Aug 23 2023
Karen Graham | Loudoun Times-Mirror
One Family Brewing in Lovettsville and Flags of Valor have teamed up for a weekend of remembrance at the third annual Freedom Celebration Sept. 8 and 9.
In the past, the Freedom Celebration has raised over $60,000 for charities that support military veterans, first responders and their families, according to One Family Brewing owner David Keuhner.
This year’s nonprofit beneficiaries are the Woody Williams Foundation, the Loudoun First Responders Foundation and the Spc. Douglas J. Green Memorial Foundation. The latter organization was founded to honor a soldier from Potomac Falls who was killed in action in Afghanistan.
On Sept. 8, gates open at 3 p.m. with live music from 4 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 9, gates open at 11 a.m. with live music from 12 to 9 p.m. and fireworks at 8:45 p.m. Tickets are available online at eventbrite.com and a limited number will be available at the door, Keuhner said.
One Family Brewing is set on 27 acres at 12890 Berlin Turnpike in Lovettsville. Keuhner plans to build a farm brewery and “farm-to-table” restaurant on the site within the next year.
Currently, the brewery offers a variety of beers, which will be sold at the event. There also will be vendors selling whisky, wine and food trucks.
Music will be provided by Nashville’s Noah Garner, Harrisonburg’s The Hacken Boys, Retired United States Marine Mike Corrado and his band and local musician Joey Hafner and Ghost Pepper.
Brian Steorts, founder and owner of Flags of Valor, a northern Virginia-based company that makes wooden flags, said when he heard about the event, he wanted to become involved by hosting a “Remembrance Ruck.”
All of the donations for the ruck – which is a walk with a backpack or military gear – will support the event and he hopes to get the word out to support a good cause. The ruck will start at the Gold Star Memorial on Berlin Turnpike at One Family Brewing at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9 and will proceed 9.11 miles around Lovettsville.
Steorts noted that the ruck is not a race; it is about doing something that is physically challenging together as a community.
Flags of Valor’s mission focuses on products manufactured in the United States, giving back to the community and hiring military veterans and spouses, Steorts said.
“This event is about giving back by coming together as a community to remember and honor all those that lost their lives on 9/11 and all the family and friends who were impacted,” he said.
He encourages everyone to come out for the ruck – and all of the weekend’s events, he said. Each registration for the ruck will include a ticket to the two-day event.
Registration for the ruck is available online at flagsofvalor.com and for more information about the Freedom Celebration visit Onefamilybrewing.com.
