Latest / Tigs Bits Podcast / Dare to Explore Louisiana’s No Man’s Land?

Transcript

Dare to Explore Louisiana’s No Man’s Land? · Tigs Bits Podcast

• 0:00
  Spain Free State Festival was designed to promote and to
• 0:03
  preserve the part of Louisiana history between eighteen O 6 and
• 0:07
  1821 where this part of the state of Louisiana became known
• 0:11
  as no man's land where there was a territory dispute between the
• 0:15
  French and the Spanish. So where where outlaws,
• 0:19
  Renegades and rebels, Rome, it's a set of lawlessness towns.
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  That is what the No Man's Land was.
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  And it's a 10 pair strip that runs on this side of the state
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  all the way from up around Shreveport all the way down to
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  present day Cameron, Louisiana. So where our festival preserves
• 0:37
  that heritage and the Midkiff's clan and the outlaws and things
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  like that. We have western shootouts and
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  all that kind of stuff. So it's really cool.
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  I am joined today by Miss Ray Addison, the PR person for the
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  Sabine Parish Free State Festival, which takes place in
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  Florine, Louisiana, my hometown, where I'm from us.
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  And it's all, it's been a staple of my childhood and my entire
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  life. So I'm so happy to have you on
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  here. Thanks for joining us today.
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  Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
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  The festival, this is our 44th year of the Sabine Free State
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  Festival, so it's been going on for a while.
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  We're pretty pumped up for this year's festival.
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  We're trying to be bigger and better than ever.
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  In 2023, we were actually named the Louisiana Association of
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  Fairs and Festivals Division One Festival of the Year.
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  So yeah. Well, I mean, just right out of
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  the bat, that was a question I had for you and let's let's jump
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  into that. How do you earn that title?
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  How does that come about 'cause that's that's awesome.
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  That's a prestigious title. It really is.
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  So the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals had it is an
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  organization that meets every year in Baton Rouge, used to be
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  called Queen of Queens Contest, where they crown the fairs and
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  festivals Queen. Well, it's where all of the
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  fairs and festivals get together and just celebrate each other.
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  We're Division One, so that means we have less than 5000
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  attendees to our festival. We are pushing that 5000 mark.
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  The thing about our festival is it's a great big guess on how
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  many people come to our festival because we are free and open to
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  the public. We do not charge an admission
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  fee, so there's no way for us to truly know how many attendees
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  come to the festival each year. Yeah, that way you don't have a
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  ticket counter, you're. Just we don't have a ticket
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  boot. Estimate the crowd.
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  The way we estimate the crowd for the last two years is we put
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  a drone up during the parade and just kind of looked at drone
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  footage and was like, that looks about like so many people, you
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  know, that kind of thing. Thank God for technology.
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  But we fill out a scrapbook form and it goes to the Louisiana
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  Association of Fairs and Festivals and they have third
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  party college students. I think it's at Nichols, I
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  believe. Goes through and looks at our
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  scrapbook and reads about our festival and looks at pictures
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  and videos and things like that. And they scored on do I want to
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  go to that festival? Does it look interesting?
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  What could they do better? How how did they improved?
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  That kind of thing? And we won this year and we were
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  very surprised. I think we almost flipped the
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  table when they announced. I bet, I bet that's.
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  Pretty, that's pretty cool. Congratulations on that.
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  How long How long have you been involved with the Free State
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  Festival? So I've been a part of planning
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  the festival. This is my third festival to
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  actually help plan. I got my start with the Free
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  State Festival by being just a local citizen from a neighboring
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  community who had always heard about the Free State Festival
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  and their Western shootouts and things like that.
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  I went and took pictures of the 2020 festival, which we were one
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  of the only festivals that got to go on in 2020 because, you
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  know that nasty bug was hanging around.
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  That's right. And some of the local or the
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  board president and secretary, I met them and they're like, hey,
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  you want to start taking pictures for us?
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  OK, cool. Bet you're our photographer now.
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  So got violent old and I love every minute of.
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  It told that's exactly that's exactly what happened.
