Friends of Vienna plans Freedom Festival at Spencer's Landing; organizers outline parking, shuttle and volunteer needs

Friends of Vienna organizers told the Vienna City Council that this yearthe Freedom Festival will move to Spencer's Landing and that the group is planning parking, shuttle service and a renewed drone show.

"This year, we're gonna have the whole event at Spencer's Landing," a Friends of Vienna board member said, adding that the program will include the usual rodeo and hot air balloons and a returning drone show that drew strong public interest last year.

The group said it is building an interactive map for visitors to use on their phones to locate parking, restaurants and other points of interest. Organizers said they have discussed using part of the John Manville property for overflow parking, secured support from Grand Central Mall for additional parking with a shuttle, and spoken with local police about traffic control.

The discussion also touched on logistics for vendors and crafters. Organizers said moving the festival from the mall area to Spencer's Landing should create more of a festival atmosphere and improve daytime attendance; they cited crowds at evening events and heavy daytime heat at the previous site as reasons to relocate.

Council members asked about potential ethics issues because two council members volunteer on the Friends of Vienna board and some council members are listed as sponsors. "No. I officially resigned whenever I was elected to the council," Mister Scott said when asked about his status on the Friends of Vienna board.

A city staff member who spoke about the question said the key threshold is whether council volunteers would receive a pecuniary benefit. "I don't think it's an ethics violation," the staff member said, noting that volunteers are unpaid and that donor benefits appeared limited to sponsor visibility. The staff member also said festival funding is expected to be part of an omnibus budget rather than line-item awards and that, in their view, that arrangement reduces the need for recusal.

Organizers asked for volunteers to help with parking and other event tasks and said they are finalizing decisions about volunteer shirts and other logistics. "So thank you. We are accepting volunteers," a council member said during the discussion.

Organizers said they will announce booked events soon and hope to expand the drone show this year. They asked the council and the public for help with parking and volunteer staffing as they finalize arrangements.

The council did not take formal action during the discussion; staff and organizers described plans and requested volunteer support.