Emporia Freedom Fest Run-Ride-Ruck-Release and Recognize!

WELCOME TO OUR AMAZING 23rd Emporia Freedom Fest!

Emporia Freedom Fest is a series of community events bringing together people of all ages to enjoy the outdoors, exercise, mingle and honor all Veterans and their families. This event provides annual charitable support to the Emporia All Veterans Memorial: the 137th & 635th Regimental Scholarship Fund, North Lyon County Veterans Memorial Fund, USD 252 South Lyon County Honor Flight program, and the KSARNG Enlisted Association Programs.

Event Details

• Date: 2026-09-11
• Location: 931 South Commercial Street, Emporia, KS
• Website: Event Registration
• Registration: Live starts on July 1st

Virtual Events

Virtual events start on Patriots Day (9/11) and end on Veterans Day (11/07).

On-site Events

On-site events are held on 11/7/2026 at the Emporia All Veterans Memorial. Please visit the official website for details about every event.

RUN

Wagon Wheel Bar and Grill Freedom Run 5k: The 5K Freedom Run is one of the flattest runs you will find in Kansas. The Course keeps to the flood plain south and east of the All Veterans Memorial Park. Place top three in your age/gender category to win Emporia Main Street Gift community gift certificates. Top three male/female riders earn our custom bike and tank part trophies!

RIDE

Freedom Ride 20 mile Gravel Grinders:
Lyon County State Bank/USD 252 Vet Honor Flight - (SGT Timmerman Ride): (20-22 miles) Back by popular demand is our LCSB/USD 252 Veterans Honor Flight Ride (Timmerman Ride) - This twenty mile ride takes you directly to the South Lyon County Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to Olpe High School. This is very fitting as our net proceeds for this ride support USD 252 Annual Veterans Honor Flights. To learn more about USD 252 Honor Flights visit USD 252 Honor Flights. We are helping fundraise for the next USD 252 Honor Flight which pairs district High School students and staff with area military veterans. It is an awesome event! Top three riders (male & female) earn custom tank/bike part trophies! NOTE: E-Bikes are not eligible for awards.

New Update

The Eisenhower Freedom 50 Mile Race On-Site: We will continue to have the Eisenhower Freedom Ride (50 miler) with our virtual option. Proceeds for this event will still be provided to the North Lyon County Veterans Memorial. See registration and website for virtual event instructions. We encourage to visit an amazing Veterans Memorial for the town of Bushong and Veterans from North Lyon County, Kansas.

New Event Addition!

Mini-Mission Dash: This event is for children / kids able to ride a bike and 10 years of age or younger. Participants will be observable at all times by parents and guardians.

• Age 7 and Under: Distance for the ride will be .25 miles out and .25 miles back.
• Age 8-10: Ride distance will be .5 out and back.
• Start Point: Just south of the start point bridge will be the mission training area.
• Completion: Participants earn a mission complete certificate and a custom event bib/bike registration plate.

RUCK

Vigilance Martial Arts/EANGKS Norwegian Foot March: Let's take a hike! Test your hiking skills and see if you can earn a true military badge by completing the Kansas Army National Guard Norwegian Foot March! This event is approved by the KSARNG and the Norwegian embassy and is open to all service members, veterans and civilians.

RELEASE

Dynamic Disc Freedom Fest Open: Thanks to world famous Dynamic Discs, we are honored to host the Dynamic Disc Freedom Open. This course is only set up once a year at Soden's Grove Park adjacent to the Emporia All Veterans Memorial. Open to all and winners receive custom disc awards.

Will To Win Warrior Spur Challenge

Combine them together: Needing a bigger challenge? Try your hand at our multi-event Will to Win Warrior Spur Challenge! Compete to earn your Auxiliary Member Order of the Spur Armor Spur from the 1-635th Armor Regiment. First time completers earn the silver spur while 5th time completers go for the Gold Spur.

FREEDOM FEST EXPO

To help celebrate our 20th year we are planning on MANY static displays and demonstrations from regional military units. Plenty for family and friends to discover, get hands on and explore! We will also have many of our Sponsors, Vendors and some great local food on-site.

RECOGNIZE!

The most important thing we do for this event (and why we hold it) is to honor our Veterans, their families and support local organizations who serve and support our Veteran Community. Net proceeds for our events have provided over $100,000 the last two decades.

Registration Closing

ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES MIDNIGHT NOVEMBER 3rd.