A family of current and former military servicemen and women and a veteran of four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan will lead the Kingfisher Freedom Fest Parade beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday at Briscoe Sports Complex.

Tim Taylor and three generations of the Larry and Dena Hart family will ride in the parade as grand marshals.

Taylor was medically retired from the U.S. Army in 2002 due to injuries sustained in his last deployment to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault.

He joined the Army right after graduating from Kingfisher High School in 2012 and completed basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Taylor attended airborne school and was sent to the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault unit in December 2002.

His first deployment to Iraq was two months later and lasted 15 months, followed by a second deployment to Iraq from 2005-07 and then to Afghanistan from 2008-09.

After transferring duty stations to Ft. Hood, Texas, Taylor was deployed to Iraq a third time, serving there until 2010.

Taylor moved back to Kingfisher in March 2019 where he works in carpentry. He is engaged to Christina Padilla and has five children, Madison, Ava, Brody, Celine and Raiden.

Larry Hart and his son Mick both served in the U.S. Marine Corps and his grandchildren, Erin Hart, Peyton (Yeoman) Jones, Trey Yeoman and Paige Yeoman, all currently serve in the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

The family was featured in a front page Times & Free Press article on May 24.

Temporary Parade Route

Due to road construction in downtown Kingfisher, the parade is relocated this year to the Briscoe Sports Complex (see map).

Limited parking is available in designated areas at the complex, however, a shuttle service also will operate from the First United Methodist Church parking lot to the north of the park entrance on 13th Street.

Parade-goers may sit or stand anywhere along the parade route.

Other Events

July 4 festivities officially begin Friday night, with the 21st annual Little Miss and Mr. Firecracker Pageant at the Kingfisher Heritage School Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

For boys and girls ages 2-5, the pageant’s winners will ride in the July 4 parade and be featured at the Distinguished Young Women of Kingfisher County scholarship program, which sponsors the event.

July 4 Schedule

After the parade, the Vernie Snow Aquatic Center will be open for free swimming from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

At 5 p.m., the Wilfong Family will sing the National Anthem at the swinging bridge and a free watermelon feed begins at 5:15 p.m.

Races and games sponsored by the Kingfisher Lions and Rotary clubs begin at 6 p.m. at Homier Field and food trucks and vendor booths will be available.

A live concert by the Chad Todd Band begins at 7 p.m. in the baseball field, followed by fireworks at dusk sponsored by the city of Kingfisher.

Kingfisher’s annual Freedom Fest is sponsored and organized by the Kingfisher Chamber of Commerce.

Hennessey 4th Events

Hennessey will offer free swim at Hennessey’s new aquatic center on Mitchell Road noon-6 p.m. and re open at 7 p.m. with water games throughout those hours. Concessions will be available.

A snow cone truck will be on site throughout the afternoon.

A cornhole tournament begins at 2 p.m. sponsored by Sara Bergely.

The fireworks display is scheduled at Mitchell Road park at 9:30 p.m., sponsored by Town of Hennessey.