Though the Independence Day Committee is independent, the cities of Lewiston and Auburn offer invaluable resources toward the Liberty Festival. The cities provide municipal support services such as fire, police and public works, Martin said.

The committee also receives corporate and personal donations throughout the year that allow it to host the Liberty Festival. Any contribution is appreciated. “We have $5 donations,” said Martin. “It’s still an investment in the community.”

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