Ok, so 4th of July was a month ago......better late than never!
What better way to celebrate Independence day than with the roar of freedom filling the air. This was my first visit to Freedom Fest in Goshen, IN and I must say the fine folks in the Hoosier state put on a great show. Freedom Fest provides a different feel that most of the "big jet base" air shows that I'm used to going to. A lot more of a laid back family atmosphere, large grassy areas for sitting instead of hot tarmac, and not a metal detector in sight!
Despite the small-show feel, Freedom Fest managed to land some pretty big acts. There were several civilian acts, including The Hoppers, an L-39 formation team, Herb and Ditto, the Shockwave jet truck, the Alabama Boys and the Oregon Aero Sky dancer. Military hardware included the USAF F-15C performing a heritage flight with Dale Snodgrass in the P-51 'Excalibur', the USN east coast Legacy Hornet demo team, and an Indiana Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk demo and parachute jump.
By far the best act of the show was the Starfighters 3-ship demo team. It was my first time seeing their 3-ship performance and they did not disappoint. All I have to say is you haven't seen a high speed pass until you've seen the Starfighters! While we didn't stay for the evening show and fireworks, the folks in Goshen put on a great airshow in a fun, laid back setting. If you find yourself in northern IN around the 4th of July, I would definitely recommend swinging by Freedom Fest!
