With Independence Day falling on a Wednesday this year, Lawton - Fort Sill has decided to celebrate America a few days early. The 2018 Freedom Festival will kick off on Saturday, June 30th at Elmer Thomas Park. Throughout the day, activities that range from the new splash pad to live music will keep the whole family entertained until the grand finally... one of the largest fireworks displays in Oklahoma!

While the forecast is a little hard to nail down this early, it's almost a guarantee it'll be hot. Really hot. You'll want to pack big brim hats for everyone and plenty of sun screen. Luckily, the splash pad will be pumping out the cool fun, and the playground in the park now has plenty of shade! Which is awesome, because I can remember sliding down molten stainless steel slides when I was a kid.

There will be a car and bike show in the park, plus plenty of time for self-directed activities... Bring a couple of dollar kites. Toss a baseball or football. There's going to be a ton of new friends to play with, just make sure you're taking the kind of activities you can easily carry in and out. There's also going to be plenty of trash receptacles, so there's no excuse to let your trash blow all over this beautiful park.

The live entertainment will feature Texoma Idol and American Idol contestant Kourtney Smith, and later in the day, Pride of Fort Sill, the 77th US Army Band!

This is going to be a huge day of fun for the entire family, and it's completely free to join in! Saturday, June 30th at Elmer Thomas Park. If you want the full details, you can check out the thread on Facebook, or go straight to the City of Lawton website for more.

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