By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
The 34th Annual Liberty Jubilee, one of the most-anticipated events in Liberty County, returns to downtown Liberty on Friday and Saturday, March 22-23. The free festival combines a concert, street dance, carnival rides, book and bake sale, wildlife exhibits, arts and crafts booths, food vendors, car show, barbecue cook-off, photo contest and a 5K run.
Country recording artist Stoney LaRue will be the featured performer at the street dance and concert on Friday. Opening for LaRue is Mason Lively. The stage will be set up on Travis Street at Trinity Street. Limited seating will be available, so guests who want to ensure they have a seat are encouraged to bring their own. The dance and concert, like most every activity at Jubilee, is free. The dance starts at 8 p.m. Friday and ends at midnight.
The grounds will open on Friday at noon. On Saturday, the hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free shuttles will be available on Saturday only. Shuttles will pick up and drop off guests at Brookshire Bros. parking lot on N. Main St. at Jefferson Drive.
So far, 30 arts and crafts vendors are signed up to host a booth, according to Lorena McBride, one of the Jubilee organizers for the City of Liberty.
“We’ve brought back a lot of events for Jubilee that people really like. We have a new carnival coming, which is different with bigger and better rides,” McBride said.
Armbands for all-day entry to the carnival are available for $20 each. Armbands are good for one day only.
A new entry into the games area will be a video game trailer that is equipped with televisions and game systems. There is a separate fee for the game trailer. For 20 minutes of playing time, the fee is $5. Gamers will have the option of playing against others.
Laser tag games will be set up in the lawn area beside the gazebo. The fee is $3 per game. Camel rides will also be located nearby.
The Liberty Municipal Library will be hopping with activity with a book and bake sale and wildlife exhibits that include white tigers and Gator Country alligators.
“We don’t have show times available for the Gator Country exhibit at this time. People will need to check the website for updates,” McBride said. “They also will have petting stations set up where people can touch and feel the alligators.”
The parking lot of First Liberty National Bank will be reserved for a car show on Saturday only from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early Saturday morning, a 5K fun run will be held to benefit Bridgehaven Children’s Advocacy Center. The deadline to sign up for the fun run is Wednesday, March 13.
For more information on Jubilee, go online to www.cityofliberty.org and look for the Liberty Jubilee links, or call Liberty City Hall at 936-336-3684.