A Very Special Supporter

Grant Barnum, lead singer & guitar
The Glass Cavalry
(photo by Lizette Edillor)

About 5 years ago, back in my t-shirt making days, I met a gentleman by the name of Grant Barnum. He came to me to get some t-shirts made for his band, Echoes Origin! I had mostly been making apparel for the local school's sports teams...so a band t-shirt was a refreshing change to my normal pace. I gladly took the job and over the course of the time we worked together, Grant and I formed a nice working relationship.

After satisfying his t-shirt needs, I approached Grant about playing atFLO Fest! He gladly accepted and we were graced by the wonderful tones of Echoes Origin at the 2nd Annual FLO Fest!

Since then, Grant has been an avid supporter of FLO Fest. He has returned each year to play with us even after changing pace with a new band, The Glass Cavalry.

Grant is a kind, determined young man. He is thoughtful and caring and is always willing to help in any way that I need him! 

The Glass Cavalry
L to R: Katie, Grant, Josh & Shannon
(photo by Lizette Edillor)

I cannot express how much Grant's support means to me. To know that I always have someone to rely on is a huge deal for me. I know that if I was ever in a pinch, I could call on Grant and he would be there for me!

I have not always been the best planner, and The Glass Cavalry did not get the credit they deserved last year as they exited the stage around 4am. This year will be different. Our headlining band will be no other than...The Glass Cavalry! They will be playing the prime time spot this year so be sure to head out and take a listen!

Please go to facebook.com/theglasscavalry and LIKE their band page! You will also find music from their new EP on iTunes! Please show your support for this up and coming local band and buy a track or two! I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Overwhelming Support!

It is hard to comprehend the amount of work that goes into planning a festival until you plan one. I never thought in my life I would be doing this...but boy am I glad I am! Planning FLO Fest is one my greatest stresses but also brings me more joy than I ever could have imagined. But please don't allow me to convince you that I do it all by myself....because that is just not the case!

The first 2 years were a stuggle, trying to find bands to play and tackling obstacles we never could have foreseen. Then the planning of the 3rd year came about...and I became overwhelmed with support. I had bands calling me, I had people donating for start up costs and a list of volunteers a mile long.

Having this overwhelming support has strengthened my will to carry on with the event. There have been times when I just wanted to call it quits. I wanted to give up and let somebody else do it. I was just done. But then I think of all the people, mostly the children, that I would let down. Children who have come to rely on us for just a little help in their grand battle with life and death. The thought of their strength allows me to continue.

Gena & Aunt Sherri

The support of my family, friends and community members has also moved me to continue hosting the event. And here I must point out the people who deserve more recognition that I!

My Aunt Sherri, for she started this grand venture and allowed me to take it and run with it. Without her ideas and her support...FLO Fest would have never formed.

My sister, Gena, for her tremendous support. She has always been there for me throughout my life and this is just another aspect of our relationship...the planning of FLO Fest. She is my right-hand woman...one of the only people in the world I would feel comfortable handing the reins to.

Uncle Steve & Aunt Tammi

My Mom and Dad, for their determination in life that has been instilled in me since I was a child. For their encouragement to be who I am and do what I feel is right. For their love and support...something I can not ever thank them enough for!

My Uncle Steve, for his continued support. A man who is so generous as to let us tear up his field for a night and use enough electricity to power the mall for a day! Without him...we would have no FLO Fest!

Friends...many, many friends!

My friends, all of which are never too busy to help. People who I call family even though we are not related. Men and women who come together for a cause! You all know who you are...this blog would be a mile long if I attempted to list you all!

And last but not least, my Papa. Whose life journey has inspired me to be the best person I can be. To help those in need and to never take for granted what we have, no matter how little it is.

Where do we start?

At this point in time, 9 months before the event, we are in the "pre-planning" stage. This means we are throwing around ideas, looking at prospective bands and improving our event site.

Myself and niece Evelynn, 3rd Annual
(photo by Ashley Hays)

In years past I have taken on a lot of the responsibility of planning the entire event. I am always strung out thin by the day of the event and it's all that I can do to stay upright after 10pm. Last year I took the initiative to pass on some of the responsibilities to a few of my very trusted friends and family, it seemed to work!

I am planning to do the same this year. I will have someone in charge of booking the bands and keeping in contact with them...an entertainment manager if you will. I will have a staff manager and a general contractor type of person as well as someone to manage the gate and parking. This leaves me with putting it all together and hopefully being able to have a little bit of fun on the day of the event!

