Repeat political candidate and local shock jock Eric Deters is giving Freedom Fest another go in 2024.
Deters announced on Facebook this week that this year’s event will be held Sept. 13-15 on his farm on Madison Pike in Morning View. It will be the third year for the event after last year’s Freedom Fest was canceled amid changes in travel plans for then-featured guest, former President Donald Trump.
The 2024 event will have “speakers all day/evening” on Saturday, Sept. 14, the Facebook post says, but it doesn’t say who the speakers are. Other events planned, says the post, are camping, fireworks, a Friday night music festival and Sunday morning church service. Deters himself will the the master of ceremonies.
The event is billed by Deters as “The best political event you will ever attend!” with a “family focus.” No further information has been provided by the event sponsor listed on the announcement as “Eric Deters Media.”
The timing of the 2024 festival is no surprise – Deters said after canceling last year’s event that his plan was to hold this year’s festival “amid the presidential race.”
LINK nky reported last August that 50,000 people were expected to attend the event with Trump in attendance last year before it was canceled. As far as attendance in 2024, LINK quoted Deters as saying “Ohio is important to President Trump, so maybe we can pull it off, I don’t know.”
Trump and President Joe Biden are the favorites to win their party’s nomination for the U.S. presidential race this year though news organizations have steered clear of calling them presumptive nominees. Trump’s sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. appeared at Deters’ Freedom Fest in 2022.
Besides Trump, former Kentucky Attorney General and Republican candidate for governor Daniel Cameron backed out of last year’s planned event. Cameron announced in July he wouldn’t attend the festival “after (U.S.) Rep. Thomas Massie questioned his attendance,” LINK nky reported.
Deters – who is running against Massie in the May 21 primary – is suing to disqualify the congressman from his 4th District U.S. House reelection campaign. The lawsuit is largely based on Deters’ questions about residency of state House candidate TJ Roberts, one of two witnesses to Massie’s candidate filing for the 2024 election.
Roberts, who is running in this year’s Republican primary for the 66th District House seat against former state lawmaker Ed Massey (R-Hebron), has said Deters’ claims have no merit. He issued a statement to LINK nky that reads in part:
“As many of you already know, I tragically lost my house to a fire in 2023,” Roberts said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt, and we had insurance, which allowed us to fully rebuild. My family’s been through nothing short of hell, and it is disgusting that the Establishment is teaming up with anyone willing to use this personal tragedy for personal and political gain.”
“Despite establishment efforts, our campaign is taking off. I will continue to fight for my right to be on the ballot while not letting this distract from our work to get the America First message to every voter in District 66. Thomas Massie and I will prevail against the swamp’s desperate tactics of my corrupt opponent,” he said.
A motion hour on Deters’ complaint against Massie is scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow in Lewis Circuit Court.