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  And here you are, Here you look at what's happening with it, so
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  maybe it was a good thing that you were, Volun told.
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  Because things. Are happening.
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  It really is. I've got some.
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  I've made some of my best friends in my life thanks to the
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  Appreciate Festival and being involved in it.
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  I love it. I can't believe it's the 44th
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  year. I've been on this planet for 46
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  and and it's been there my whole life pretty much.
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  Give us a little history behind the Sabine Free State Festival.
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  So the Sabine Free State Festival was designed to promote
• 5:02
  and to preserve the part of Louisiana history between
• 5:05
  eighteen O 6 and 1821 where this part of the state of Louisiana
• 5:09
  became known as no man's land, where there was a territory
• 5:13
  dispute between the French and the Spanish.
• 5:16
  So where where outlaws, Renegades and rebels roam.
• 5:20
  It's a set of lawlessness towns. That is what the No Man's Land
• 5:25
  was and it's a 10 pair strip that runs on this side of the
• 5:28
  state all the way from up around Shreveport all the way down to
• 5:31
  present day Cameron, Louisiana. So where our festival preserves
• 5:36
  that heritage in the Mid Kiffs clan and the outlaws and things
• 5:40
  like that. We have Western shootouts and
• 5:43
  all that kind of stuff, so it's really cool.
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  It is cool. That was always my favorite
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  thing at part of the Free State Festival is the is the shootout.
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  So tell us, tell everybody out there, listen what they can
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  expect in these amazing shootouts.
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  So the thing about our shootout cast is you never know exactly
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  what's going to transpire. We have our guaranteed
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  characters like Hiram Midkiff, the Reverend Devil.
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  We have Fannie Mae, who's a broom toten, what you would
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  consider a city of the South. I guess it's the is the best way
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  to describe Fannie Mae like she, she's the broom toten.
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  She's going to make sure you're following the letter of the law.
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  And then we have Clyde. And Clyde is the town drunk
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  who's always getting into Lord knows what with his brother
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  Claude. And sometimes Claude's off
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  adventuring and you don't see Claude.
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  But the next year Claude will be up and him and Clyde's building
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  an outhouse. But it all comes down to Miss
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  Ruby and her saloon and the saloon girls.
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  And of course in the Old West, that's where you always wound up
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  in trouble when they go to get some of Miss Rubies River Bottom
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  Rock Gut. And so it's just it's an Old
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  West shootout. You never know where what's
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  going on. And then the last couple years,
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  one of the shootouts over the course of the weekend is
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  historically accurate, as accurate as possible.
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  So we tell the Mid Kiff story and we tell about Hiram Mid Kiff
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  and the settling of this area and what No Man's Land is.
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  So it's really a fun time. Very neat, very neat.
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  Yeah, I've, I'm planning on coming up there.
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  That is the goal this year. So I can tell I want to bring my
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  son and he's never been. I'm so happy because it
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  traditionally has always happened on the same weekend
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  that LSU played Alabama. Yes, and this year it doesn't.
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  I know, I'm so excited. It is exciting.
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  You know, we always have a game screen up on Saturday night so
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  you could watch the game on the street dance.
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  We've got the blow up screen and all that because it has been the
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  LSU Alabama game. But this year we're we're like
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  what are we going to do with the screen?
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  What are we going to put on the screen?
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  What what you know? It's really cool though.
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  There'll be plenty of football on that night.
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  I. Promise you that's true.
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  That's right. But even if you're not, since we
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  do have a buy and you just want to listen to good music, we've
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  got 2 great live bands coming. Local boy Justin Merritt, he's
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  going to open us up on our street dance Saturday night.
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  And then Cajun Company Band, which is a covers band from
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  South Louisiana. They're coming up.
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  They were our band last year and let me tell you what, Front
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  Street and or high School Drive in front of the Civic Center was
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  packed. I love that.
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  So we're pretty excited about that.
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  I love it. Great bands.
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  I've heard them before too. And and and Justin Merritt,
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  local. Boy, that's freaking awesome.
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  So give us a rundown on kind of the timeline of all of this.
