Freedom Fest: Fun, Fantastic, and Freedom Promoting

Despite competition from the Navajo Fair in Window Rock, and BYU-Utah football games, the Freedom Fest show went on Saturday night (9th), and Tim Gates and his great band brought their A game to Blanding. They performed a great variety of Tim's original songs, plus old favorites.

Tim Gates, of Richfield, Utah...making it big in Nashville, and in
Blanding, with his band, and wonderful writing skills. Thanks for coming.

Saylor Perkins, 1st place in the Freedom Fest Essay Contest.  Jim Keyes Master of Ceremonies for the evening
Both did great.  (Link to her Essay)

Freedom Fest Chairman, Kim Henderson, with
Marjorie Haun, Free Range Report
Editor. Both these Warriors are Public Lands Patriots.

It was a perfect evening for an outdoor concert.  

 "Matt Anderson, Devin Bayles Hancock, and Marjorie Haun ...ALL traveled for hours to attend #sanjuanfreedomfest.... Susan Flavel stayed until long after the crowds had left to help clean up... Love these folks." Nicole Perkins

Pre-show performers included Magnetic Pull, a local native/rock band composed of Dennis Kaniatobe Sr., Dennis Johnson Kaniatobe II, and Travis Mose.

The Grayson Girls also performed:  Beverly Brown Felstead, Cheryl Arthur Bowers, Gayle Perkins Shumway, Terri Card, Emma Holliday, and Keileigh Card Gilson.

Which prize do you want to win?  There were 13 choices, and 15 prizes.

Thanks to your generous support and to these ladies and Wendy Black, we raised over $2000 in ticket donations over the past 3 weeks.  Congratulations to the following winners:

1. Furniture 2U~~Console  $300 value: Owners David and Tifani Black --Winner William Brown

2. NuSkin Gift Basket  $250    Winner Wendy Black

3. Kay Shumway photograph $135   Winner Joel Tate

4. Massage by Lindsay Palmer Smith $50 -- winner Saleta Pugh Lusko, Hanksville 

5. 2 sets Local History/ Bob McPherson  $35 each, winners Leoni Hunt and Kendra Mander

6. Cowboy Country Photograph by Colleen Tibbetts-Moab -- Winner Jerry Murdock

7. Phone Skope (hunter special) -- Winner Camber Hancock

8. Fabric Art Bears Ears/$150 value by Devin Bayles Hancock -- Winner Jolly Bayles

9. Seven Issues Blue Mt. Shadows $77--Winner Mike Jensen

10. Canyonland Lodging Overnight, 2 nights for 1, Value $135--Winner Tymra Butt

11.  Antique Patriotic Quilt $300, quilted by Gayle Shumway--Winner Summer Begay

12. Browning A Bolt 300 Mg Winchester Rifle, $700 value donated by Sean Giddings and Mike Lacy -- Winner Merlin Grover  

13.  2 Electronic kid's cars donated by R.C. Willey -- Winners Alyn Mitchell and Doug Card

An honor guard was part of the program which recognized
patriot and soldier, Aaron Butler, who gave all.

Jerry Murdock recited The Ragged Old Flag.

Johnny Cash Lyrics:  "Ragged Old Flag"

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
in her own good land here She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and i believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

                            Ariel Bellvalaire, the guitar rocker/ singer with the Tim Gates Band.

Ariel's video promo

                              Thanks Tim Gates for a terrific evening!  

A BIG THANKS to our Freedom Fest Sponsors

We couldn't have done it without your help

1. MAIN STREET DRUG AND BOUTIQUE - Monticello, UT 2. CRUMP REESE - Chevy Buick Ford - Moab, UT 3. BLUE MOUNTAIN HORSEHEAD INN - Monticello, UT 4. SAN JUAN COUNTY 5. DR. JOSEPH WILSON AND ORTHODONTICS, INC 6. SPORTSMAN FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE 7. SAN JUAN COUNTY FARM BUREAU 8. ENERGY FUELS - Blanding, UT 9. SUPER SPLASH CAR WASH - Blanding, UT 10. HOLIDAY CONSTRUCTION - Blanding, UT 11. DT’S YARD AND TREES - Blanding, UT 12. CITY OF BLANDING 13. PHIL LYMAN, CPA - Blanding, UT 14. LONG CANYON RANCH and Kathleen and Allen Lund

United We Stand: Essay Winner for Freedom Fest 2017

DIVIDED WE FALL, UNITED WE STAND

By Saylor Cielo Perkins

7th grade
August 31, 2017

It is critical to be united, but is is also just as vital to be united for the right cause. If we aren’t all united, it can cause a little scuffle, and even little scuffles can turn into a wars. We need to stay united and stand strong for our beliefs.
Pauline Hanson said, “ To survive in peace and harmony, united and strong, we must have one people, one nation, and one flag.” I really like this quote because it is true. In order to fulfill the dreams of the Founding Fathers of this great land, we need to have solidarity as one people, “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all…” and all that our magnificent American flag stands for.

