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     Brookshire Brothers Freedom Fest presented by metro PCS will once again be offering all the sights, sounds and tastes of an old-fashioned, community-wide Independence Day celebration on July 4th in Festival Plaza.

     Families are invited to enjoy delicious festival food, children’s activities, the “All-American Hot Dog Eating Contest”, the “Star Spangled Pitch Off” washer tourney, and live music by Nickel Draft and Mondo Domo. The evening will culminate in a dazzling fireworks display sponsored by the Nacogdoches Jaycees beginning 30 minutes after dark.

     Admission is free.

     Freedom Fest will take place from 5 to 9:30 p.m. in Festival Plaza, located just south of the downtown square in Nacogdoches. Guests are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to Festival Plaza. Glass bottles and alcoholic beverages are not allowed.

     New this year is the “All-American Hot Dog Eating Contest”. The contest starts at 6:45 on July 4th in downtown Nacogdoches, and there will be three age groups: 7-12, 13-17, and 18+. Participants may pick up a registration form at any Brookshire Brothers in Nacogdoches or they may register the day of the event. Registration is free. The first place winners will receive a $25 Brookshire Brothers’ gift card.

     Sharpen those washer-pitching skills for the 3rd annual “Star Spangled Pitch Off” washer tourney sponsored by Brookshire Brothers. Teams of two have the opportunity to compete in this pitching event at 6 p.m. located by the children’s activities in downtown Festival Plaza. Contestants can sign up at the Jaycees info booth, and entry into the contest is $20 per team. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of the Pitch Off.

     “We had great success at last year’s Pitch Off so we wanted to bring it back for another year,” said Lindsey Mathews, meeting and event coordinator for the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Pitching washers is a fun outdoor event enjoyed by many around East Texas so come out to Freedom Fest and participate in a little friendly competition.”

     A fun children’s area will keep the kids entertained with a petting zoo, slides, moonwalks, and potato sack races. This year’s festival will also feature the “Cool Zone” sponsored by Nacogdoches Medical Center.

     “Freedom Fest has something for the whole family to enjoy from excellent food to show-stopping fireworks,” said Lindsey Mathews, meeting and event coordinator of the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau. “What better way to celebrate our nation’s independence than to share it with family and friends at a safe and fun patriotic festival.”

     Sponsors for the Fourth of July celebration include Brookshire Brothers, metro PCS, the Nacogdoches Jaycees, Hotel Fredonia, Commercial Bank, Bancorp South, Citizens 1st Bank, First Bank and Trust East Texas, GAP Broadcasting, the City of Nacogdoches, and Pepsi, the official drink sponsor of Freedom Fest.

     Other popular locations for viewing the fireworks are the University Mall, Williamsburg Plaza, Downtown Square, Nacogdoches County Courthouse, Coy Simms Softball Park, Brookshire Brothers on South Street and the Hotel Fredonia.

     For more information about Freedom Fest, call the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau at 936-564-7351 or 1-888-OLDEST-TOWN.

     Helping make downtown Nacogdoches a “Texas Friendly” downtown will be the goal of an upcoming workshop hosted by the Main Street Program.

     Samantha Mora, Director of Alumni Events & Engagement for SFASU Alumni Association will lead the workshop. Participants will learn about Nacogdoches’ opportunities for tourism development, as well as the basics of customer service.

     The workshop will be held on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at Nacogdoches City Hall, 202 E. Pilar Street in downtown Nacogdoches. The session will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10 a.m.. The workshops are open to anyone interested in sharpening his or her customer service skills.

     “In today’s hurry-up society, we sometimes forget how to slow down and treat the customer or visitor with respect and friendliness,” said O’Brien. “It is so imperative for front line customer services workers to treat our visitors with a ‘Texas Friendly’ attitude, often those casual experiences are the impressions that visitors take home with them.”

     The program uses curriculum developed by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The Texas Friendly program encourages business owners as well as employees to promote hospitality habits when dealing with local customers and visitors.

     According to Texas Economic Development, the state agency for economic development, tourism is a $40 billion industry in Texas each year. In Nacogdoches County travelers and tourists spent nearly $57.0 million in 2006.

     “Nacogdoches and downtown have so much to offer visitors,” said O’Brien. “Visitors to Nacogdoches have it all – from unique shopping destinations, history galore, to unparalleled nature tourism- like the Ruby M. Mize azalea garden, Texas’ largest in fact. I don’t think most of our residents realize how big of an impact tourism has on our local economy.”

     “We know that these workshops benefit not only the individual attendees but also Nacogdoches residents and the many visitors we welcome downtown to the oldest town in Texas each and every year,” O’Brien said. Last summer Nacogdoches was named a finalist for the Friendliest Small Town in America, by Rand McNally and USA Today.

     Class size is limited, and advanced registration is required. To register for the Texas Friendly Hospitality Workshop, call the Main Street Office at 936-559-2573. The cost is free for all downtown business and $15 for any other interested participants. Participants will be given a certificate of completion.

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