Nothing has been nailed down for the 5th Annual...we are very open to ideas and suggestions!

Some of the improvements we plan to make this year include a permanent stage, more space for activities and a better setup all around. Like I said, if there is something you would like to suggest about ANY aspect of the event....feel free to leave comments here or on my facebook page!

As of now...not a lot is going on besides a few excited phone calls and text messages between myself and my managers. If you would like to get ahold of the staff manager or entertainment manager, please let me know and I will get you in contact with them! We are always looking for volunteers!


Ashley setting up the kids' games!
(photo by Alyssa Hays)

I would also like to throw out the idea of a tshirt design contest! As a professional designer, I have taken on the task of creating the marketing materials and tshirt design in years past...but would like to keep the idea open of maybe doing a tshirt design contest for the 5th Annual! I think it would be a great way to keep everyone involved in the planning process!

We will be hosting a few bake sales this summer to raise money for startup costs involved with the event! They will be at the Quietside Quick Shop in Roach, Mo over the Memorial, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends! Please take a few minutes to run out there and grab a tasty homemade treat and support our great cause!

As you can probably tell...there is a ton of work that goes into planning a single day event. Months and months of preparation for one day of fun! I am dedicated to making the 5th Annual FLO Fest the best one yet!

I am asking each of you to tell 5 people about FLO Fest in hopes that we can make it to the 200 mark for attendees this year!!

Thank you for your continuing support! Can't wait to see you in October!

A Reflection...

Many of you know who the woman behind the cutain is...but many of you don't. So please allow me to intoduce myself!

My name is Freddie Sparks and I will be turning 24 in about a week. I was born at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo and lived there for the first 22 years of my life. I grew up in a close immediate family, with my Mom, Dad and sister, Gena. Most of my mom's side of the family lived within 10 miles of us so we were naturally close to our cousins and grandparents. Still to this day, my cousins are my best friends.

But FLO Fest isn't about me, or about any of my cousins. It is about one man, Freddie Lee Osborn, my Papa!


Freddie Lee Osborn

Papa was a simple man, who never needed much nor had much. His most prized possessions were his family and his stories. He loved music and spending time with his grandkids (there are 13 of us, so he had plenty!). He grew up as the eldest of 4 children. He worked much of his childhood, many times giving all of his earnings to help his family. His mother, my Granny G., was also a great influence in my life.

I miss my Papa more than I could ever put into words...so I will not try. He departed from this life in April of 2007 after a long battle with lung cancer.

After Papa passed away, my Aunt Sherri (the 3rd in line of his 6 children), came to us with an idea to help those who had suffered a loss like ours...and to try to prevent it from happening in the future. We decided we would join the Relay for Life.

We participated in the Relay for 2 years before we decided we wanted to do something bigger! We wanted to concentrate our efforts into one big event where we could raise a lot of money! We also wanted to raise money for a more direct cause. We weren't sure exactly who or how the American Cancer Society was helping...so we chose St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as our benficiary. Papa loved children...and we thought who better to benefit than the young children who hadn't really experienced life yet.

So formed FLO Fest, Papa's initials an inspiration to the name (thanks to my clever sister!). We would hold the event on the farm where Papa was born and where his ashes are laid. Our plan was to have music, food, kids games and a bonfire!

The first year was a little rocky, it was planned in less than 2 months after we had already participated in the Relay for Life that year! We had a turnout of about 75 people...not bad for something that was only advertised for about 2 weeks before it happened. We had 2 official bands and some of my friends entertained us with a jam session for the rest of the night! We had a huge bonfire and carved about 60 pumpkins to decorate with! In my opinion, the first year was the hardest to plan as we had nothing to go off of but our ideas.

The second year was better, we had about 100 people show up! It was planned better and we moved the location down the road a bit to house our extra guests! We booked 4 bands and again had a huge bonfire! All in all it was success!




2nd Annual FLO Fest (photo by Cara Johnson)

  The third year was tremendous! We started a few new traditions, including the lighting of 50 sky lanterns! We had around 150 guests and 6 bands! A great bonfire again that year!

The fourth year was also a huge success! We had about 175 attendees and 8 bands!

I will highlight more of each year as I blog along through the planning of the 5th Annual FLO Fest! Thank you all for reading, if you have any questions or ideas for future blogs, please let me know!!