GREENFIELD — On Sunday, Greenfield’s inaugural Freedom Fest celebrated the return of live music at Franklin County Fairgrounds.
Hosting an array of local bands, vendors and a car show, the fairgrounds were bustling with visitors eager to feel the energy of public excitement again. The event ran from noon to 8 p.m. with cloud cover seemingly doing little to deter those looking to have a good time. With all proceeds from the festival benefiting the maintenance of Franklin County Fairgrounds itself, this first-year celebration of togetherness may become annual in order to preserve the very ability to do so.
“I remember being a little kid and going to the fairgrounds,” Entertainment Director Scott Kuzmeskus said. “It’s a staple here.”
Franklin County Fairgrounds has cemented itself as a beloved part of Greenfield for generations. The site has hosted the Franklin County Fair since 1865, when fair organizers purchased the property and, 156 years later, locals still relish the local spirit exuded by the grounds.
Kuzmeskus said that COVID-19 pandemic concerns and restrictions had “been rough for all of us” who had enjoyed coming to Franklin County Fairgrounds to attend public events and make memories. Franklin County Agricultural Society president and festival organizer Michael Nelson was visibly enthused seeing the area teeming with life once again.
“It’s extremely exciting to have people back,” Nelson said. “This is just about getting things going again and getting energy back in the fairgrounds.”
Perhaps nobody feels the energy of such a public gathering like those returning to performing live on stage. Three local bands played at Freedom Fest: Alana and Duh Band, Jimmy Just Quit, and No Lens. Alana Martineau, vocalist for Alana and Duh Band, shared her enthusiasm for her role in ushering in the return of live music.
“It feels wonderful,” Martineau said. “It’s been a rough year. It’s been nice being able to share that again.”
Those attending Freedom Fest made up a tightly-packed audience that felt reminiscent of pre-pandemic liveliness.
“It’s cool to be able to have something to do again,” attendee Andrew Lovett said. “This brings some normalcy back to life.”
This concept of “normalcy” prevailed as a common focus of those enjoying their day at the fairgrounds.
“It’s been good,” attendee Bob Pietraszek said. “It’s just nice to get back to normalcy again.”
Kuzmeskus, who is also a local musician, said that being able to share live music again is as much a privilege for those performing as it is for those listening.
“For musicians, this is a release from the everyday,” he said.
For some, it’s the community feel of Franklin County festivities that make live events so special. Kuzmeskus said that the primary focus of organizers to make this festival unique was to put an emphasis on local talent and businesses. He said that while the large household names that Greenfield has been bringing in lately have been exciting, the prominence of performers from the community remains important to fans of live music. Attendee Heather Lively confirmed this, citing the emphasis of familiar local talent at Freedom Fest as being particularly enjoyable.
“I think Jimmy Just Quit has the biggest following, so whenever they play, we usually go out,” Lively said.
Aside from serving the people of Franklin County, Freedom Fest is intended to help preserve its places of interest. All proceeds earned from the $10 minimum required donations at the door go towards the “mudslide project” aimed to protect the fairgrounds from embankment collapse.
Event organizers say that they aren’t entirely sure that Freedom Fest is going to become an annual event, but there is a shared optimism regarding the possibility of it becoming a Franklin County tradition. Fundraising co-director Steve DeJoy said that the desire to garner enough financial support could be impetus to reprise the festival, or at least continue to innovate new public events.
“We’re so close to our goal,” DeJoy said. “We hope another event like this will put us over the top.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.