Fremont fun day slated for Saturday
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on August 25, 2017 5:50 AM
Family fun will come to Fremont Saturday, when the Rocket Park on South Sycamore Street will host a "Freedom Fun Festival" beginning at 2 p.m.
The festival is being run by Uhuru Ulyesse, a Goldsboro community organizer known as "Coach Freedom." Ulyesse frequently hosts similar events in Goldsboro, but decided to branch out to Fremont after being contacted by the Wooten family, who own the park.
"I'm always doing stuff in the community in Goldsboro, and Mr. Wooten got in contact with me because he'd heard of me and asked me to come do something in Fremont," Ulyesse said.
This weekend's event will feature a cookout, basketball and volleyball tournaments, carnival games and other attractions. The park has a food truck and ice cream stand available as well.
Everything but the food will be free, Ulyesse said. In addition, kids can get free haircuts in the lounge area.
"Not everybody can afford to get a haircut," Ulyesse said. "The kids are all getting ready to go back to school, so we wanted to give them haircuts."
Community members have already turned out to help Ulyesse prepare, which he said is common when he plans events. He specifically thanked the Wooten family for allowing him to use the park, and Goldsboro city councilman Bevan Foster for letting Ulyesse use his van to bring the kids he mentors to and from events.
The Fremont event, Ulyesse said, is another way to bring his brand of community activism to the rest of the county. He echoed a sentiment frequently expressed by other community groups -- it takes a village to raise a child.
"We just need to have something going on non-stop for the kids so they stop being bored and keep off the streets," he said. "We just need to come together, because it takes a village to raise these youth."