Another quote from Benjamin Carson says, “Our strength as a nation comes in our unity. We are the United States of America, not the divided states. And those who want to divide us are trying to divide us, and we shouldn’t let them do it.” This is also very true. We cannot standby and let the world pick us apart, piece by piece. We are San Juan County. There is more unity in our communities than I can even express. We have set the example for the rest of the state of Utah But there are also those who are trying to divide us. AND WE WILL NOT LET THEM! We will stand firm as a community, as a county, as a state, and as One Nation. 

One of my teachers told us on the very first day of school, that it does not matter what religion, culture, or color, or what beliefs we have. We are all a part of the human race and we need to stand united because we are at a time in the world where there are people who will try to convince you that being different is wrong; and that is not true.
Did you know that we are all 99% the same? You can take two completely different people and their DNA would be 1% different. That 1% is the only thing that gives each of us different personalities and beliefs. 

We can agree to disagree in matters where we have strong opposing opinions but we must do so with civility, as one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, often taught.
Imagine the world without unity. It is, in reality, the world we live in. The hate, discord, and anger seems to grow every hour of every day. Can you see it? Do you feel it? Now imagine every single person in the world, united, not necessarily in every belief and opinion, but united in the knowledge that we are all God’s children and we all bleed and cry and laugh and love.That is the hope that I have. Psalms 133:1 says, “ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

past summer I had one of the most amazing, uplifting, faith-building, and every good feeling in the world type of experience. Who would have thought that a group of about 200 teenage girls, could spend three days, getting very little sleep, too much sugar, and smelling like campfire and sweat, would not only refrain from killing each other, but come together strong and united. Our differences didn’t seem to matter as we realized that we are each individuals with our own thoughts and feelings, and that no two people are the same. Knowing that we could choose between love and hate, we decided to come together and face the hard times, and enjoy the good as we became one.

I would like to leave you with one last quote, “ If we don’t look past our differences, we will never see the light and strength that comes from unity.” This was a quote I wrote myself and I truly believe that we will never be united if we can’t accept each other as we are. But with hope and dignity, United We Stand.

Sneak Peak~Freedom Fest Star: Tim Gates ~ Songs and Videos ~~ Listen,Then Get Your Tickets for Sept. 9

Music by Tim Gates:

Tim Gates' talent and style are evident in the songs below.  Some he wrote, others are co-written. Both Gates' voice and writing talent have kept him busy for the past 15 years in Nashville. Not bad for a kid from Richfield, Utah!  We're so pleased to have him performing for us at Freedom Fest 2017, on Sept. 9

Gates' Hits on Lucas Hoge Album-Dirty South: 2017

Shoo Fly Pie

Who's Gonna Be There

Tim Gates: Favorites and EFY

Bible and the Belt  (written by Tim Gates
Things You Can't Do in a Car (written by Tim Gates)
John Deere, JOhn 3:16 2008
The man I'm Meant to be  EFY 2015 (written by Tim Gates)
Like All Great Men   EFY 2012 (written by Tim Gates)

Due West Performances with Tim Gates

Bluest Eyes in Texas 2011
Old Flame 2011
Sweet Gravity 2011
Slide On Over 2014
What Would you Take (for Huricane Sandy Relief 2012)
Everything is Beautiful (From Letters to God, 2011)
Girl with a Twang  2013 Move Like That Album

Tim Gates Performing: 

Long Line of Love  (for Valentines)  by Michael Martin Murphy
I Must have Loved You Before  (Nashville Tribute to the Pioneers)
Coming Home  (Nashville Tribute to the Pioneers 2007)
Coming Home ~ Missionary Mix 2011
God is Good    (Nashville Tribute to the Pioneers 2014)
I Get that all the Time  2009
Tell Her  with his wife-- Campfire verson 2009
Tell Her   Lounge Performance 2011