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  When does this kick off? How is it on that Saturday?
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  What can everybody expect? So honestly, we are in the thick
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  of it now. We crowned our brand new royalty
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  last Saturday night. Miss Paisley Parker is our 44th
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  Sabine Free State Queen. So we crowned our royalty
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  Saturday night. This coming Monday we'll have
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  our poster unveiling which is done by a local artist, Miss
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  Tara Stewart. This year has done our poster.
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  So it's it's my favorite of the ones that we've been that I've
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  been involved in. And of course, you know, all of
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  our posters hang in historic flooring depot.
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  So out of the ones that are there and that I've seen this
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  one is something to see. So join us Monday night.
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  It's open to the public. It's where you get to see the
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  the poster, the T-shirts, all of the new merchandise, some that
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  we have for this year's festival.
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  That's on Monday night and then on Halloween, our shootout cast
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  will be on the Free State grounds for trick or treating.
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  Bring your little ghosts and goblins around.
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  We'll also have Goss community gospel singing on Thursday
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  night. Union Baptist Church is going to
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  be hosting a community gospel singing on Thursday night and
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  then we kick off festival on Friday morning at 8:00 with one
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  of my favorite events of festival.
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  We have a Veteran's breakfast that's open to all community
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  veterans. Vernon Sabine in any veteran is
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  welcome to attend. This year we have a veteran
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  speaker, Mr. Scott Wells. He is a Paralympic champion that
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  is coming in and talking to us during our veteran ceremony.
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  Then we'll have Education Day starting at around 9:00 for all
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  area 4th grade students to come and learn about what life in No
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  Man's land was. The historical demonstrators.
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  We've got pottery being thrown. We have, I believe we have a
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  blacksmith, we have the old quill pens and all that kind of
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  stuff coming in this year. So they get to see what it's
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  like to live during that time. And then we'll when it's
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  education Day rolls, winds down, we'll have all of our vendors
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  start coming in for a shootout Friday night.
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  We'll have bingo Friday evening. We've actually had to move Bingo
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  from the train depot over to the auditor or to the old gym on
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  Warren's campus because we ran out of room.
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  That's a good problem. That's a good problem to have.
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  So Bingo has moved to the old gym and we'll have Bingo and
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  then we'll also have a DJD Street dance on Friday night
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  with DJ Doug Creighton. And then we'll kick off Saturday
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  morning with the 3rd Annual Bindi Peterson Trail Ride at
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  9:00 as well as the Mid Kiffs 5K Run put on by Missy Donnelly and
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  Camp 2/17 that they'll do that. If you want to get information
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  on that run specifically, go reach out to them on Mid Kiffs
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  5K Run on Facebook. They have a group that they can
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  answer all your questions. I'm not a runner, so I don't
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  know anything. I probably won't be
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  participating in that one. Myself, you know, but there's
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  people out there who are, who run for fun.
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  Like that's a concept I can't I I just can't grasp.
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  Get after it. You could win a medal or
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  something, I'm sure. Yeah, that's right.
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  That's right. And then our parade starts.
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  Lineup is at 9 with it rolling down High School Drive at 11:00.
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  We will have a classic car show during festival this year
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  sponsored by the Toledo Cruisers.
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  Those cars and those guys, they are Immaculate.
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  We also have a BBQ cook off that begins on Friday.
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  Even I kind of forgot about that, but we have a cooks
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  meeting Friday afternoon and they can start cooking.
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  That'll then cook all day Saturday.
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  We have shootouts galore. We actually have animatronic
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  dinosaurs coming this year. Oh wow.
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  You're right, you. Got everything.
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  Anna has animatronic dinosaurs. Come on now.
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  I wish my little boy was still a little boy because he would have
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  eaten that up three or four years ago.
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  It may not mean as much to him now, but I'm going to look at it
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  because I think that sounds cool.
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  Right. You know I've.
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  Never seen that. There's people that drive hours
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  and pay big bucks to take their kids to see those dinosaurs that
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  move and talk and all that. Well, you can see them for $5 in
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  flooring. I mean, that's a good deal.
