The 2009 Freedom Fest organizers have announced the celebrations will continue into Sunday and events have been finalized to include guest speakers, music and an old-fashioned community picnic.

The July festival previously known as the Ice Cream Festival has traditionally ended with a fireworks display but this year the celebration will extend past the Saturday night event and into Sunday.

The Grayson County Middle School will be the gathering place for the many community churches that wish to participate in the first ever Freedom Through Praise.

The program that begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning will feature local praise band “United”, who plays a broad range of praise songs.

Different speakers will also share the stage during the 90-minute event. Everyone is welcome and invited to dress casual, bring blankets, tents or lawn chairs and spend time in fellowship and praise. At noon, everyone is invited to share a meal in a community-wide picnic.

Music will continue through the lunch hour and some festival vendors will also remain open.

“Some of the thoughts and reasoning behind planning a Sunday event are in the hope that we can celebrate a Freedom Through Praise as a community,” said Freedom Fest organizer Ken Roberts. “I have been so blessed to have been part of the long-running Ice Cream Festival that our community has enjoyed for many years and during that time, I began to see the potential to expand this exciting annual event to better fit the lives that our community members enjoy.”

Roberts went on to add, “I have often thought about the fact that we have so many churches in our community, and what a great thing it would be to join together one time each year and celebrate together.”

Each church may have different methods of worship, and may not agree on every issue. But the big picture is that all the churches have a true desire to reach people and share their faith with others.

Roberts hopes, this common desire will be the foundation for the Sunday Freedom Through Praise community event.

“There has never been an event like this in Leitchfield and it is not church as usual, in fact - it may be nothing like we have ever experienced before,” said Roberts. “Why, you might wonder would I do this? This event is planned to include and invite everyone in our community. Every church, every adult, every teenager and every child is invited to attend this Grand Finale of the biggest celebration Leitchfield has ever experienced”

Roberts challenges all local churches to consider taking church “outside of the building” and attend the Freedom Through Praise event on Sunday, July12, at the Grayson County Middle School football field.

“This will be a time of praise and celebration, and an opportunity to meet and fellowship with others in our community,” added Roberts. “This will truly be a time to let others know what your church is all about in a relaxed setting and in the presence of other churches. I invite you to bring extra food and refreshments and offer to those who may not have enough to eat or drink.

“I am so excited about this finale to our Freedom Fest weekend, and look forward to seeing our community churches come out in support of this rare opportunity,” said Roberts.