LEWISTON — The 22nd annual Liberty Festival will begin with flag ceremonies Tuesday and end with fireworks Wednesday.

Beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Veterans Memorial Park on Main Street, volunteers will present a Salute to the American Flag and Retirement Ceremony. There will be events and speakers honoring veterans and providing a history of the holiday.

Added to Tuesday’s festivities this year is the Silhouette Project, a collection of 22  silhouettes created to bring awareness of the average number of veterans who commit suicide every day in the U.S. Each silhouette is inscribed with names of Maine veterans, in addition to notes of encouragement and hope from veterans and local organizations.

Tuesday will also honor the men and women who have served the nation.

“The meaning of the Fourth of July is not only to celebrate our independence, but it is also to honor those who have served our country. Fireworks aren’t the only part of the holiday,” Liberty Festival President Cathy McDonald said.

The Modern Woodmen of America, with more than 13,500 members in Maine, will participate in this year’s festivities. Local representative Paul Colasante of Modern Woodmen will present Hometown Hero awards to three outstanding community members.

Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and any worn or weathered flags they wish to have retired.

On Wednesday, starting at 6 p.m., music, food, crafts and entertainment will be presented on both sides of the Androscoggin River.

In Lewiston, the celebration will take place at Veterans Memorial Park; in Auburn, it will be at Great Falls Plaza on Main Street.

Entertainment on the Lewiston stage will include performances by Lacey Chain, award-winning Elvis impersonator Robert Washington and Joe’s Garage Band.

In Auburn, the Auburn Community Band will play patriotic music, followed by Mr. Drew and His Animals Too. Flow on Fire, an Auburn-based fire props company, will perform. Attendees can also expect games, inflatable structures for the children and food.

Parking will be available at the Platz Associates lot in Auburn, and at downtown lots and garages in Lewiston for a $5 donation per vehicle. Proceeds will go to the volunteers staffing the lots, various veterans’ groups in Auburn and the Lewiston High School Cheer Boosters.

Because of the large crowd expected, people are not permitted to bring pets. Sparklers are also prohibited.

“Somebody always gets burned,” McDonald said. “There are too many people, and those things get hot.”

The show by Central Maine Pyrotechnics is the festival’s biggest attraction. “It’s one of the premier shows in the state,” McDonald said.

According to the festival’s website, “The Liberty Festival is an example of two communities rich in heritage working and celebrating together.”

McDonald believes in that vision, and has been bringing it to fruition every year since 1981.

“It’s a free event for the community to get together and celebrate who we are,” McDonald said. “I do it primarily because it’s a celebration of us as a country, and it’s also a celebration of us as a community. I do it because although I didn’t serve our country, it’s a way for me to give back.”

 

Sisters Arissa, left, and Arianna Thurlow of Auburn enjoy the 2016 Liberty Festival in Lewiston. (Sun Journal file photo)

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