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  Yeah, Mr. Nick, team's dinosaur shows will happen periodically
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  throughout the day. And of course, you know, being
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  that you're from here, there's not a lot of room on the Free
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  State grounds, so we can't bring in a traditional midway with the
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  carnival rides that you come to expect, right?
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  But we have brought in what we call Mid Kiff's midway.
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  OK. Mid Kiff's Midway is a little
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  bit different. We're going to have hot air
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  balloon rides. Oh.
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  We're going to have roller car rides, laser tag, bumper cars,
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  we even have axe throwing. What?
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  Yes, yes. So it's not your average fare
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  midway, but it's unique. So that's coming.
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  That's open all day Saturday. Of course, you've got your
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  shootouts. The Animatronic Dinosaur Show is
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  throughout the day Saturday. We will end Saturday night with
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  the bands. They'll start with Justin Merit
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  in the education company. The grounds close at 11 on
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  Saturday night and then on Sunday we have our Community
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  Church service. Growing up in Florine, you know
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  church and God and religion is and the community is huge.
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  Yes. And I've always loved going to
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  that, that Sunday because everybody was there from from
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  all churches. It was.
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  Just it didn't matter. It doesn't.
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  Matter, community, it's all. About God.
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  That's right. And you?
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  Don't keep. It's only things that you get in
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  the South that's right, you know, just in the rural South
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  it's just good people praising the Lord on a Sunday after
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  having a weekend of of good clean fun.
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  Yeah, because when you are in alcohol free festival, we do
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  sell alcohol. We we don't that's just not our
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  thing. And we are a family friendly
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  festival. And that's one thing that we
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  want to stress out there is it's family friendly.
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  We make sure that the musics good, good and clean and that
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  you can bring your kids and make lasting memories.
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  That's that's what we're about is making memories with your
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  family. That's exactly what it is, Ray.
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  That's what it was 44 years ago. Whenever I probably.
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  I guarantee you I went to the first one.
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  Promise you I did. My dad was the narrator in the
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  shootout for many, many years. Yeah.
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  You know, so I'm sure that I was there at the first one.
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  John Manasco. And names.
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  Like that that were out there that kind of started.
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  The Legends. Mayor Floyd, Yeah, they're
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  legends. Exactly legends.
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  But I mean, it kind of gives me chill bumps.
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  It just, it brings back so many memories of just when I was
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  little and being in school, we got to go participate in a lot
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  of the stuff and going down the catwalk and getting to go to the
• 15:57
  old gym, just all that stuff. It's it's amazing.
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  It sounds like the traditions have stayed very, very much so
• 16:04
  the same and but gotten better and expanded as the times have
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  moved along. You know, we also have a skeet
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  shoot. Yeah, that's what I was.
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  I was going to say because it made me think about walking down
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  the catwalk. You used to have the skeet
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  shoot. Over there to the left of the.
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  Auditorium. Shooting sports program is in
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  charge of our skeet shoot for us, Mr. Ned, he takes care of
• 16:27
  that portion for us. We also have the Vernon Parish
• 16:31
  for each woodsman skills team. The homeschool group is going to
• 16:34
  be doing woodsman skills demonstrations this year, so
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  we're excited to bring them in and they will teach and show
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  experiments of and old people cut trees and logs to build
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  their homes back then during that time.
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  So we're really excited about keeping the tradition alive, but
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  also bringing in new things like the animatronic dinosaurs.
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  And you know, we have the big butt contest that's going on
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  now. We have a youth division and the
• 17:03
  adult division, the youth. The youth get a shoulder mount
• 17:06
  sponsored by Toro Taxidermy. And then our adults, they have a
• 17:10
  $500 prize package with a feeder, a deer camera, corn, a
• 17:15
  huge ice chest, chairs, Visa cards to Academy.
• 17:19
  You know, there's something for everyone at the Free State
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  Festival and that's what I want to make sure everybody
• 17:25
  understands. It's free and open to the
• 17:27
  public. There's something for young at
• 17:30
  heart as well as young. You know, there's something for
• 17:34
  everyone. There is.
