The Ultimate Freedom Event started in 2015 when our staff of New Beginnings Church of God saw a need in the Meadville Community.  We wanted to create a family friendly, low-cost event that would be held on the 4th of July.  NBCOG began brainstorming to see how to make this happen. As a staff, we decided this would be a FREE event for the community. We secured a company to provide a firework display, booked musical acts for entertainment, rented bouncy houses, and provided games for the kids. We offered food vendor spaces free of charge, so the food vendors could pass that savings on to the people who would attend. We asked for small sponsorships from our Church Family and area businesses to help run the event but covering the bulk of the cost out of the church budget. 

 

Well…the 2015 event was a HUGE success! We saw over 2,000 people on July 4, 2015. Since then, this event has grown significantly! In 2016 we added a Classic Car Cruise-In, more games and activities to the kid's area, and more food vendors to accommodate the crowd we anticipated. Guess what? We were amazed to have doubled the attendance! Again, we expanded for the 2017 event by moving our Kid's Fun Zone to a larger area on the property, adding a Kid's Stage with music and entertainment, and adding additional food vendors. In both 2017 and 2018, we had over 5,000 people! Since 2019, the events are held at the Crawford County Fair Grounds to accommodate our increasing attendance and need for more space. 

 

2024 will be the 9th anniversary of the Ultimate Freedom Event! Our goal is to continue to expand so families can come and enjoy the day and not be worried about expensive entrance fees or ticket prices. We will still offer our food vendor spaces free of charge, asking only that they keep their pricing low! 

 

Our Corporate Sponsorships are designed to help us expand while still being able to offer this event free of charge. We are asking area businesses to consider sponsoring specific areas of The Ultimate Freedom Event. Please see the information in this folder for pricing and benefits. We invite you to partner with us as we serve the people of the Meadville area and the surrounding communities!