New citizen committee to plan 2018 Freedom Fest – MyWebTimes.com

The first informal gathering of Marseilles residents who are forming a citizens committee to help plan the 2018 Freedom Fest celebration attracted about 10 people to City Hall on Monday.

The advisory committee was formed from a suggestion by Mayor Jim Trager as an autonomous organization, unaffiliated with the city. The group will help determine the community's acceptance of the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run and accompanying Freedom Fest. The annual event is designed to commemorate the city's Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial and those who lost their lives in foreign wars.

Unlike in previous years, Trager canceled the festival months before the June 2017 Freedom Run ceremony, citing cost factors.

The citizen gathering was conducted immediately following the regular Middle East Tribute Committee meeting, in which tribute committee President Bobby Kaminski and Vice President Bob Dubree both volunteered to join the new organization. The tribute committee handles the physical maintenance of the memorial.

During the Freedom Fest meeting, a concerned citizen, who requested anonymity, said in the past, the city made all determinations regarding Freedom Fest with little input from the public. The resident said the Freedom Fest committee's first order of business should be to determine what is and what is not acceptable to the majority of residents and plan the celebration accordingly. The group plans to prepare a survey to ask Marseilles residents several questions, including if the festival should be discontinued, where it should be located and if it should be supported by public funds or private financial resources. By majority votes, Scott Buennemeyer was voted president; Joe Putnam vice president; and Michelle Rieuf Klock secretary. A treasurer will be named at a later date. Buennemeyer, a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired deputy sheriff, explained to the members that the grassroots organization should work with a logical framework. "We need to identify exactly what we need to do and organize logistical details in the next few months," Buennemeyer said. Trager, who was not at Monday's meeting, previously said any citizen committee should bring its ideas and issues before the Marseilles City Council for approval and possible support. The next meeting for the citizen organization is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug 16, at the Marseilles American Legion Hall. Buennemeyer said the public is welcome to attend.

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New citizen committee to plan 2018 Freedom Fest - MyWebTimes.com