• 17:36
  Didn't think about this. Do they still make the molasses?
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  So we do. We won't be pressing the cane
• 17:43
  this year on the grounds due to just space because this year we
• 17:47
  have over 70 vendors. It takes up a lot of space and.
• 17:51
  We have 70 vendors that have signed up to be at festival this
• 17:55
  year. That's it's a lot.
• 17:57
  That is a lot. Clancy and I were looking at the
• 17:58
  map last night and we were trying to figure out we've got
• 18:01
  four or five people that have called us was like, oh, no, I
• 18:04
  forgot to send my paperwork in. Can I still be a vendor?
• 18:07
  And we're like, there's no plate.
• 18:09
  We don't have room. We, we can't make more space.
• 18:12
  That's, that's The thing is we, we can't make more space.
• 18:16
  But so we're not going to be squeezing it on the grounds this
• 18:19
  year. We are hopeful to be able to
• 18:22
  cook this year for the molasses and the syrup.
• 18:27
  So we're, we're excited about that.
• 18:28
  The the setup is still there. It may not actually be going,
• 18:33
  but it is still. OK, Well, that's good.
• 18:35
  That's one of my favorite little parts always was because, well,
• 18:39
  when we were in school, they would just get, we got to get
• 18:41
  some of that sugar cane and take it back and chew on it and all
• 18:44
  that. Yeah.
• 18:45
  One of those little 4 memories, we actually had a little trouble
• 18:48
  getting sugar cane because of the storm.
• 18:51
  Makes sense? And the storm that came through
• 18:54
  took out a lot of our sugar cane crops down South.
• 18:57
  Yeah. So we were pressed for cane, and
• 19:01
  that's when we made the decision not to actually squeeze it
• 19:04
  during festival. But we found someone who is
• 19:08
  supposed to be getting us juice to cook.
• 19:10
  OK. So, yeah, yeah, we're still
• 19:12
  trying to work the logistics of that because it will have to
• 19:14
  come from a meal down in South Louisiana, but we're hopeful
• 19:18
  that we get to do that. Oh, I do know one thing we
• 19:21
  hadn't covered the treasure hunt.
• 19:24
  The treasure hunt, the first clue went out Saturday, mid kids
• 19:27
  treasure hunt. There is a $500.00 cash prize
• 19:30
  for the adults division and we are doing a children's division
• 19:34
  as well and they will receive a bicycle that'll be at 3:00 on
• 19:38
  Saturday. So the clues come out
• 19:41
  periodically. Everything can be found on our
• 19:44
  social media Sabine Free Safe Festival on Facebook.
• 19:48
  The video for the first clue is out.
• 19:50
  Second clue comes out. Monday night.
• 19:52
  I'm looking at my calendar. That's what I'm doing on my
• 19:54
  desk. I've got all my notes written
• 19:55
  down on my calendar about when the clues come out.
• 19:58
  Y'all go check this out and go go.
• 20:00
  To the pre evening at the poster and Valen President Kelly
• 20:04
  Stewart will read clue #2 from Midkiff's Treasure Hunt and then
• 20:09
  I believe the next one comes out.
• 20:12
  I think Thursday. I don't have it written down
• 20:16
  when the clues themselves come out, but they're all can be
• 20:19
  found on our Facebook page to being Free State Festival as
• 20:23
  well as on the Free State grounds for our local people.
• 20:27
  There is a bulletin board like you see if the cemeteries that
• 20:30
  have them, plot maps and things like that.
• 20:33
  We put one of those in on the Free State grounds last year
• 20:37
  between the corn crib and syrup cooking area.
• 20:40
  Their clues will be posted there.
• 20:42
  Within 24 hours of them being read, they'll be on the map.
• 20:45
  They'll be in that area. Perfect, perfect.
• 20:49
  I know that I've never found it. I've looked and looked as a kid
• 20:54
  and you know, but it's always hidden very, very well.
• 20:59
  That's right. Fannie Mae does a very good job
• 21:02
  of hiding and riding the clues. And what's crazy is I didn't
• 21:07
  realize how big it was until last year or the year before.
