LIBERTY FEST 2011: A GREAT SUCCESS! (We honored our super LPM volunteers in 2010, held Saturday, February 5, 2011, Holiday Inn Gateway Center, Flint, MI)
LIBERTY FEST 2011: A GREAT SUCCESS!
(We honored our super LPM volunteers in 2010, held Saturday, February 5, 2011, Holiday Inn Gateway Center, Flint, MI)
I would first like to say "Thank You" to all that attended LibertyFest and to those that were a huge help. It was my first event putting together for the LPM and a very successful and fun evening. We were all able to meet new people and finally put a friendly face to all the names we all hear about.
This event would not have gone as well or as smooth as it did with out the help of Charles Earl, Emily Salvette and Jay Longtain. Emily thank you so much for guiding me the right direction with all the planning from your past practice. A huge thank you also for all the donations and support. This is a great party to be a part of and I hope to help out more. A Congratulations goes to the following individuals for their nomination and winning the 2010 awards:
These are the the kinds of people that help this party grow and stay strong. Congratulations to all. So, put on your party hats, cause you could be next! Thank you Tri City Bay Regional Area. Please enjoy the following article by Emily along with a collage of photos, some taken by Scotty Boman and some by award-winning Chad.
LibertyFest 2011: It Was a Dark and Snowy Night, by Emily Salvette
...but the mood was bright at the celebration of liberty on the evening of February 5, 2011. LibertyFest was held at the Holiday Inn Gateway Center in Flint and was organized by LEC at-large director Denee Rockman-Moon. About 35 people braved snowy roads to enjoy the evening emceed by Jay Longtain, which included a speech by guest speaker Charlie Earl and the awarding of the 2010 Defender of Liberty awards.
Charles Earl and his lovely wife, Pat, were our honored guest for the evening. Charlie, who is a former Republican State Representative from Ohio, is now active in the Libertarian Party of Ohio and ran as the LP candidate for Ohio Secretary of State in 2010. His speech, MSRP for Liberty, focused on the value of liberty in society. He stressed how important it is for Libertarian Party members to speak up loud and proud about what we stand for and not discount the value of the product we are selling.
State Chair Emily Salvette presented the Libby awards to the winners. Chad Stevens won the Spokesperson of Liberty award. Chad is a businessman from Sault Saint Marie. He co-founded and leads the Northern Michigan Liberty Alliance, a non-partisan organization comprised of individuals and tea party groups that seek a return to constitutionally limited government, free markets and individual freedoms. William Gelineau was named the Promoter of Liberty for 2010. Bill has long been a driving force behind the LP of West Michigan, was the LPM state chair 2003-4, and has organized several of our recent state conventions. The final award, Producer of Liberty, was given to Brian Wright, who unfortunately could not be at the event due to the terrible weather. Brian has been involved in Michigan’s freedom movement since the founding of the party in 1972. He was LPM state chair in the early 1980s and is currently our webmaster and newsletter editor.
The Defender of Liberty award selection committee was made up of Emily Salvette, Denee Rockman-Moon, and Amy Kilbourne, PhD, MPH. Amy is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan and Core Faculty Member in the VA Ann Arbor Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research and Evaluation Center (SMITREC). She grew up in California and John Hospers, first LP presidential candidate, is a family friend. The committee received many nominees this year and the selection was very difficult, but in the end, we honored 3 very worthy Defenders of Liberty.
The evening was a wonderful success and everyone enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones as we wined and dined for Liberty. Thanks to our speaker, congratulations to our Libby Award winners, and all praise to the LibertyFest committee for organizing an elegant and well-run event. Denee Rockman-Moon would like to thank everyone who attended and made donations that evening. “This is a great party to be a part of,” she notes, “and I hope to help out more.” That’s the LibertyFest spirit!
Born in Fostoria, Charlie was reared on a farm in Seneca County near McCutchenville. After graduating from Mohawk High School (Sycamore, OH), Charlie later attended The College of Wooster where he earned his B.A. in English. Some years later he broadened his education with an M.A. from Bowling Green State University in Mass Communication, additional graduate work at the University of Virginia, and doctoral studies in Mass Communication at Bowling Green. Over the course of his life Charlie has worked in broadcasting, academia and corporate communications. In addition he has worked at a number of jobs in order to pay the bills while attending college and grad school. In the early 1980's, Charlie served as a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives but chose not to run for re-election in 1984. After a 26 year "sabbatical," Charlie has decided to run for Ohio Secretary of State as a member of the Libertarian Party of Ohio.
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Defender of Liberty Awards ("Libbies") have been presented at our annual LibertyFest Banquet to a maximum of four select individuals, Libertarian or otherwise, who have made notable personal efforts in the defense of liberty. Winners must live and/or work in the state of Michigan.
Three categories have been established:
A fourth award is available to be given at the judge’s discretion.