Freedom Fest brings bull riding tour to town

Ozona—Ozona’s second annual Freedom Fest continued the Fourth of July celebrations on Saturday, July 8. Organized by Noah and Frank Tambunga, the festival included a concert, bull-riding competition, and a cornhole tournament.

“Our goal for Freedom Fest is to engage the town, especially our young people,” Noah Tambunga said.

Noah and his father, Frank, have celebrated the Fourth with a parade for decades, but Noah knew something bigger was needed to engage kids and teenagers.

The festival brought hundreds of people to the arena, including some from out of town.

“We know our amazing town has so much potential, but we really need to take a leap of faith to push us out into the world,” Noah said.

The ultimate dream for Freedom Fest is to turn it into a large professional rodeo or bull riding event.

Wylie Wagner, the organizer of the bull-riding, offered insight into the specifics of the competition.

“This is our first portion of a series that will finish in Midland, Texas,” Wagner said. “We have people from all across the country competing today from states like Arkansas, Nebraska, and Kansas.”

This series is a qualifying competition for the Ultimate Bullriding Tour. The tour will finish in Goodland, Kansas, where winners will have a chance to win more than $40,000.

Though no Ozonians competed in the bullriding, the event was attended by many notable figures. Among them was 2004 Professional Bull Riders World Champion Mike Lee, a fellow Texan.

Other competitors could test their skills through Freedom Fest’s cornhole tournament, put on by Alex Ochoa.

“We really are excited about this tournament,” Ochoa said. “We have more than ten teams registered, and the more teams, the bigger the prize.”

The tournament operated in a first-to-21 style with the winners receiving a cash prize of over $500.

The economic advantages that come from Freedom Fest benefit Ozona.

“We want to help the community by economically boosting the small businesses here to show people what they have to offer,” Noah said.