• 21:12
  And they were like, people started following her vehicle
• 21:18
  because they, they were trying to figure out where she was
• 21:21
  hiding it because it's, it's a thing like.
• 21:23
  Oh yeah, it's a thing. It's been a thing for 44 years.
• 21:26
  Yes, they do. I mean real serious.
• 21:29
  If we say a clue's coming out at the noon shootout by 1:00 so
• 21:33
  that clue better be on Facebook or they are mad and.
• 21:38
  Big Yeah. Big mad.
• 21:39
  Exactly. Exactly.
• 21:41
  I mean, you'd think it was for $1,000,000.
• 21:44
  There's nothing wrong in the world with 500.
• 21:46
  That's a great prize. Yeah, but it's it's about the
• 21:49
  pride of it. It's the community pride.
• 21:53
  And that's like the BBQ cook off.
• 21:54
  It's the bragging rights that come with.
• 21:56
  Bragging rights? Exactly.
• 21:57
  I mean, it's $100 for the prize for each division except for the
• 22:02
  cobbler and it's a split the pot and it's a cook.
• 22:06
  It's a it's a glass cutting board this year that says rib
• 22:09
  champion or whatever. It's the bragging rights. 100%
• 22:13
  it's the bragging. And we are still taking entries
• 22:16
  into the BBQ cook off. That is one of the only things
• 22:19
  that you have to pre enter for. And that entry deadline is
• 22:24
  Monday at 10:00. OK.
• 22:27
  So if you're thinking about entering the BBQ cook off or
• 22:31
  anything like that, or know somebody and you don't have to
• 22:34
  be from here, you can come in. There's plenty of spaces around.
• 22:39
  We've got RV spots, not physically on the grounds, but
• 22:43
  close that you can. You know, Leesville's not that
• 22:46
  far away with hotels, Manny's not that far away to lead a van.
• 22:50
  You have all of the Airbnb's in the area.
• 22:53
  It is just good clean family fun in a town that you don't have to
• 22:58
  worry about. Are my kids safe?
• 23:01
  No, not at all. I mean, you know this week is
• 23:05
  Flooring's homecoming week, right?
• 23:06
  Yes, of course, it always coincides along.
• 23:10
  In this time frame yet? Yeah.
• 23:12
  Well, the old haloon got hit Monday night with some TP.
• 23:19
  Oh boy. Yeah, yeah.
• 23:20
  So that tells you, the community that we live in, it's good clean
• 23:24
  family fun. They hit it Monday night.
• 23:26
  By Tuesday, on my way to work, it was already cleaned up.
• 23:30
  Yeah, yeah. But it's part of it.
• 23:32
  That's part. Of the that's right, that's
• 23:33
  right. And, and nobody got mad, they
• 23:36
  just laughed it off. So exactly if you're looking for
• 23:40
  good, clean family fun, Florine, Louisiana, November 1st through
• 23:45
  the 3rd for the Sabine Free State Festival is the place to
• 23:48
  be. And yet another thing that I
• 23:50
  didn't mention is we just unveiled a historical marker in
• 23:54
  the heart of fluorine. Did you?
• 23:56
  Really, August? What?
• 23:58
  What is? It it marks that fluorine is the
• 24:01
  heart of no man's land. Wow, that's cool, I didn't know
• 24:06
  that. We on August 31st in conjunction
• 24:10
  with our world picking on the porch day.
• 24:13
  So we had a lot of we a lot of hard work went into that and
• 24:16
  it's pretty cool. Tourism Commission in the state
• 24:19
  of Louisiana, Billy Nungesser, he did a great job helping us
• 24:22
  get that brass, brass plaque. When you drive down 171, it's
• 24:27
  right there just past the the red light in flooring.
• 24:31
  So, OK, all right, I can't wait to see it.
• 24:34
  I haven't been back to flooring like literally since February or
• 24:37
  March of this year. It's been a minute.
• 24:39
  Tournament. Exactly.
• 24:41
  That's the last time I was up there.
