Let Freedom Ring ‘party’ brings crowds downtown
Elba’s Fourth of July celebration, Let Freedom Ring, is an annual event described as a “party with a purpose,” according to Mary Helmer Wirth, president and state coordinator for Main Street Alabama.
Wirth said events like Let Freedom Ring are an opportunity to reintroduce the community to locals, businesses, and investors.
The party in Elba started when Linda Hodge, editor of the Elba Clipper newspaper, decided to start a Fourth of July celebration. “Patriotism runs deep here and in me,” Hodge said.
As the then-president of the Elba Chamber of Commerce, Hodge said she “wanted to give something back to the community.” She said the first “Let Freedom Ring” event resembled a small-town festival with local live music, fireworks, and food vendors.
Since then, the event continues to grow each year, drawing visitors from around the area. Many people come to Elba’s Let Freedom Ring to escape crowds that are found in larger towns on the Fourth of July.
Hodge said she believes Elba is in a central location between Andalusia, Troy, and Dothan for those who want something smaller. “You can come here and feel like you’re at a backyard BBQ,” she said.
Many people in Elba, like Hodge, the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, have a deep connection to the Fourth of July with Fort Novosel located less than 30 miles away,
Hodge said she believes the “sense of pride, country, and community” and the impressive fireworks are what keeps Let Freedom Ring growing.
Pulling the party together is a long process that begins as soon as the Fourth of July event ends. Sandy Bynum Williams, Elba Chamber of Commerce director, said she enjoys the yearlong setup for the event as they plan to gather musicians, vendors, and sponsors. “I get to host a big party,” she said.
Sponsors help make the event a success. Williams said Troy Bank & Trust provided this year’s bouncy houses, and the Masonic Lodge provided free watermelon. Hodge envisioned an event that cost families nothing to attend. Williams works with sponsors to continue this tradition. “A person could come and bring their entire family and have a fun evening and not spend any money,” Williams said.
She added, “I love seeing them enjoy the evening. They usually don’t know who did it or how it came to be, but they are having a good time. That’s the reward.”
Besides low costs, seeing family and friends brings people downtown for the celebration. “They love family and friends, they enjoy visiting and talking to their neighbors, and they love celebrating our country,” Williams said.
Williams said she believes none of it would have been possible without the designation as a Main Street community through Main Street Alabama, a non-profit organization that is part of a larger non-profit, Main Street America. The organization focuses on the revitalization of historic downtown districts across America.
In 2015, Elba became a designated Main Street community. According to Williams, they were the smallest community to achieve designation. She said, “We wouldn’t have started this if we had not gotten that designation.”
Becoming a designated community can be difficult. “It’s competitive,” according to Main Street’s Wirth.
“The goal is to help a community grow and work with local businesses first. Main Street Alabama meets communities where they are and does not compare community to community because each one is different,” she added.
“Economic vitality, design, organization, and promotion are the four points we work in,” Wirth said. “In Elba’s case, they are a very traditional downtown district. Our job is to work with them and understand their market, and economy, and help local businesses be more successful.”
Let Freedom Ring is an event that continues to bring people to downtown Elba and drive economic growth. “We have got to have things downtown. That gives them a reason to come,” Williams said.
Downtown districts play an important role in communities. “Sometimes you need to bring people back to what I call the ‘living room’ of your town,” Wirth said. She added, “It’s the place everyone can call home. Everyone gets a piece of that.”
Hodge’s idea for a “small town festival” has grown into an annual Fourth of July celebration that, along with the partnership with Main Street Alabama, drives economic growth and tourism in Elba, Williams noted.
Tags: Elba