• 24:43
  My parents have been up there plenty and my sister and
• 24:46
  everything. I just haven't been up there,
• 24:47
  but I probably am going to actually, well, I'm coming to
• 24:50
  the Free State Festival and then I'm going to be up there a
• 24:52
  little bit more after that. So y'all will be seeing plenty
• 24:55
  of me. Good deal, good deal, yes.
• 24:57
  But yes, we've got lots of great food vendors on tap.
• 25:01
  So shell such shell shock. I always put you that.
• 25:04
  I know. Well, it's hard to say quickly.
• 25:06
  I haven't got to eat there yet, but it their food definitely
• 25:09
  looks unbelievable. So good Big MO's BBQ Mama and
• 25:13
  Papa's food trucks going to be there.
• 25:15
  Lunch box 365, we have a fresh squeezed lemonade vendor, Kona
• 25:20
  Ice. So food is your thing.
• 25:23
  You got it, Hubbard. Yes.
• 25:25
  There's literally something for everyone at the Sabine Free
• 25:29
  State Festival. So be sure to check us out on
• 25:32
  Free Sabine Free State Festival on Facebook.
• 25:36
  Also, we have a website sabinefreestatefestival.com.
• 25:40
  It's a work in progress because another thing is is this
• 25:45
  festival is put on by volunteers.
• 25:48
  Right. And we do an entire festival on
• 25:55
  a sponsorship budget because everything we spend is done by
• 25:59
  sponsorship. So if you're have a local
• 26:03
  business or anything like that and you want to be a part of, or
• 26:07
  if you want to just come help and see what it's about, we're
• 26:10
  always looking for extra hands. There it is.
• 26:12
  If you want to be a part of a great, great festival, one that
• 26:16
  is obviously growing and getting bigger and bigger every single
• 26:20
  year, not a better opportunity than to be a part of the Free
• 26:24
  State Festival. I love that.
• 26:26
  And we're we're hopeful that this festival will go down as
• 26:29
  the second year in a row for Division Two Festival of the
• 26:34
  Year with the Louisiana Association of Fairs and.
• 26:35
  Fests, yes. We're kind of a little
• 26:37
  competitive. I understand.
• 26:40
  I'm from Florine. I get that, I get that.
• 26:43
  We like to win. That's.
• 26:44
  Right. Exactly.
• 26:46
  Once we win once, guess what we got to do?
• 26:48
  I win it again. Win it again.
• 26:50
  That's exactly right. That's a one ain't enough.
• 26:54
  Never will be. Well, thank you so much Ray.
• 26:58
  Can't wait to see y'all meet you and and visit with everybody.
• 27:02
  Forward to it and we do have a TikTok.
• 27:05
  It's slowly growing. It's the Bang Free State
• 27:08
  festival. We Facebook, Instagram, we have
• 27:12
  a Snapchat. We don't post much there because
• 27:16
  there's only two of us that do. I understand our showed tigs
• 27:21
  bits doesn't even have a Snapchat.
• 27:23
  I have a Snapchat. I deleted the app I That's our
• 27:27
  queen showing my age a little, you know.
• 27:30
  Our queen a couple years ago wanted a Snapchat, so we created
• 27:34
  a Snapchat for the queen and it's kind of they say.
• 27:38
  That makes sense. Let our Queens handle the
• 27:40
  Snapchat. Sure.
• 27:42
  I think that's a great idea. Yeah, they know.
• 27:44
  They they know what to do with it.
• 27:46
  That's right. So but we're steadily growing
• 27:49
  our TikTok following and our Instagram.
• 27:51
  But Sabine Free State festival on all of the major platforms.
• 27:55
  You can pretty much find us. We do have some shootouts on
• 27:58
  YouTube. So if you kind of want to see
• 28:00
  what you're getting into, what what to expect, if you want to
• 28:04
  learn who Fannie Mae is or Clyde Conroe or the Reverend Devil,
• 28:08
  you can check those out on social media.
• 28:10
  That sounds great. Can't wait to see you and we'll
• 28:13
  we'll see you. See you then November 1st
• 28:15
  through the 3rd.